THE JOY OF

Loving Legos!

I didn't have many toys as a kid, so whenever I got to choose a gift for my birthday or Christmas, I usually asked for Legos. Why? Because it's not just a toy…it's the toy that a Lego creator can continually make other toys with. I lived in Trondheim, Norway at 5 years old when I got my first Lego bricks, and they were all the rage in Scandinavia, because Legos are manufactured in Denmark. To this day, it’s a creative outlet to build things with Legos. This red truck was a family Christmas gift to me symbolizing my real black truck “Chuck” last year. There are over 2,000 parts— I’ll have to take it apart and build something else soon! - by Michael J. Ayers

Lego League classes at the Lima YMCA

When I was a kid, Legos were always a “go to” toy and activity. I think Legos are a great medium for kids to really let their imagination go wild. I love being able to give the kids a building prompt and see their creativity flow into their creation. The Lego League Jr. class at the Lima YMCA is an introductory course before the FIRST Lego League program. The kids learn how to build simple machines with gears, wheels, levers, etc. while also using their creativity to make creations of their own. This love for design and building carries over into our FIRST Lego League where the kids are given specific missions to build and for their robot to complete. This year’s mission involves learning about different types of energy sources and where our energy comes from in general. They also build and program their own robot using the Lego EV3 model. With the FIRST Lego League, I have seen kids fall in love with building more challenging structures and a few have also become interested in computer coding.

FIRST Lego League and Lego League Jr. allows kids to explore the possibilities of building and computer programming, but it also incorporates a lot of STEM learning. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and is something we try and involve in a lot of our youth programs. This can help the kids progress into other programs we offer for high schoolers like robotics. Lego League Jr. (ages 6-9) is just to get the kids used to building, introduce them to simple moving components, and work together as a team. FIRST Lego League (ages 9-14) gets more into introductory robotics, challenging builds, and has specific challenges for the kids to complete.

FIRST Lego League is on Mondays from 5pm-6:30pm and Lego League Jr. is on Tuesdays from 5pm-6pm. Call the YMCA at 419-223-6045 to register for the next session!

- by Taylor Shimp, Lima Y.M.C.A.