What do Lego-maniac children become?....

[irizarry4]

I have a Lego maniac ds almost 10. He could spend 17 hours straight putting things together following instructions, or creating them himself. He is meticulous with his Lego building, but not with ANYTHING else. Writing, math, reading (the list goes on) tends to be sloppy. He understands those concepts well, just does not apply care to execute in them.

 

What kind of learner/doer is he? Does this mean he is visual/spatial? I would love to hear from other parents of Lego-maniacs. What interests did your child develop? I am sure his Lego-mania (also loves K'nex, and toys that similarly engage the brain) is pointing to an area of talent that translates to some sort of occupation. I would like to identify it, so I can cultivate that and help him explore areas that he will be really passionate about.

 

I've thought engineering may turn out to be an area of interest, but the engineers I know tend to be meticulous in most areas of their lives.... Any thoughts?

[asta]

My lego maniac (15) is visual kinesthetic.

 

He and I were actually discussing this very topic a couple of months ago. A few things I came up with:

 

Computer Aided Design person (the Lego software is essentially basic CAD)

Architect

Anything that involves complex movements like prosthetics, robotics, etc. (this is essentially Bionicles)

Anything that involves spatial modeling - chemistry, physics, bio-engineering, meteorology, etc.

 

That's all I can remember.

 

 

asta

[Lori D.]

Check out the quarterly "Brick Journal", the international fan-created magazine for what some Legomaniacs do: http://www.brickjournal.com/news -- my Legomaniac loves receiving this magazine.

 

Some Legomaniacs actually go on to work for the Lego company, others are set designers, create museum displays, or make great mechanics (and inventors!) for specialty things like wheelchairs, etc. Some go into computer 3-D rendering, film special effects, or work for Disney (or other theme parks) as "imagineer" engineers. Actually, I worry less about what my Legomaniac will be than older big brother -- our Legomaniac is such an out-of-the-box thinker, he'll probably very easily make his own job/career!

 

Along about their senior year, I plan to have them take something like the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory to help them see where their strengths and interests lie, and how that matches up with various types of careers to help them plot their future after high school graduation. Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 25, 2009 by Lori D.
fixed line break

[Nan in Mass]

Now that might be because we have lots of friends and family who are engineers, and they recognize themselves in their offspring and steer them heavily towards engineering. This has been going on for generations. Engineers watch their children, and if they are builders, they say, "Aha! You are an engineer." And if they make a mess of building things or aren't interested, the engineer says with a sigh, "Well, I guess you'll never make an engineer." (Hopefully to themselves.) Engineering is a large field with lots of subbranches and the engineers take a great interest in which sort of engineer their child is going to become. They assume that if they are engineering-minded (ie legomaniacs), then it is only a matter of discovering which sort makes their eyes light up. If the child is unhappy studying engineering or at work, it is assumed they just haven't found the right type or job yet LOL. If they can't tolerate college, they get sent to trade school to become plumbers or machinists or something else that requires technical creativity and problem-solving. And I have to say, this method seems to work really well. The children buy into the idea from the time they are very small (because you can usually tell by the time a child is 2 or 3), and they are pretty happy to have their career choice settled early. The parent engineers we've known were proud to be engineers and proud to have children who were capable of becoming engineers. There also is acknowledgement of the unfortunate tendency for the engineering gift to come with a bunch of handicaps that make it difficult for engineers to become anything but engineers. Spelling comes to mind, and learning foreign languages, and being interested in literary analysis LOL. Not that some of them can't do those things, or don't do those things as hobbies or even part of their jobs, but I've known more who didn't than who did.

 

And for those who find this rather horrifying and limiting, just think of it this way: what if you could take a child who struggled and was miserable in school and pat them on the back and tell them that they were fantastic, just like their father or mother (who happens to be very successful), that they have a unique, very valuable talent that the rest of the world will pay highly for, that their parent also struggled in just exactly the same way, and that they have to try at spelling but that they probably aren't ever going to be very good at it and that it won't matter when they get to college. And then add in a bunch of other family members and friends saying the same thing? As I said, the children are usually pretty happy. So is the engineering parent, who patiently buys more legos and is actually pleased when they destroy the toaster to see how it works.

