LEGO LEGO STEAM Teachers Guide

ACTIVITY GUIDE
prepared by
Mary Kate Doman
Just like underlying

STEAM principles,
LEGO® bricks are all
about building,
creating, exploring,
and expanding the
imagination.
LEGO® bricks and STEAM Activities to Inspire

Children to Become Makers and Doers...
One Brick at a Time
Let kids experiment with LEGO® bricks, and STEAM learning will follow. LEGO bricks equip kids
with the necessary STEAM skills and knowledge to become innovative and imaginative thinkers.
These LEGO activities help bring abstract STEAM concepts to life by putting them into the hands
of your students.
Alongside 365 Things to Do with LEGO® Bricks and The LEGO® Ideas Book, use the activities in this
guide to incorporate key aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics
into your existing curriculum. Together, they will further help your students invent, create, design,
and learn with LEGO bricks.
LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. All rights reserved.
©2017 The LEGO Group. Manufactured by Dorling Kindersley, 345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014, US under license from the LEGO Group.
Permission to reproduce and distribute this Teachers’ Guide has been granted by the copyright holder, Dorling Kindersley. All rights reserved.
A WORLD OF IDEAS: SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW

365 Things to Do with LEGO® Bricks
STEAM Extension Activities
The introduction to 365 Things to Do with LEGO® Bricks gives you some very
good building techniques, vocabulary, and creative inspiration. Have
children familiarize themselves with this important LEGO building
information before attempting these activities.
The activity selector and timer in the book is a great resource. By racing to
finish or timing how long it takes to build a project, kids reinforce key
STEAM skills such as timing, estimating, problem solving, critical thinking,
and creativity.
Project #
Make a Seesaw for Minifigures
19 After kids make their seesaws like the one on page 79, explore how levers, like
seesaws, work by experimenting with their LEGO creations. Before you start
experimenting, have kids create five LEGO minifigures. Instruct them to build two that
are exactly the same, and the other three with different amounts of clothing and
accessories. The point is to have two identical minifigures and three of varying weights.
After the minifigures are assembled, invite kids to put the two equal-weighing minifigures on
the seesaw to demonstrate how a seesaw works. Then, have them place minifigures that weigh different amounts on
the seesaw and note what happens.
Ask the following questions: After construction:

THE SEESAW ACTIVITY
• What happens when you put two Ask kids to think about a real REINFORCES THE
equal-weighing minifigures on the seesaw—how it works and FOLLOWING CONCEPTS:
seesaw? moves. You may even choose to
show them an online video of kids CRITICAL PHYSICS
• What happens if you put one THINKING
minifigure with fewer accessories and on a seesaw, and then have them PROBLEM
write a paragraph from the ENGINEERING SOLVING
one minifigure with more accessories
on the seesaw? following prompt: I think that the EXPOSITORY SIMPLE
real seesaw will (or will not) yield WRITING MACHINES
• What type of simple machine the same results as the LEGO
is a seesaw? seesaw experiments because . . .
Answer: It’s a lever.
• Where is the seesaw’s fulcrum?
Answer: It’s the LEGO® Technic pin
with ball connector.
• How can a lighter minifigure raise the
side of the seesaw with a heavier
minifigure?
Answer: Move the lighter minifigure
closer to the fulcrum.
Make an Amazing
Project #
Drawing Machine
200 This Amazing Drawing Machine is simply just that—amazing! Point out that this is a
simple machine and reinforce how the handles, gears, and the force of pushing and
pulling the marker all work together to create art.
After kids have built their own amazing drawing machines and completed the extra
challenges found on pages 146–147, have them try out these activities with their machines:
• Write all the letters of the alphabet.

• Draw a LEGO® structure you’ve built before.
• Write your name in print and cursive.
• Draw an equilateral triangle.
• Draw a perfect circle.
• Create an intricate pattern—and then duplicate it.
• Write a paragraph on why you love LEGO bricks.
Remember to use the timer to make these

activities even more challenging!
After construction:
Have students design a machine that does

their homework for them. Ask them to
draw and label each part, name the
machine, and then create a brochure
highlighting its features and why people
should buy it.
THE DRAWING MACHINE CREATIVE EXPERIMENTATION GEOMETRY

