Legos Club Helping Build Young Fans of the Library

LEWISBORO, N.Y. – Who says today’s kids only like high-tech toys?

The prospect of playing with LEGOS, a decidedly low-tech toy that’s been around for decades, drew 20 youngsters to the Lewisboro Library recently to be part of the library’s new LEGOS Creation Club.

“We were looking for new programs to bring kids to the library,” said Dolores Antonetz, teen librarian. “One of the libraries in the system had run a successful LEGOS Club for 18 months, so we decided to give it a try.”

The club, for kids from first to fifth grade, seems to have become an instant success. The library only had space for 20 members for its monthly Wednesday meetings and the list filled up quickly.

“We had space for 20 and went way over,” Atonetz said. “We had to establish a waiting list.”

Consequently, the library started a second club that will meet on the second Monday of each month from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The LEGOS themselves were donated by library patrons.

“We put in the library newsletter that we needed LEGOS,” Atonetz said. “The response was overwhelming – we got thousands of LEGOS and filled up four or five big plastic bins.”

The library turned to its Teen Advisory Group members to help run the meetings, each of which will have a theme for the club members to build around. Last week’s theme was animals.

“I’m building a buffalo,” said Kye Vialli, 7, of South Salem. “I’ve been building with LEGOS for a long time. I have my own set at home and I like to use it to be creative and build houses.”

Clayton Hadlock, 9, of South Salem, said he’s been playing with LEGOS for as long as he can remember and has taken it to new levels.

“I like building mini-figures and video game characters,” he said. “I also do movies with stop-motion animation.”

Antonetz said the club presents a unique challenge for the kids who may be used to building with the LEGOS at home. The LEGOS at the library are a mish-mash of various kits.

“The challenge is they normally come in a kit,” she said. “But we are asking them do something freestyle.”

One thing that stood out among the tables lined with tubs of LEGOS and the club members who clamored for pieces to complete their projects: there were no girls present.

“I thought I would see some girls here,” Antonetz said. “I am a little surprised. I would like to have more of a mixture.”

 

 

 

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