Lego For Creative Little Minds (Lego 6161: Brick Box)

Member Name: ickleannie

Product:	Lego 6161: Brick Box
Date:	19/05/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Encourages Creativity, Patience

Disadvantages: Pieces Can be Lost Easily

My six year old is at that stage in life where he just has to know how things are put together. In order for him to be able to achieve this he of course has to take things apart. Clever and inquisitive perhaps however unfortunately destroying perfectly good toys in the process which will never work again. I have on occasion popped into his bedroom to discover bits of what were quite expensive toys past the point of no return. No matter how hard I tried to fix them it is a bit like a home assembly furniture kit you always end up with a couple of extra pieces left over!!!

We decided that rather than continuing to get annoyed with him regarding his obsession, to invest in various projects for him which hopefully would use some of this creative energy and save us a fortune in replacing items in the future. Hopefully in the process enabling him to be able to build things from scratch therefore negating the need to destroy. We decided that good old Lego would be one of these items. I was quite surprised at the cost of Lego however liked the fact that their products come in various levels of complexity based on age. He is star wars mad so we bought a couple of starter kits for him from our local toyshop. There was also a rather large blue box which was on special offer so we decided to purchase this as well with the view that we could return the more expensive star wars items if he decided that it wasn't for him. This review will be based on the starter box known as Lego 6161.

This item was purchased at an independent toy shop on special offer for £6.99. I have done some online research and it can be purchased at Amazon for £8.99 and Tesco direct for £9.97. (I know where I would be purchasing mine then!!). One of the main reasons for purchase besides the offer price was that the Lego itself comes in a very stylish and handy brick box. It is two tone in colour primarily royal blue with a powder blue lid. It is made of extremely sturdy and very thick plastic so will stand up to lots of abuse. The set itself is recommended for use by children aged 4 years and over. I presume that this will be due to the fact that the set contains small pieces so could potentially be a choking hazard for smaller children. The packaging states the Lego number of the product I didn't actually realise that all Lego has an individual item code for each product so that it can easily be identified. There is a picture of various Lego creations on the front. The back of the tub lists all of the pieces that will be inside the tub and also provides a website address for Lego if you require more information. www.lego.com

The box itself contains a variety of different sized pieces 221 in all. They are all in different colours and shapes. To include little Lego men and animal pieces so a simple introduction to the world of Lego enabling the creation of fun Lego scenes. There is also a handy accompanying book which contains fifteen ideas for building things with this particular kit. It also provides instructions for how to make three of these ideas. My son really seemed to enjoy this tub as he decided to play with it as soon as we got it home. He looked at the instruction book and within a matter of a few minutes had made some of the items featured. He then progressed to making the entire scene on the front of the box. This developed into him creating his own construction. I was pleased that Lego managed to hold his attention and I think that Lego have a new fan as he cant wait to save up his pocket money to buy extra pieces to add to his tub. There is plenty of room in this box for expansion. It is a really good introduction to the world of Lego and one that I would certainly recommend. It certainly encourages creativity. The only downside was that some of the pieces were quite tiny and there was the occasional whinge when he tried to attach a piece and the whole structure built crumbled. However this I felt was also good for patience something which little boys don't have too much of in my experience. Overall recommended and suitable for both sexes however you can get a pink tub for girls if preferred.

Summary: Encourage Your Childs Creative Streak