LEGO competition part of Fall Into Arts

The Kennett Alliance for the Arts (KAFTA) is hosting its sixth annual Fall Into Arts Festival on September 11-13, and this year they have some new activities. One is the LEGO Activity Zone and Competition, and it is not just for kids.

According to Mariann Wright, festival coordinator, the organization is excited to feature the new addition. It is a special activity for children and youth to be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, and will be set up in the Opera House on the Square. Youth will have the opportunity to play with a core set of Lego blocks, along with other donated blocks and sets, and the event will be supervised by the Kennett High School Robotics Club members.

Robotics competitions are very popular and have spread worldwide, and some Kennett High School and Middle School students have joined them by creating their own teams. In elementary and middle school competitions, the LEGO ® Education Robotic Kits are used by teams to build their robots. The age of teams that usually use these kits are grades K-3 and grades 4-8.

KAFTA board member Libby Mobley said that Jill Mobley, who over the past several years worked with the KHS Robotics Club, helped to encourage the team to participate in the LEGO Activity Zone and Competition. "We thought it would be a good idea to include the activity in order to perhaps gain some attention to the Fall Into Arts festival," said Mobley. "We hoped to also encourage kids to become interested in robotics. Although the kits are being used in some schools as learning tools, I don't know if any in our area are using them."

The LEGO® Education LearnToLearn process is being used as a tool in some schools based on the educational theory of constructionism, which is rooted in the belief that children learn best by experience and for a reason. LEGO® has created an educational tool that helps students learn many of the skills needed in the 21st century, such as collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Wright said that any student wanting to participate in the LEGO Activity Zone will be given a LEGO® LearnToLearn Core Set that comes with the components needed to create identical kits, each containing the same selection of 72 LEGO elements that students use to solve a variety of activities presented in the curriculum pack. The kit's carefully chosen elements include a selection of colorful basic bricks and specialty pieces, two mini-figures, and a baseplate, as well as a turntable and hinge so students can create models with movement.

This activity is intended to encourage creativity and to promote "Beyond the Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary" that will be shown as part of the festival's film component. "Beyond the Brick" is a documentary that takes a look at the global culture and appeal of the LEGO building-block toys. The film will be shown at noon on Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Kennett Palace Theater.

In addition to the documentary, there will also be an Original LEGO Creation Contest that will give youth and adults a chance to show off their creative side and win money. The contest is open to everyone, with categories from youth to adult, and prizes will be awarded by judges, as well as a viewer's choice award. "Original" refers to no kit themed constructions. Please bring entries to the Kennett Palace Theater by Wednesday, Sept. 9. The entries will be displayed during the Fall Into Arts Festival on Sunday, Sept. 13.

For LEGO Creation Competition forms and additional information on the Fall Into Arts Festival, go to www.KAFTA.org.