Lego Themed Parties....

Now, you guys know how crazy I am right?  And that I love Lego?  Well, I was approached recently, asking to do a Lego-related blog post.  I jumped at the chance, and here it is… My first guest post here on Shaven Wookiee, by Carlo Pandian.  This guy’s a dude!

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Lego Themed Party Ideas

Sometimes parties seem to come around with alarming frequency and finding ideas to keep the little darlings entertained, off the additives (and the ceiling) and in more or less one place is hard.  Themed parties are usually a good idea whether that’s at a venue or at home.  Anything focussing on favourite toys, comics, movie genre etc. is also a good starting point and one of the all-time favourites is Lego.  There’s a bit of a rumour that Lego is a boy’s toy, but research suggests that girls are just as interested in construction based play, despite centuries of attempted gender stereotyping.  Lego have attempted to appeal to the girly market as well, by creating various brands aimed at things girls (allegedly) like, without realising that girls are perfectly with fire stations, castles and pirates.  Whatever type of Lego theme you choose for a party it will be popular.

Lego party themes at home

·        The main event of any Lego birthday party should, of course, be a competition with small prizes for the entrants.  Buildings or sculpture make good categories though you’ll need plenty of Lego to hand to get them underway.  Small sets can be a starting point but be warned of a little construction industry espionage and of those that may try to damage other’s efforts!

·        For a constructive and fast paced party a racing Lego theme can work well.  The first part of the task is to build their own racing car from Lego.  Small Lego kits to construct a racing car are available.  You’ll need to construct a race track with enough lanes for the cars, beforehand.  A simple board with lines painted to create the lanes will work, which can be a pre-birthday family project.

·        No party is complete without a Piñata and a Lego block version of this is a great twist.  We’re not talking real Lego here (you know the rules about small components and children!) but a ‘Lego’ brick constructed using a shoe-box sized box, and tubes to create the round connectors, filled with sweets, including Lego candy of course.  This can then be used to channel the kid’s natural tendency towards damage and destruction, leaving your home messy but intact.

·        Lego Treasure hunts will go down well; the hunt can be arranged at the start of the party, with prizes being small Lego kits.  The prizes will then provide plenty of entertainment for later in the party.  You can choose to use larger Lego kits and teams and incorporate a competition element, getting guests to work in their teams to build their masterpieces.  Again, this provides plenty of entertainment before, during and after the food!

Playing away

If your guests are Lego mad but you don’t fancy catering at home there are a number of attractions based on the popular toy including Lego Land theme parks which cater to people of a wide age range.  Alongside the Lego focus you would expect they feature great rides and attractions and some offer party arrangements to take some of the pressure off you!  In addition there are a number of smaller outlets, based in retail parks, which will offer a fantastic Lego themed day for you and the kids.

It seems odd that despite the technological revolution of recent years and the rising popularity of computer games and the internet that such a simple toy should remain so popular.  Odd, but good; and it seems that each generation is, whatever the current fashions, quickly fascinated with the simple, but amazing possibilities of this most humble of toys.

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Author Carlo Pandian is a freelance writer and blogs about Lego, travel and design covering everything from LEGOLAND Discovery Centre school trips in Manchester to cool Duplo gadgets. When he’s not online, he likes building models and volunteering at his local community center.

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