Jordan went to a Lego event recently. He was given a base and told to build whatever he wanted on it. His "creation" would then be added to a map of the US. The organizers hoped to fill the whole map before the end of the weekend.
Jordan, in the midst of Iron Man fever (though he's never actually seen the movie) decided to build a tall version of Tony Stark's Malibu Mansion.
He was, as you can see in this clip very intent on his work. The staff asked him what his plan was and he said he wanted to build something tall. They told him the limit was four feet. I don't know what he was originally thinking of as "tall," but he took that as a challenge. Four feet or bust. The staff got behind him, helping him find the pieces he needed and cheering him on.
He had to change his design a few times. because of the pieces that were available. He showed great flexibility. He added new ideas as went along. (Does Tony Stark play golf?)
It took over two hours (in the middle of the day on Friday -- yay, homeschooling!) but he did it.
Then he had a little celebration:
The staff asked him where on the map he wanted it. He said "California, of course. That's where Malibu is." So they put it there.
It was an adventure. It was fun to see so many people rooting for a kid and helping him to accomplish a goal. Children shouldn't expect to be the center of attention most of the time, but once in a while, it's probably good for them.
A final clip showing how he feels about his work. Quite proud of himself, really.
When have you seen a child work at something?
Sorry about the orientation of the videos. I don't know how to rotate them. If you do please let me know!
Besides my son, I get to watch teens from the Christian Youth Conference at Ocean Park accomplish things all the time. Two weeks at the beach in August experiencing Christian community and learning leadership skills? What's not to love?
Yay for Jordan! That tower looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI used to work for a before/after school child care center through the YMCA in Manchester. Those kids were some of the most resourceful I've known. I ran the arts & crafts table, and some days we'd have scheduled projects, but my favorites were the days I would lay out a jumble of (usually almost gone) supplies and tell the kids to surprise me. I saw kindergartners making collage pictures of fish, reminiscent of Picasso, that I couldn't even recreate. I saw fifth graders making books out of paper, yarn, and a hole punch.
My absolute favorite project, though, was the week we focused on community. We had the kids build a replica downtown Manchester out of assorted boxes in the middle of the gym. All 70 kids were absolute fiends finishing that project. And the BEST part? Their reward was to destroy it all, like Godzilla destroying Tokyo. It was the best week of my career there.
Oh that sounds like fun!!
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