 

-Nan

 

Oh - and I jsut realized I didn't answer your question. Some legomanics I know: One is at RPI studying robotics and rejoicing in having a whole slew of people just like him with which to play endless role-playing games. Another is on a training ship headed for Puerto Rico studying to be a ship's engineer, playing guitar whenever he has a chance. Another is at BU, working with his father researching patents for his internship, and on a cheerleading team for basketball. Their hobbies are pretty varied LOL.

 

Sloppiness - My oldest was sloppy about anything but his own projects. But he has outgrown it. He received lots of encouragement to outgrow it but nobody was particularly worried. If he had been sloppy about his projects, we would have been worried. We just assumed he was a child. My youngest is also an engineering-type. He is still sloppy about other things at 14. Again, we are assuming he will outgrow it. I actually was rather happy about the sloppiness because one of the problems that engineers can sometimes have is being over-meticulous and over-uptight about their lives. Mine are high strung, so I was relieved to find that they weren't also perfectionists on top of that. Their ability to ignore things and be relaxed about things they don't care about is good. "Don't sweat the small stuff" and all that...

Edited May 25, 2009 by Nan in Mass
Forgot to answer the question LOL...

[Gwen in VA]

What a cool question!

 

The two serious legomaniacs I know are my BIL (many years younger than my dh) and my older son.

 

My BIL is now a lawyer in a large firm in a big city doing corporate stuff, though he does enjoy tearing his house apart on the weekends.

 

My son is now triple-majoring in math, philosophy, and economics. And no, he can't fix anything to save his life!

 

The funny thing about this -- dh and I are both engineers, so we did steer our lego-maniac son towards engineering, but in high school his passion switched to debating.

 

The even funnier thing -- ds2 is the hard-core engineer kid in our family, and he never did like Legos! He preferred finding his own building materials from tape, paper, straws, wooden skewers and the like. He made sailboats out of meat trays and straws and tissue-paper and didn't like "pre-made" building materials! He now designs and builds kites! He is planning on going into naval architecture.

[Jane in NC]

Having taught at an engineering school, I encountered a number of Legomaniacs who were told that they were future engineers their entire childhood. But they were not. It is one thing to do hands on kind of stuff, another to do the theoretical kinds of things that are expected in a college engineering curriculum. Playing with Legos does not automatically lead to success in physics, chemistry and the calculus sequence.

 

That said, my husband (former Legomaniac) studied mathematics and works as a systems engineer for a utility. My Legomaniac son wants to be an archaeologist.

 

Jane

[MamaT]

My Legomaniac son is now an engineer in the Marine Corp. I'm not sure what he'll do when he gets out (421 days, not that I'm counting!). He has finished two years of college and will pick up from there when he gets out. Right now he is leaning toward political science.

[Stacy in NJ]

My Legomaniac son wants to be an archaeologist.

 

Jane

 

Ds12 is a crazy lego kid; he's maintained for quite some time the desire to be an archaelogist. We'll see.

 

I don't know if my dad would have been a lego nut, but he was definately a hands on, builder fixer person. Professionally he was an architect.

Edited May 25, 2009 by Stacy in NJ
sp

[mommytobees]

They become a Lego-maniac adult.

 

Ask me how I know.

 

Kris

[LaJuana]

...my Legomaniac would be an engineer, but he is a recent English/Greek graduate heading to seminary this fall. One of his best Legomaniac friends is an architect. I think Legos appeal to people of all sorts of gifts.

[ereks mom]

[i always thought]...my Legomaniac would be an engineer, but he is a recent English/Greek graduate heading to seminary this fall. One of his best Legomaniac friends is an architect. I think Legos appeal to people of all sorts of gifts.

 

 

That was ER's plan -- to become an engineer, specifically a robotics engineer. His dream was to work for NASA, designing and testing robotics equipment for the Space Shuttle or for the International Space Station. However, in his teen years, he also developed a love of music and a passion for ministry, particuarly as a music/worship leader. He still treasures his Lego sets, but his career will be in ministry.

