SHAUNAVON - It was a day of Lego Mania at the Grand Coteau Cultural and Heritage Centre on July 26 as their Extreme Lego Building Workshop, led by Adam Doge, was underway.
There were two sessions during the day for different age groups, one aged 5-8 and another for those 9 and over.
At each session the kids were given ideas by Doge, and they built what they wanted within those parameters.
“I try to give them age-appropriate challenges they can handle, as well as things that they may do at home but I try to give them different ways of doing it,” explained Doge.
Some of the ideas thrown out to the kids included building their dream house, a pet for their dream house, or a vehicle with moving parts. “You give inspiration out to them and you end up with completely different builds from each of the kids,” said Doge.
Some of the examples of the creations built by the 14 young participants during the workshop included an underwater house, a driving house, a snow eel, a war lemur, a rabbit that works out, a spider car, a hoverboard, and a car with a trailer and a canoe.
Doge uses the workshop to teach different techniques to the kids and help them grow their LEGO building skills. Some of the techniques included moving pieces and putting plates vertically.
“There isn't anything I hand them that would be over their heads, but things they can actually accomplish,” he explained.
Doge has been a Lego fan for as long as he can remember. “I’ve been into Lego almost all my life. I started with the sets you would get for Christmas and you get for birthdays," he stated. "I started playing with those and I never really stopped,”
“A lot of people when they’re young and play with it they will have what we call a dark age, because it’s a time when they’re not playing with it whatsoever, and they usually find it again later in life," he added with a smile. "But I never had a dark age, I just kind of continued playing.”
Doge went onto say that his favourite Lego Theme was Lego Adventures, which featured sets inspired by Ancient Egypt and even Ancient China, but he is currently into collecting the DC and Marvel Superhero lines, “They’re pretty rad,” he added.
Doge, who hails from Regina, has made several trips to Shaunavon in the past for summer workshops. The events are always popular with local youth.
Currently, Shaunavon is the only place where Doge is scheduled to lead a workshop. He is excited that they got to do it again this year after having it cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19.
“We’re grateful we got to come back,” said Doge.
Check out the Grand Coteau Cultural and Heritage Centre to see what fun and exciting workshops are coming up next.
