POPULAR CULTURE
Not just child's play Ujala Chauhan Christmas morning was among the most exciting mornings for many of us — the large Christmas tree illuminated by the protruding sunlight, and joy slowly filling the house. Opening the gifts was arguably even better; ripping open the multicolored, puzzle-decorated wrapping paper to find a bright yellow box inside. “Legos!” The immediate shrill of excitement would ring through the house. We opened the rest of the gifts; the yellow Lego box remained right by our sides. We eagerly waited for a chance to take out the colorful blocks inside. We would build cities, bridges, people, and more. Hours would be spent
reveling in the feeling of constructing objects with our own hands. However, as they’ve grown older, many feel that those things that brought us so much joy have become the basis of stereotypes. “I used to love playing with Legos,” said junior Emily Hamanaka. “But now, people view playing with Legos as something only ‘nerds’ do. They forget that, at some point in their lives, they built Legos too. It’s a perfectly normal hobby.” Despite Hamanaka’s view that Legos are commonly made fun of, they provide an activity that enhances the brain and captivates its audience, according to the National Library of Medicine
(NLM). As NLM states, building Legos increases “spatial competencies that foster strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills.” It also enhances problemsolving skills, for example, when two blocks don’t fit together or something needs to be rebuilt in a
6 HIGHLANDER ISSUE I