Of Sauron, Crows and Twitter Spies!

Raghav was showing me his progress in one of the games he is playing - Lego - The Lord of the Rings. At one point, some giant black birds (crows) suddenly appear out of nowhere, and perch on the rock face of the mountains, watching Aragorn, Frodo, Sam and Gandalf...what they were up to. The conversation that ensued had me in splits and wonder! :)

Raghav: "Oh gosh! Now don't tell me Sauron's using Twitter!"

Me: "What??! What do you mean by that?"

Raghav: "You know, the evil Sauron, I think, has sent these 'twitter spies' to keep an eye on us.....you know, birds as messengers, who will carry messages to him about our whereabouts!"

Me: "Twitter spies?! Now where did you hear of that?!"

Raghav: "I made that up! You know what Twitter is don't you?...that popular messaging website that the whole world uses, with the bird logo?...where people keep sending messages to each other?....the whole world seems to be using that! I've seen some messages and the logo while watching some of my videos on Youtube."

!!! :) I was completely flummoxed with his revelations, basking in my old-found glory of being an ignorant fool (I know less about Twitter than he does!), and holding my sides and laughing at the seamless joyful connections that were being made so effortlessly!

A builder is a builder is a builder!

Raghav made a simple little card of his own (his own idea and execution) for my birthday yesterday, with a little note inside that said "You are a gift to us" :)
Here is how he described to me how he made the card:

"It is a really simple card...I wanted to make a simple one. I used this green paper because I liked the colour. I took a square base twelve bumps long and wide (Lego lingo :) ) and then kept it on this paper, drew around it with a pen, and cut it out. I made two squares like this. Then I cut strips of cello tape and used them as 'hinges' to make it into a card that will open and close like a door. I used four strips of cello tape as hinges - two inside and two outside, to make the hinges even stronger. Don't you like it?" :)

A builder is a builder is a builder, I guess.....until the time he is inspired to pursue another passion :)

P.S. 
Raghav LOOOVES sticky tape and its stickiness.....the one kind of stickiness that doesn't make him want to wash his hands constantly :) As a little kid he loved sticker bindis (he would stick packets and packets of them all over his forehead and belly), stickers and sticky tape. He would make loops and loops of sticky tape and keep sticking them on his fingers and peeling them off repeatedly. He loved playing with that 'stickiness'. No other. I guess he has now been able to figure out how to use his two 'loves' and blend them to create something on his own.

The Joy of Self-Learning!

Recently, there had been a lot of sharing of Lego videos / simple animation done by kids, in our online homeschoolers' group. I watched all of those intently as I knew Raghav would love to make something like that sometime. One of them even shared the steps of how to make one with me. I was thrilled and wanted to make one for Raghav and surprise him. I thought he might then get more interested in making movies. But I forgot :)

This morning, Raghav sat with me to download some new apps on the iPad. He wanted to explore some new games. While he asked for suggestions like he usually does, he did not take any of my ideas ( again quite usual!) and went off after a while to look for things on his own, occasionally coming to share his findings with me. I now understand that his asking me for ideas is perhaps like the ignition - once you put in the key and turn it, it starts off on its own!

I was quite surprised at the iPad apps he had found on his own. One was about being a dentist, and the other was for making a Lego movie. He was excited about both! And I have no idea whatsoever as to how he found these apps! It was really strange because he had no idea about my thinking about making movies with lego, and he had also been to the dentist a few days ago, and had to get more dental work done in the coming week! And he had found two apps (both free) that would help him with both!

