Lego Learning

In this household, we love our Lego. Or, more accurately, the husband and the kids love their Lego, and I... love not accidentally stepping on any. Because, you know, OUCH.

But sometimes, having a lot of Lego can come in quite handy.

Here are two bible stories that we were able to bring to life with our Lego blocks and have a lot of fun learning too:

1. Joshua & the Walls of Jericho

This story is fairly straight-forward: God commanded the Israelites to march around the walled city of Jericho once a day for 6 days, with the priests blowing their horns. Then after marching around the city 7 times on the 7th day, Joshua commanded the people to SHOUT... and the walls came tumbling down.

It should be pretty obvious what we did!

Building the wall was surprisingly difficult, no thanks to Noey's requirements -- "I want to put some flowers to make it look nice" and "I want a window!". I also wanted to make it tall so that the falling down would, well, be more impressive. When we finally got it to stand, we pranced around it, I tooted a horn made from a rolled up piece of paper, and we shouted! And then we toppled the wall down. I admit, I had fun too.

And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city."
~ Joshua 6:15, 20

2. Feeding the Five Thousand

It was DD's idea to use his many many (many) Lego figurines to illustrate this parable. We had previously read this parable -- where Jesus took just the lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fish of one little boy and fed the multitude -- to Noey before but it was hard for him to grasp the concept of five thousand people.

We don't have five thousand lego figurines. At least, I sincerely hope not! But we have enough DD took out enough from his stash to make the point. He even managed to rustle up 2 lego fish!

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

~ Matthew 14:19-21

So yes, Lego are learning toys, in more ways than probably intended.

(And no, my dear husband, that does NOT mean that you ought to buy more!)