WRITING
ACTIVITY REINFORCES THE FORCE SIMPLE MACHINES
FOLLOWING CONCEPTS: ENGINEERING
VARIABLES
Project #
Build a Ski Slope
230 After kids have successfully built their ski slopes, they can
do some cool experiments with them. Before you begin,
askstudents to remove any obstacles on their slopes such
as trees, jumps, and tracks. They will need a smooth ski slope for experimenting.
Materials:
• Completed LEGO® Ski Slope from page 167 • Items to use as markers, such as
coins or buttons
• LEGO minifigures and vehicles (kids build these
themselves beforehand) • LEGO brick activity selector and timer
• Ruler • Paper and pencil for recording results
Directions:
First, ask students to look closely at their LEGO Have kids test their predictions by rolling the vehicles down the ski
minifigures and vehicles. Ask them the following slope. Then, give them time to explore what happens when they
questions and have them record what they change the height of the ski slope by making it higher and lower.
hypothesize will happen when they roll the LEGO Expand this challenge by asking them to predict the distance each
vehicles and minifigures down the ski slope: car will go by placing a marker where they think each LEGO vehicle
• Which vehicle will roll the fastest? Why? will stop. Have them measure, record, and compare their guesses to
the actual outcomes.
• Which vehicle will roll the farthest? Why?
Next, have them place markers at varying distances on the ramp to
• Are there any vehicles that will not roll? Why?
see if they can get a LEGO vehicle to stop at the predetermined spot
• Place a LEGO tree at the end of the slope—how by making the ski slope higher or lower. Repeat this all again with
could you make the tree move? LEGO minifigures on the vehicles.
• If you put a LEGO minifigure on a vehicle, will that
vehicle go faster or slower than when the minifigure After Construction:
is not on it? Why?
• If you put a LEGO minifigure on a vehicle, will that Have students examine their hypotheses and experiment
vehicle travel longer than when the minifigure is not outcomes, measure and graph their results, and then
on it? Why? write a scientific conclusion
about their findings.
THE SKI SLOPE ACTIVITY
REINFORCES THE
In many traditional learning activities, there is one set answer and one FOLLOWING CONCEPTS:
way to get there. LEGO bricks, minifigures, and vehicles provide children
an opportunity to solve something that isn’t prescribed and gives them ALGEBRA GEOMETRY
a chance to experiment with trial and error.
EXPOSITORY GRAVITY
STEAM Show your kids a LEGO design and ask them to come up with a way WRITING
SCIENTIFIC
to make it. They will see that they all arrive at the solution from various
FACT approaches. Encourage them by telling them to remember that there is FORCE & METHOD
no wrong answer here! MOTION
The LEGO® Ideas Book
Both the LEGO® Family House (page 44) and Bigger Bridges (page 66)
instructions in The LEGO® Ideas Book give young builders plenty of tips
and tricks on how to plan and build well-thought-out structures. Before
constructing a LEGO family house or bridge, have kids create a
LEGO blueprint as a visual representation of how they will execute their
ideas.
Materials: Directions:
• LEGO bricks (multiple sizes) Ask kids to create their blueprints by dipping the tops (for
• Blue construction paper circles) and bottoms (for squares) of the LEGO bricks into
white paint, and then stamping them on the blue
• White paint
construction paper.
LEGO Family LEGO Bridge

House Blueprints Blueprints
Before starting, brainstorm the Before starting, brainstorm the

following questions together: following questions together:
• How many bricks high do you want to build • How can you make sure your bridge is strong enough
your family house? to hold a lot of weight?
• How many bricks wide do you want to build • How does the span of your bridge relate to its height?
your family house? • Where can you incorporate unique design elements in
• Where do you want special features like your bridge?
windows, doors, and balconies to be located? • What makes your bridge
• What can you add to your family house to both functional and THESE BLUEPRINT
make it unique? special? ACTIVITIES
REINFORCE THE
FOLLOWING
After construction: After construction: CONCEPTS:
CREATIVE WRITING
Have students write a story about the family living Hold a contest to name the ENGINEERING
inside the house. bridge. Ask each child to
ESTIMATING
come up with a name for
the bridge and write a GEOMETRY
paragraph explaining the MEASUREMENTS
Add complexity to this activity by significance behind it. Have
PERCENTAGES
having kids use exact measurements each child read his or her
TIP! and proportions in their blueprints work aloud, and vote on the PHYSICS
and building. most deserving bridge PROBLEM SOLVING
name. PROPORTIONS
RATIOS

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ACTIVITY GUIDE

Just like underlying

LEGO® bricks and STEAM Activities to Inspire

A WORLD OF IDEAS: SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW

Ask the following questions: After construction:

• Write all the letters of the alphabet.

Remember to use the timer to make these

Have students design a machine that does

THE DRAWING MACHINE CREATIVE EXPERIMENTATION GEOMETRY

LEGO Family LEGO Bridge

Before starting, brainstorm the Before starting, brainstorm the

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