LEGO bricks teach children the basics of architecture, from creating sturdy foundations, to reconciling form with function, to creating sturdy foundations that can withstand baby brothers. Aid the education of budding builders with today's Groupon: for $10, you get one adult ticket (an $18 value) to LEGO KidsFest at the Connecticut Convention Center. Choose between the following dates:
- Friday, December 3 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, December 5 for Session II, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
See the website for additional schedules and pricing.
LEGO KidsFest’s numerous play areas treat tykes of all ages to a weekend of hands-on fun, games, and life-size LEGO models. In the DUPLO Construction Zones, children ages 1–7 can master the basics of building and cooperation using the larger DUPLO bricks, which easily accommodate tiny hands. Send future Master Builders to the Construction Zone where children seven-and-older can build till their hearts' content with standard-sized LEGO bricks. Other play tables give kids the opportunity to build LEGO racecars and then race them along ramps to the finish line, while monochrome build areas encourage creative youngsters to make the ultimate statement by building with bricks in a single color. At the Mystery Mural Build, free-form block stackers contribute tiles to a small portion of a LEGO mural that will only be unveiled in its entirety online after the festival. For even more advanced blockitecture, wrap your detachable yellow barrel-head around Creation Nation, where attendees can help build a basketball-court-sized map of the United States.
Older fest-goers seeking a different kind of hands-on play can indulge in a little LEGO-themed button-mashing excitement at the popular video-game gallery. Seating throughout KidsFest lets adults spectate on the building action, and a concession area offers the chance to sip a cup of coffee and rest digits after bouts of fine-motor manipulation. Along with admiring the fruits of your own LEGO-labors, gaze in awe at the complexity of the life-size LEGO replicas, which in the past have featured Batman, Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants and C-3PO.