LEGO crane (8421) (c) the LEGO Group

The other day I spoke with a colleague about great toys that we used to have as kids. We both have kids now, and we were talking about the toys that our kids play with today, and how much how kids play has changed. My colleague and I are both engineers by training, and we have both always been interested in technology. And as self-professed geeks, we, of course, both played with LEGO as kids.

I remember playing for hours every day with my LEGO — building huge cranes, complex train sets, and all kinds of vehicles. Come to think of it, my younger brother still vividly remembers what happens when one hides important LEGO pieces from the older brother who is "working on the most important project in the world!" .. hm .. anyway, LEGO is clearly my all-time favorite toy, and I have tried very hard to share this with my own kids.

To me LEGO is the perfect toy because it can teach so many basic things about mechanics, spatial thinking, problem solving, and just plain ingenuity. And no, it’s not just for boys.

I have two daughters, and I’ve gotten them quite a bit of LEGO over the years (yes, it was for me too). Of course, they’re not fanatics like myself, but I know that they appreciate the time we spend together playing and building things. And that’s really what matters: taking the time to actually play with our kids.

For my kids I’ve gotten pretty much everything from regular house kits to trains to the high-end Technics crane and the totally awesome MindStorm Robotics kit (this one warrants a post on its own). There is just so much cool LEGO out there, and the best part is that regardless of what you get for your kids, they will find it nearly irresistible to play with. Those little colored bricks somehow call out to you — they want you to stack them together!

LEGO bulldozer (8275) (c) the LEGO Group

LEGO is also a fabulous learning tool. Unlike most other toys that we buy, LEGO does require assembly! In fact, that’s the point — you build whatever you want. It calls out your inner creativity whether you want to or not. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a simple kit with just a few bricks, or the crane with thousands. It took me two solid days to build that one, but my 5 year-old loved it, and I can guarantee you that a kit like that is a real challenge even for grown-ups. Think of it as complex 3D-puzzle with movable parts. By the way, I may try that bulldozer that I saw on a recent trip to Germany.

Another great thing about LEGO is that you don’t have to follow the instructions in the box — you can build whatever you want. You can combine kits and invent anything you want. And you would not be the only one: there are tons of web sites devoted to LEGO kits, and there is even CAD software to create your own virtual LEGO models.

LEGO can get quite complex. For example, the MindStorms series allows you you to build robots that can be programmed to react to sensor input. And even though robotics is not for the faint of heart, this is designed for kids and it is designed well. The programming can be done on a laptop — a fantastic graphics-based kid-friendly language — and then transferred to the logic brick. My teenage daughter, who is too cool to play with anything, actually got the robot to dance to the beat from the stereo by programming it to react to the sound sensor. Yes, I know, sounds complicated, but it’s not, and that is the genius behind LEGO: the company has made technology fun to play with.

Enjoy the bricks!

-martin.

Some additional LEGO links:

• RAILBRICKS — awesome LEGO trains
• THE ART OF THE BRICK — unbelievably cool LEGO sculptures