We went through the Lego Movie Maker app together and realised how easily we could make a Lego movie of our own! Raghav was very excited and went on to make his first ever Lego movie with it, almost entirely on his own. All I did was to hold the iPad for him to take a photo with a steady hand. He was even more excited  that he could add sound effects and his voice over to the movie! We spent some time on getting the video exactly how he wanted, with the voice over in the exact way he wanted and at the correct frame. He figured out how to adjust the frame speed and order the sounds recorded all on his own. I was merely there to listen, watch and hold the iPad steady. He plans to make many more and one hour-long Lego movie:)

A few days ago, my husband got a bit irritated with him for leaving the doors open in the bedroom, while the AC was on, and Raghav did not like being reminded of that. We had a long chat about it - we discussed how we didn't like to go behind him and close the doors each time as we were also getting tired of doing that. We also discussed how he didn't like to be told off or reminded about it. And then, we let it be.
The next day, Raghav came up to us with a printout of a door and said that he was going to cut it up and stick it on the bedroom door, to remind himself of what he had to do :) He had Googled for pictures, chosen one that he liked, printed it out, cut it out, and stuck it up all on his own! We have had to remind him very few times after that to close the door.

It is a priceless pleasure to watch the joy of self-learning and discovery unfold every single time. I never get tired of it. It is a warm feeling that radiates inside me when I see my son taking charge of himself and his living and learning, slowly and surely.

Sharing that joy with all of you through this post, photos and this video....

My first Lego Movie

a self-made reminder to close the door :)

It's Lego Season Again! :)

When we got back from the homeschoolers' conference, a month ago, Raghav announced that his car racing and BrainPop season was over and that the Lego season had begun! He had been off Lego, on his own, over the last few months, and it was kind of hard for me to deal with the mixed feelings I had - happiness that he was out of something and into other things, and sadness that he was out of something that he was so totally passionate about. But I guess taking a break from anything is good once in a while, for he came back with a bang, creating some of the most amazing, cute and creative stuff with his Lego bricks.

Here is a slideshow of some of his creations over the last month .....

Some Recent Lego Creations....

Raghav's Lego Tutorial

Raghav is pretty much independent in searching for stuff on YouTube and through Google now. A few weeks ago, he stumbled on JAYSTEPHER who has a YouTube channel with Lego Tutorials and he has been super-excited with his new find! :)

When he is not watching BrainPop videos on his iPad these days, Raghav has been poring over these tutorials and building fantastic new creations. It has been fascinating for me to watch him use the tutorial completely on his own and making new things with his Lego bricks. He will first choose the video he wants to watch, set the iPad on the floor in front of himself, and then get building, while pausing rewinding and fast-forwarding the video as he follows it step by step, searching for the correct bricks, checking to see if he has missed a step and so on. I just loove the power of the internet and am so grateful for it as a tool for a self-learner like my son!

I think these tutorials inspired him so much that he wanted to try and do one of his own today. While he has been showing and teaching me how to build small things, over the last few weeks, much like a live demo, it was only today that he was okay with me to video him....and it was a great experience for both an amateur photographer like me, and for my son.

We made some five or six attempts to video these between the door bell ringing, my phone ringing, the camera's memory getting used up and Raghav forgetting a few steps! He realised on his own, that he had to know it all by heart and in his head, if he wanted to make a video tutorial. He does also often keep saying that he is forgetful and this I thought was a great way for him to know his strengths and evaluate his memory for himself. At one point, when he knew he had gone wrong, he asked me to stop recording and restart, only after he had gone through the steps once again by himself and had figured out where he had gone wrong on his own. I was but a witness to the learning process of a self-learner!

Here are the two recordings we made today....enjoy and do give us your feedback! :) That would be helpful!

How to build a Lego fridge

How to build a Lego Table Tennis table

Here are some of the other creations that Raghav made recently, using JAYSTEPHER's videos...

A merry-go-round

A slide

A Public Restroom (do take a look at the details!)

The inside view - the pots and toilet rolls :)

doors that open and shut

wash basins and towel holder

It's a LEGO Christmas at home!

LEGO is not just another toy for my son....
It is a passion, a form of expression of all that he lives and learns and internalizes....

So this is what we've been up to over the last week....working with our hands to create "Christmasy" things...
I must say that for Raghav, creating out of anything but Lego, has been a rarity up until now :)....and
this time the inspiration came from him!

