Learning With Lego

Playing with Lego? Sure beats math and science lessons, it would seem.

After spending all day at school, local kids are heading to the to participate in the , which is held once a week on Wednesday's at 4 p.m. and has been going on for the past couple years.

The club is open to grades 3-5, and Syosset residents get first crack at joining.  Legos are proving to be quite popular, as the club has a waiting list of eager kids looking to build their own Lego worlds from the ground up.

"It's something you're starting to see at libraries more often," says librarian Nadine Kessler, who runs the program.  "The building, the thought process, the creativeness...it brings them in."

For the uninitiated, Legos are colorful bricks that stick together to create...anything.  Each week is a different theme, such as outer space or music.  This week's theme: skyscrapers and towers, though the kids often end up building whatever pops into their head anyway, according to Kessler.

Along with potentially producing future architects, the club teaches the kids teamwork, as they share ideas while their imaginations take them into 'Legoland.'

"Parents are shocked to find out their kids are so good at collaborating, problem solving," says Kessler. "I think it fosters different types of learning, and that's surprising."

Kessler says there hasn't been any problems with the kids while they work, as they get fully immersed in their creative efforts.  Most kids' first experience with Lego is at home, and it grows from there.

"I like building stuff, and I have Lego blocks at home," says third grader Maya Assad. "Sometimes with my sister I build buildings or towers, and it's really fun."

While the kids are given weekly themes, and even illustrated guides on how to build, some youngsters go with their gut to create things such as cars or homes of the future.

"I never take anything from the book, I always make it up," says fifth grader Alex Silberman.

Sounds like a future MIT grad, and it all starts with Lego.  Hey, why not?

Lego club sessions are held once a week during the school year.  For info on how your kids can join and for availability, please contact the .  Photos of the kids' creations can be found at syossetkids.blogspot.com.