[Melissa in Australia]

Now that might be because we have lots of friends and family who are engineers, and they recognize themselves in their offspring and steer them heavily towards engineering. This has been going on for generations. Engineers watch their children, and if they are builders, they say, "Aha! You are an engineer." And if they make a mess of building things or aren't interested, the engineer says with a sigh, "Well, I guess you'll never make an engineer." (Hopefully to themselves.) Engineering is a large field with lots of subbranches and the engineers take a great interest in which sort of engineer their child is going to become. They assume that if they are engineering-minded (ie legomaniacs), then it is only a matter of discovering which sort makes their eyes light up. If the child is unhappy studying engineering or at work, it is assumed they just haven't found the right type or job yet LOL. If they can't tolerate college, they get sent to trade school to become plumbers or machinists or something else that requires technical creativity and problem-solving. And I have to say, this method seems to work really well. The children buy into the idea from the time they are very small (because you can usually tell by the time a child is 2 or 3), and they are pretty happy to have their career choice settled early. The parent engineers we've known were proud to be engineers and proud to have children who were capable of becoming engineers. There also is acknowledgement of the unfortunate tendency for the engineering gift to come with a bunch of handicaps that make it difficult for engineers to become anything but engineers. Spelling comes to mind, and learning foreign languages, and being interested in literary analysis LOL. Not that some of them can't do those things, or don't do those things as hobbies or even part of their jobs, but I've known more who didn't than who did.

 

And for those who find this rather horrifying and limiting, just think of it this way: what if you could take a child who struggled and was miserable in school and pat them on the back and tell them that they were fantastic, just like their father or mother (who happens to be very successful), that they have a unique, very valuable talent that the rest of the world will pay highly for, that their parent also struggled in just exactly the same way, and that they have to try at spelling but that they probably aren't ever going to be very good at it and that it won't matter when they get to college. And then add in a bunch of other family members and friends saying the same thing? As I said, the children are usually pretty happy. So is the engineering parent, who patiently buys more legos and is actually pleased when they destroy the toaster to see how it works.

 

-Nan

 

Oh - and I jsut realized I didn't answer your question. Some legomanics I know: One is at RPI studying robotics and rejoicing in having a whole slew of people just like him with which to play endless role-playing games. Another is on a training ship headed for Puerto Rico studying to be a ship's engineer, playing guitar whenever he has a chance. Another is at BU, working with his father researching patents for his internship, and on a cheerleading team for basketball. Their hobbies are pretty varied LOL.

 

Sloppiness - My oldest was sloppy about anything but his own projects. But he has outgrown it. He received lots of encouragement to outgrow it but nobody was particularly worried. If he had been sloppy about his projects, we would have been worried. We just assumed he was a child. My youngest is also an engineering-type. He is still sloppy about other things at 14. Again, we are assuming he will outgrow it. I actually was rather happy about the sloppiness because one of the problems that engineers can sometimes have is being over-meticulous and over-uptight about their lives. Mine are high strung, so I was relieved to find that they weren't also perfectionists on top of that. Their ability to ignore things and be relaxed about things they don't care about is good. "Don't sweat the small stuff" and all that...

 

this is a great post. it really describes my son to the 'T' . he has played with Lego all his life. and is VERY particular with his Lego. but that isn't the only reason why he wants to be an engineer. his whole focus on life from when he was a small baby , about 6 months old onwards has been problem solving. whenever he looks at something he is always trying to work out a more practical way of doing things. and the reasons why things work/ or don't work. Lego is a great medium for experimenting with this.

he is now 15 and still has the burning desire to become an engineer.

[mamapjama]

I have a 7 year old lego maniac. I have been looking at some of the homeschool lego kits. Have any of you purchased them? Any advice or recommendations?

[Julie in GA]

nt

[HeatherInWI]

My legomaniac cousin became a theater set designer.

[TravelingChris]

My legomaniac son is a junior/senior majoring in philosophy. He is looking for a summer job as either a computer person or audio/visual tech as he has much experience with both including building this computer I am using right now.

