Lego Therapy

Over the years I have often joked that Lego has been my therapy, keeping me busy and helping boost my funds as I made and sold quite a few sets over the years.

I have also used Lego for my creative writing group using it as a prompt for a few writing ideas.

Once again it was my turn to lead the Creative Writing group. I mentioned that I had just bought myself the Lego Van Gogh Sunflower. 

(Van Gogh is my all time favourite artist especially his Stary Night, which I enjoyed making in Lego. I also have Hokusais, The Wave, another favourite artwork.) 

This time I had another Lego prompt for the group.

Task One

‍I gave each participant a pack of Lego cards, inside the pack were Lego characters which they could choose to write about. Use them either individually , as a group or just to spark an idea.

My card was for a Superhero called 'Peapod'.

The card read 'Say hello to Peapod the worlds newest and perhaps most extravagant superhero. If we're ever invaded by furious petit pois we know who to call.'

Today I was off to a job in the local school.

they said it would be fun and entertaining for the kids.

Yeah! Right!

Fun for the kids that’s for sure … not for me. But, it was a job and I needed the money.

An assembly all about staying healthy and eating the right things.

It was supposed to be a serious subject but I’m afraid that being tasked to put on this stupid costume just brought on the hilarity and the dear little darlings just fell about laughing.

“You’ve peed yourself!” shouted one little Herbert.

Must admit I did find it slightly amusing myself.

Well at least I did look quite good in my pea green, unlike the poor guy in a banana costume. He slipped on a wet patch … where some little kid had peed himself laughing.

Serious message about health, probably need to be more of a serious talk about health and safety and wearing such a stupid costume.

Okay it’s funny now but certainly not at the time.

Well what would your story be?

Task Two

Using the 'Creative Ideas' Card this time I suggested using the ideas as a prompt. 

My card was a Windmill' which I then went home and made to go in my garden.

The Windmill

The sails tun slowly as the wind blows them round.

It reminds me of Chigley; or is it Trumpton; or even Camberwick Green.

Either way I remember ‘Windy Miller’, as he trudged through the village.

I remember the times I sat with my little brother who was old enough to enjoy watching, and I was old enough to share the time with him.

Then again, I remember ‘Pugh, Puch, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb. As the town clock was ‘telling the time for Trumpton’. They were the local firemen..

Of course you can make a Lego fire engine.

The thing about Lego is having enough bricks to create whatever you want.

I certainly have that.

I’ve made a series of Lego houses for school for a topic on ‘Our Neighbourhood’.

:- A detached house; semi-detached house; bungalow; terraced house; a block of flats.

These were my own creation which ended up in my garden as fairy houses. Now, the bricks are fading and brittle, there’s a few holes in the rooves. Not so much houses for the fairies but more homes for the bugs.

I haven’t made a windmill yet. A lighthouse, a playground and of course a set of monster cars.

The think about Lego is that it multiplies. Once one box, now a garage full of bricks and you never get to the bottom of the box.

Honestly, you never do!

Lego has been my therapy; it helped put my children through university; enabled me to give up full-time teaching; but most of all fun… Well for me at least.

But back to Windy Miller and the windmill… maybe I’ll make a Lego Windmill this afternoon while sitting in the sunshine.

Lego certainly is no longer just for kids, Just those who are kids at heart,,, and for some it is therapy.

Task two also resulted in a very honest piece from one of the participants where she had written about how Lego had been her therapy during some difficult times.

Not just me them!?

 The message is

'Lego is not just for kids. Just those who are kids at heart.