Fort St. John kids sure do have an imagination.
On Wednesday afternoon, a half dozen youngsters aged 7 to 12 were given the creative reins at the bi-weekly meeting of the Lego club at the public library.
The kids were building all sorts of things: space stations with hidden vehicle bays, cafeterias just as colourful as the food they served, and children were even supplied a Morse code alphabet and encouraged to write their name or a message to be deciphered.
The kids are supplied with Lego bricks and build plates, and under the supervision of Alisa Lurie, children’s services and program co-ordinator, are allowed to free build or to draw a challenge from a bin.
Near the end of the hour, once all the blocks are cleaned up, the kids are given an opportunity to showcase their builds in the glass display outside the library. The builds are given titles and left on display for friends and family to see until the next club meeting, when the kids are given the chance to improve on their projects.
"You’re building something you’re really proud of, you want everyone to see it, and you want to keep it for a little bit," says Lurie. "The display really helps with that.”
Lego has long been credited with encouraging creativity and problem solving as well as assisting social skills development.
The playful construction sets will continue to do so, at the drop-in after-school club held every other Wednesday at the library.