[kpupg]

the engineers I know tend to be meticulous in most areas of their lives.... Any thoughts?

 

Not all engineers are meticulous neatniks or whatnot. Believe me, I know ... sigh ...

 

Anyhoo ... my Legmaniac ds14 wants to be a mathematician. When he's not doing Lego projects or fencing or developing cool characters for D&D, he's doing math proofs in his head. Even at church -- hey, it keeps him quiet eh? This is the kid who taught himself calculus at age 13. He's also gifted in the hard sciences, so there's potential in that direction. I don't see him going into engineering ... can't really explain why, but I see his thinking style as being more theoretical than practical ... but I could be wrong, fer sure :)

 

Karen

[Nan in Mass]

Right - If you are the child of an engineer, you are probably more likely to be willing to put up with all that math. Otherwise, be sure to investigate other jobs where you get to make something. Or look for an engineering program that is more hands-on, less theoretical. There are technical degrees that are more hands-on. Or you can look at the trades. I think there is a close link between engineering and art, too.

-Nan

[msjones]

My lego kid wants to be a philosopher and own a yo-yo shop at the mall. ;)

[Cathy in TX]

I've thought engineering may turn out to be an area of interest, but the engineers I know tend to be meticulous in most areas of their lives.... Any thoughts?

 

My two younger brothers were lego-maniacs. Both are in their thirties now. One is a mechanical engineer. The other is a farmer who can repair about anything. I love when either comes to visit because there is always something that needs fixing. ;)

[Kimm in WA]

The art & engineering statement interests me. Can you elaborate?

 

My 14yo twin boy Legomaniacs are good in math. Older brother is starting CC classes, under dual-enrollment, in engineering. They've kept up with his footsteps in math, but also are very talented artists IMO. What kind of engineering careers would utilize art?

 

I also thought about architecture, and they're going to take an architectural drawing/studio course next year to explore that.

 

Kimm

[Storm Bay]

My lego maniac db (I have 3 db's) has a Ph.D. in Physics. This db even wore lego cufflinks & suspender clips to his wedding, since they didn't show. He also played sports, though, and I'm not sure if he ever spent 17 hours in a row doing legos.

 

ETA this db is also very good at hands on things. He builds things like decks on his house. He learned a lot about plumbing when doing reserach in low temp physics and has done a lot of his own plumbing installations and changes. I suspect that is more in line with his legomania than Physics, but it's hard to say.

 

He was a very messy dc, and his wife is the one who keeps things organized at his house.

Edited May 26, 2009 by Karin

[langfam]

My legomaniac ds got side-tracked when his grandfather gave him 3 used non-functioning computers one summer when he was 13. He performed "surgery" on them, taking parts from one for the other, and rebuilt them into 2 functioning computers. We had a friend whose husband is a computer geek and he became a source of used computer parts and occasional instruction. DS learned to build, repair and program computers this way. We haven't had to buy a computer in 5 years. We order parts and he builds and programs them for us. He still will build with legos, but only when his younger siblings pull them out.

This fall he's going off to college for computer engineering.

 

Who's going to be our computer tech guy when he's gone?? :ack2:

[Kimm in WA]

langfam - what is your ds interested in doing for an occupation. He sounds like my ds who is starting cc classes next year. He wants to be a computer engineer, but was advised not to be too specific in engineering - it's better to be an electrical eng. and then specialize in computer eng. for more versatility. just curious if your ds is interested in engineering or computer programming.

[Kimm in WA]

karin, what is your doc in physics brother do for an occupation?

[Storm Bay]

karin, what is your doc in physics brother do for an occupation?

 

 

He chose teaching, since he wanted to live in the western part of Canada. He gave up research when he was finishing up his post-doc because he hadn't made his big discovery (so he was kind of old for that) and he wanted to have plenty of time for his family. He's now at a university (aka 4 year college in the US). He also took a couple of gap years--one after high school and one between his BSc & MSc.

[freerange]

:party:Some of us go on to become mums.

[ccm]

My legomanic son will be graduating on Saturday with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. His handwriting is very messy, but he is generally neat and organized.