A Christmas ornament made from a part of a broken drum :)

Another one

A wreath made of card, sequins and some old gift-wrapping paper

A Hanging Santa made by me, inspired by The Crafty Crow....
Raghav helped with the direction and sticking of the googly eyes :) 

Our little Christmas tree :)

Can you spot a Lego wreath?

A Lego candle

A Lego gift :) 

A little one made by me :)

Can you spot the Lego candy stick?

A Lego stocking door hanger :)

A Lego candy stick door hanger :)

Snowflakes! - This was a team effort by R, me and our young neighbours
who helped with adding the glitter :)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Hey, I Shrunk the City!

When Raghav was all inspired to build and create a mini Lego city, the words that came up in my head at first thought were these - "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!" ....and yes, whenever Raghav builds a mini city like this one, both of us sit back and admire it and wish we could shrink, get into it and explore it....I am sure you will too, when you take a look at this little piece of art :)

So here are some of the pictures I took of his mini Lego city, which according to him is a mix of Lisbon in Portugal, Malaysia and Pondicherry :) - a really heady mix that must be!

And yes, when he is finished with his work of art, I become his playmate, as we pretend and weave stories while we decide to explore the Petronas Towers and overcome our fear of heights, look down and marvel at the engineering feat of the double-decker highway from the Maglev train, watch a rocket launch live, take a trip to the lighthouse on the little island off the beach, and sit down for a bite at the little beach cafe on the Promenade...the world of make-believe is filled with adventure and fun! :)

So why don't you take a trip into our little world and stop for a moment to have some fun too? :)

The Mini Lego City!

The airport - can you spot the two planes, the air traffic control, the runway, the airport bus, the tanker and the cargo loader?

 



The building site - with tower cranes, a mobile crane, and trucks...

The Rocket Launch Station -
with parking area, a rocket that can slide along to the launchpad, and a satellite dish for communication.

A closer look....

The double-decker highway - Can you spot the Maglev train, a long flat-bed truck, a lorry, and some cars on the highway below?

Can you find the Petronas Tower, a block of apartments, a Hotel with a "H" signboard, a garden, row houses and a mail truck?

The beach - with a jetty, beach cafe, ships and a lighthouse on an island...

A tower crane loading a ship, the Promenade with some old heritage buildings, including a clock tower, a police station in blue, a fire station in red...

A cricket stadium with floodlights and a shop with shopping bags as a signboard....

The garden with a banyan tree, a fountain in the middle, row houses and a mail truck!

The fire station with two shiny firetrucks, heritage buildings and a clock tower.

The Police Station and the Promenade....can you spot the cafe on the beach a la Pondicherry? :)

Another view of the city, with a six lane highway and a flyover...with a good view of the Petronas Towers!

The traffic on the highway and a windmill for renewable energy :)

The Lego Meeting

We were all looking forward to today - the day we were to meet the Chairman of MRF - Mr. Vinoo Mammen. For a family which lives and breathes Lego, it was a golden opportunity to share dreams, hopes and a passion for Lego, as MRF is also the company that started Funskool India (as a joint venture), which is now the official agent and distributor for Lego in India.

It all started when we visited the new Lego store in Chennai,  that had opened recently, to exclusively sell Lego products. We had spoken to the store manager about exploring some possibilities of displaying some of Raghav's Lego there, his helping to build display sets for the store and sourcing some Lego sets that he wanted from abroad, that were not available here in India. The store manager was not very forthcoming and did not warm up to any of the ideas we shared. So, when we mentioned it to my father, he immediately took action!

Raghav with Mr. Vinoo Mammen of MRF

My father wrote to his friend from his Round Table days - Vinoo Mammen, who responded immediately and gave us an appointment to meet him in person. We were quite thrilled with the outcome as we were hoping to share our ideas and more with him. Raghav of course felt very important, and wanted to pursue the idea we had of making a presentation of  his Lego work and creations until now, to show him at the meeting. He also wanted to take the Lego Technic UNIMOG U400 that he had recently built as he wanted to "tell uncle that he had built something which was for an older age group of 11-16 yrs, when he was only 8yrs old".

