Building Bridges - And Houses And Schools And Dinosaurs And... (Lego in General)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	Lego in General
Date:	03/11/01 (641 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: long-lasting, helps stimulate a child's imagination and hand-to-eye co-ordination, many varieties for different ages

Disadvantages: expensive

When I was a child, I loved Lego. I had a huge tupperware box full of the stuff. My speciality was making houses on those green bases. I made loads, then displayed them in my room until it was time to dismantle them and start again.

I had some signs that said things like KIOSK, HOTEL and HOSPITAL, but basically, it was just the normal bricks - long thin ones, small ones, red, white, black, yellow, blue and those green bases.

I remember being thrilled when I got a couple of pieces of Lego furniture to add to it all! I know there was a little fridge and a cupboard. Nowadays, you can get whole houses!

Anyway, some twenty <cough> years later, Lego is still going strong. My four children have all loved Duplo and Lego and some of the original Lego I had as a child is still being used! It is very sturdy and hard-wearing, almost unbreakable.

It comes in bright colours and in different sized blocks and lengths, as well as additional pieces such as rattles, faces, little people, wheels and animals.

As the children get older, you can buy age-appropriate Lego. So toddlers begin with the big, chunky Duplo, then the older kids can have playsets geared to their interests.

I have just been sorting out my youngest daughters' bedroom (aged five and eight). I'm passing their Duplo onto my baby sister, who turned a year old in September. I know she will love the rattling brightly coloured bees and the grinning rabbit faces.

The current Argos catalogue has a variety of Lego-type products for sale. The Mega Blocks range are on page 816 and though not strictly speaking Lego, they are very similar and reasonably priced, for example £8.99 for a basic 70-piece set or £19.99 for a set of rescue vehicles. These are all suitable for children aged one to five years old.

Then later on in the catalogue (page 880), there is a LEGO 4120 fun cool transportation set, which costs £19.99 and is very good value, having
over 600 pieces and apparently containing ideas for 75 models.

The most impressive thing on this page is the LEGO Studios 1349 studio movie maker set, which is something I probably would have wanted as a child. You can make your own movie set including dinosaurs, vehicles or whatever, then carry out the film while taping it using the Lego PC Film Camera included. Then you can play the film on your computer! I know my son would love this, but at a cost of £159.99, he has little chance!

Harry Potter is one of the latest crazes with kids today, of course and look out for a Lego range to accompany this too. Check it out here :-
LEGO Harry Potter: Hogwarts Express, £39.99
http://www.WhatThePapersSay.co.uk/shop/buy.cfm ?id=242

The only real problem about Lego is the price, as the most basic set will cost around £8 and often the children will want to buy accessories - for example, people, furniture, cars - and these can come in very tiny unimpressive looking boxes and still cost over £5!

So, overall, Lego is something almost every child will want at some stage. It is also good to buy kids who seem to have everything or those you aren't sure what they do have, because it's not like having two books the same, it doesn't matter how much Lego you have!

It is hard-wearing and fun, with many varieties to suit boys and girls from toddlers to adults. The only drawback really is the price, which may put off some parents.

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