Are your kids a fan of Rube Goldberg chain reactions? And a fan of LEGOs? Then this LEGO chain reaction book is a really great way to combine the two! We had fun building this “quintopple” chain reaction. Watch the video later and don’t forget to Pin it!
So first off…
Who is Rube Goldberg?
Soszynski (2021) mentions that Rube Goldberg was an engineer as well as a cartoonist. He made cartoons with complex contraptions that would be triggered by one another through simple tasks. Very fun!
What are the benefits of chain reactions?
Chain reactions are just plain fun! Really though, chain reactions teach patience, perseverance, and precision (Soszynski, 2021). It teaches each action has an opposite or equal reaction (per my 8.5yo). It also teaches children and adults to be creative, to problem solve, to learn about science (potential and kinetic energy), as well as math skills (measuring the distance between each reaction so it works out, mass of the objects for the reaction to be triggered exactly, and so on).
What are the benefits of LEGOs?
Through watching my kids play and build with LEGO bricks, there are so many benefits! They really got into lego building when we went to our first LEGO competition, years ago, at our local library. It was amazing to see all the different creations, and it really sparked creativity in my own kids’ imaginations.
So the benefits I noticed firsthand include:
- Creativity- children design and build whatever comes to mind.
- Patience- if you’ve ever played with LEGOs, then you know it takes a lot of patience to put these bricks together and keep them together!
- Problem solving- when a brick doesn’t fit or the structure collapses, you have to figure out how to make it work out.
- Math- counting the dots on each brick to decide which piece you need…that’s math!
- Perseverance- this goes with problem solving- just keep trying and don’t give up! I love seeing how my kids will take a break, and then go back to building with a fresh mind. They are determined!
- Planning and implementation- this goes along with creativity. Kids are able to plan their creations and then build it with the LEGOs they have on hand.
- Engineering- children build structures, and using a book like this- helps with putting their engineering skills to use.
- Imagination and pretend play- after their structure is built, whether it’s robots, hotels, treehouses- the fun begins now with pretend play!
So as you can see, there are so many benefits for our children when using legos or any type of bricks, for play. It is easy to get lost in how many LEGO sets there are to complete, but just remember to keep it simple, use your imagination, and have fun!
Reference:
Soszynski, S. (2021). Science At Play: Rube Goldberg Machines. Connecticut Science Center. https://ctsciencecenter.org/blog/science-at-play-rube-goldberg-machines/
*Adult Supervision Is Required For All Activities*