The healing journey of a widowed, unschooling badass in Delaware.
Each of us started a few builds today and came up with new ideas.
This jungle tree house is the result of a collaboration between my older son and a home-educated friend.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
I’m a stereotypical ten-year-old when it comes to Lego building: monster trucks and spaceships most of the time.
For this month’s projects I love thinking about color and more complex forms of shape and symmetry. The mandala shape has spoken to me and I’m diving into the possibilites.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
My eight-year-old is my moving target. Just when I think he’s locked on to a thing, he’s on to something else. I try to release the pressure from completing tasks as he always seems to find his own groove.
This is what happened today as he kept wanting to copy builds from the various books we borrowed from the library. I tried to encourage him while explaining that our entries had to be original works. Unbeknownst to me, each time he was frustrated by a complex build, he went back to work on his own UFO. He has a way of working secretly right in front of you, I swear I never see the process. He may ask for help finding elements, but he knows just what to do with them. His UFO evolved into a spinning top that worked perfectly on the first try and didn’t lose one piece in a dozen or so spins.
Only four days in and we’ve already broadened our building skills and strengthened our familial bonds.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
Tom Otterness’s Crying Giant is one of our earliest memories of visiting Delaware Art Museum. Driving in, it stands out in the Copeland Sculpture Garden. We have a friend who walks there frequently and I always look forward to her latest photograph of the big, sad guy.
The Museum dedicated a nearby magnolia tree to Mary and I often think of Crying Giant as her most commited mourner.
I was intimidated to build him out of Lego for his curvy limbs and round body. I was also driven by the challenge.
The pieces came together quickly as I worked from top to bottom. I may modify a couple things, or try a completely new build, but I’m very happy about capturing some of the curves and overall demeanor.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
My girlfriend spent quiet time coloring a mandala the same day I picked up Abbie Headon’s Build Yourself Happy, which suggests composing mandalas made of Lego elements.
I was excited to play with different building techniques and stick to a predetermined color scheme.
I’m exceedingly pleased with the result and will surely be building more mandalas this month.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
Ideas were flowing as we got to work on the first of twenty-nine Lego sculptures we’re building for Delaware Fun-A-Day.
It seems this project may be more about speed and focus than consensus as my older son ran with his inspiration for a naval battle scene in Rock ’em Sock ’em colors.
I got a head start on Day 2’s creation and we’re all excited about the number of ideas we already have.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
I love this part.
Every time we set up the Lego workshop it gets better, more organized, and more fun. We’ve upgraded to a larger table, raised it to a less back-breaking-for-adults height, and added steps for smaller guest builders.
I sink myself into the sorting. I get inspired by piles of translucent dots (single-stud, round plates to some) and new colors in the collection. I never get it to where I want it before it’s time to pack away again, but I love the process.
Every day in February I’ll get to add a little order to the chaos and there’ll be a few nights where I make my own mess. We’re at a place where any build seems possible and the more parameters imposed, the more creativity ensues.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
The workshop is taking shape for our next projects.
Each day in February we’ll be creating Lego sculptures to be featured in the Delaware Fun-A-Day exhibition at Center for Creative Arts. We’ve started brainstorming favorite local landmarks to recreate and how to work within the physical limitations. We’re welcoming home-educated friends to join us in creating something that represents the Delaware homeschooling community. It should be a grand adventure.
Our personal kickoff included a haul of loosely sorted Lego Friends sets that came with manuals. We sorted the sets as we built them and created a little town to adorn the work table before serious creativity ensues.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason
There are more Day 0s ahead. The vision is incomplete and the workspace needs a lot of…um…work. However, the Lego is largely sorted and ready to come out and be put to good use.
February has been a big Lego month in our house since we started attending and competing in the Kalmar Nyckel’s Lego Shipbuilding Day a few years ago.
Not only will we be building an original, nautically-themed piece, but we’ll also be participating in Delaware Fun-A-Day by creating Lego sculptures every day in February.
From preparation, to brain-storming, to records of failure, to inspired success, I’ll be logging our journey here.
Today was an unoffcial kickoff with a trip to Legoland Discovery Center Philadelphia.
God bless and thank you for reading,
Jason