Raghav got ready for the meeting like an office goer would for his meeting :)....for someone who needs a lot of time to transition between things usually (and one never really knows how much time that actually is!) and for someone who has a tough time to get ready and be somewhere at a particular time, he flummoxed us by getting ready first :) He then packed his Lego in a bag himself and was all set to go!

In the car, we briefed him about what could happen there and how he might have to wait, and speak about his Lego crisply, as that uncle might not have too much time. We also picked up a lovely bunch of flowers to give him, which Raghav agreed to give.

I watched myself as we got ready and went....I was a bit tense and nervous as this man was quite like a VIP, and I had problems talking to people, especially those in authority. I quickly asked Srinath to take over and do all the talking and show him the presentation too. Srinath agreed, but I could see how we both had butterflies in our stomachs :) But not Raghav. He was himself, completely carefree, as he placed his Lego on the sprawling conference table in their conference room, and explored the room, asking a hundred questions about things there, while Srinath and I sat and waited with pounding hearts! Watching Raghav smile and jump around like he usually does at home, relaxed me immediately. I closed my eyes briefly and took some deep breaths. A meeting like this could be an ordeal for introverts like me! Whew! But I wanted to do it for my son, however difficult it was for me. Fifteen minutes seemed like an hour as we waited for the door to open and for Mr. Mammen to arrive! I kept preparing Raghav for a very short meeting as it was already late. Raghav wanted to know why the meeting might be curtailed, and I told him how busy this uncle was and how he might have other more important meetings after ours. Raghav of course couldn't understand how our meeting could not be important, and how something else could be more important :)

As soon as the door opened, Raghav ran and shook hands and said "Hi!" (things he rarely does!) Then he picked up the flowers and handed them over to him with a beaming smile (another rarity!) My, this son of mine was surprising me out of my wits :) Then, we all got chatting. Mr. Mammen was a simple, unassuming person,and started chatting with Raghav and asked him questions about what he had brought to show and Lego in general.  Raghav explained the main functions in the UNIMOG and showed him how it worked. He listened intently to Mr. Mammen talking about how he used to also play with Lego when he was a kid, but had seen nothing like the UNIMOG. Raghav then asked him whether they (MRF) made tyres for Laborghini cars too! Mr. Mammen was surprised, laughed and said that they didn't, but that Lego was the biggest tyre manufacturer in the world (the tyres they made for their Lego sets were much more in number than the tyres manufactured for all the cars across the world!)

 Then came the usual questions of how old Raghav was and which school he went to. He was surprised to hear about homeschooling, but mentioned that one of his friends was also doing that :) We spoke briefly about self-learning and pursuing one's passions too. All the while, he kept saying that he had to rush, but waited and watched our quick presentation too. Raghav added to what we presented, while I managed to share bits and pieces of our ideas too, amidst all that! I was very pleased with myself for overcoming some of the barriers inside of me too and patted myself on my back :)

Here are the presentations we made for him:

Taj mahal from prisri30

I loo o ove lego! from prisri30

Our interactive golu 2012 from prisri30

The lego unimog u400 from prisri30

While watching the presentation on the Taj Mahal, he asked Raghav how old he was, to which Raghav retorted : "I already told you! I am 8 years old!" I draw inspiration from my son who speaks his mind and heart with no malice or ill-will......just pure, undiluted, innocent truth - of what he feels and thinks :)

We took a photo with Mr. Mammen, while he told us how much he liked our ideas of a Lego Club etc., and that he would give us the phone number of the CEO of Funskool, who we could meet and discuss all that further. We left, pleased with ourselves on accomplishing our mission. While we learned a lot about what they do and about stretching ourselves, I am sure Mr. Mammen learned more about a product that they were distributors for in India, but did not perhaps care to know it thoroughly, before they plunged into this deal :) Well, Raghav gave him a good run through on that one for sure!