Have Fun Storming The Castle!

As a parent, I feel a big part of my job is observing my kids and seeing when their eyes light up, taking note of what causes their imaginations to fire. And then- once I have a rough idea what excites them- I try my best to expose them to all sorts of opportunities to explore that thing.

With my oldest it's reading, stories, animals, gymnastics, physical sports.

With my youngest it's turning out to be video games and puzzles. Watching her navigate 3D space in a video game, master the many kid flash based MMOs she plays, or even if she's just solving a 2D puzzle you can tell her brain feels at home with this sort of thinking; like she is in her element when she's thinking in this specific puzzle solving way.

So with that in mind- and wanting to find some other outlets for her to explore her gifts- I got my youngest daughter a big Lego Kingdoms set for her birthday last week. I figured if she dug 2D puzzles, she'd love a 3D one. And boy was I right! She's taken to this like a pig in shit, as they say in the south. Actually, I don't know anyone who says that other than my parents. But they live in the south...so...there's that.

But yeah, what a joy to see your children get excited and turned on and connect with something that really speaks to them. Will this lead to her being an architect? A 3D modeler? Perhaps just someone with a life long love of Legos?!?! All- or none- would be fine with me. I'm just digging watching her connect with a part of herself that is clearly and naturally very strong. 

Here's what we've done so far. We just spent about an hour on it last night and she is only 5 but I'm pretty darn proud of her! 

This is the throne room about 70% complete. We're doing the roof and fine details tonite when she gets home from school. As you can see, we lost a few of the tiny bricks and had to pull the pink and orange ones- that stick out like a sore thumb- from some other Lego set we had. But again, for a little kid I think this is darn neat! 

On a tangent: This is the first time I've ever watched a real Lego set be built. I used to play with Legos as a kid but never did a real kit/set. I just took the pieces and made what I wanted and never followed the instructions.  But low and behold: doing the pre-made Lego sets is really cool! I should done this when I was a kid! :) Can anyone recommend a great, challening Lego set for adults...or are those called models??!

David