NORFOLK, Va. — Keep calm and play with LEGOs!
The Brick by Brick Shipbuilding Contest took place today in downtown Norfolk.
The event was free and open to the public and featured a variety of U.S. ship models that can be found right here in Hampton Roads.
Those who were entering the contest were asked to make life-like replicas of ships using nothing but LEGO pieces.
Throughout the event space attendees had the option to build their own ships and submit them to the contest.
Each is grouped by age level and skillsets. All models were labeled by difficulty level ranging from easy to hard.
For those with smaller children, the downstairs level included: crafts, age-friendly robotics, and free-play centers that included both Lego and Duplos.
Brandon Hanna, an Electronics Technician Officer First Class for the Gerald R. Ford tells News 3, that events like this are important to the community and for kids.
"It's an important one to give back to our community, and second it was explained to me that Legos are a great way for kids to learn and it good for your creativity, hand-eye coordination, following instructions, and it's good to come to get out and be apart of something that is bigger than oneself, said Hanna."
Shipbuilding and Carpenter Jett Starcher tells News 3, he looks forward to this event every year as it reaches kids to stay creative.
"I've had legos my entire life and collected them so I have like a whole room dedicated to this stuff, and I love this stuff and I love coming here every year and showing the kids what you can do with small pieces, said Starcher."
The event leads with one mission to teach kids to dream big with their creativity and achieve their "le-goals."