[Kimm in WA]

hmmm, industrial design. is that an engineering degree, or what?

[kimajaro]

My Legomaniac, ds, 11, seems to bend toward the creative side of things. If I had to guess right now, I'd say he'll go into theater, art or culinary. We just hope he has a back up plan, too. : )

 

Lisa

[langfam]

When he looked at the computer science department during Open House, he said it looked like he would not be learning anything new. This poor ds while he can memorize lines of code, cannot spell his own middle name, Sebastian. :tongue_smilie:

 

His interests are in computers and robotics. I think after his first year he will have a better idea of which direction to go in engineering. I'll let the experts guide him. I think this is his ultimate goal:

 

http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=1688

Edited May 27, 2009 by langfam

[Storm Bay]

When he looked at the computer science department during Open House, he said it looked like he would not be learning anything new. This poor ds while he can memorize lines of code, cannot spell his own middle name, Sebastian. :tongue_smilie:

 

His interests are in computers and robotics. I think after his first year he will have a better idea of which direction to go in engineering. I'll let the experts guide him. I think this is his ultimate goal:

 

http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=1688

 

:lol:My ds can't spell his middle name, either, but he really hasn't needed to, but it's his dad's name so he'll have to sometime. For your ds, Sebastian is a long name!

[langfam]

For your ds, Sebastian is a long name!

 

Fortunately, he only has 4 letters to his first name! :)

[AnitaMcC]

I have a Lego maniac ds almost 10. He could spend 17 hours straight putting things together following instructions, or creating them himself. He is meticulous with his Lego building, but not with ANYTHING else. Writing, math, reading (the list goes on) tends to be sloppy. He understands those concepts well, just does not apply care to execute in them.

 

What kind of learner/doer is he? Does this mean he is visual/spatial? I would love to hear from other parents of Lego-maniacs. What interests did your child develop? I am sure his Lego-mania (also loves K'nex, and toys that similarly engage the brain) is pointing to an area of talent that translates to some sort of occupation. I would like to identify it, so I can cultivate that and help him explore areas that he will be really passionate about.

 

I've thought engineering may turn out to be an area of interest, but the engineers I know tend to be meticulous in most areas of their lives.... Any thoughts?

 

Both our lego-maniacs are on the autism spectrum and both very talented in math as well. They both hate writing!!

Our 14yr old lego-maniac wants to be a astrophysicist and geologist. He builds space ships and such with his legos. He has a great memory for facts and so reading is one of his strongest ways of learning. He loves to read and pretty much absorbs information constantly. He loves doing things with what he learns, which I guess is why he loves sciences... he loves to experiment.

Our 8 yr old lego-maniac just wants to act out his current video game obsession using his legos. He is very hands on learning. He has to be interactive to learn. He loves to play electronic games like super mario, sonic, metroid, jewel quest. He isn't much of a learner by sitting there and listening. He tends to go "into his head" too much and starts acting out his video games unless he is active in his learning. Passive learning is not his thing!!!!

And both are very disorganized and chaotic most of the time. Their desks, rooms, etc are often trash collections. They obsess over keeping everything but have no organizational skill at all. The oldest is definitely the absent minded professor type. The youngest is very particular when he is playing out his game... don't dare touch that one tiny lego on top of an upside down cup, disturb the line of legos or he will have a fit!!! That lego is a special "shine sprite" and Mario or Luigi has to find it while collecting all the "coins" along the way.

Anita

[momof8]

An engineer, surgeon, architect, mountain climbing guide, drafter, sculpter, cartographer...take your pick. I learned somewhere that kids like that have awesome spatial ability and those are the kinds of work they can get into.

[Mrs_JWM]

We just got my husband's Legos out for our almost four-year-old daughter. He is a mechanical engineer, and Legos were a great way for him to hone his natural spatial aptitude. Our daughter insisted she was NOT going to be an engineer - come on, girl-child, take the free education- PLEASE! - until she watched the recent space shuttle launch. Then she said she wanted to be a spacewoman. When I told her she would probably need to be an aerospace engineer, or some other engineer, she said, "Well, okay, then."

 

But, really, who knows?!!