Lego Building Contest Birthday Party!

So the birthday party was a success!

I admit I was a little worried.

B12's idea of a Lego building contest sounded fun, but didn't it also hold the potential for a good deal of conflict?  I could just imagine the guests fighting over special pieces, arguing over who needs what bricks, complaining that there aren't enough whatevers....and generally working themselves up to the dreaded "This is not fair...not fun...I quit."

I shouldn't have worried.

In the first place, it seemed we had plenty of Legos to go around.

In the second place, our guests not only enjoyed the building process, but they seemed to enjoy helping each other find needed pieces.  A more congenial and helpful atmosphere I could not have imagined!

Eleven boys were invited; nine were able to attend, so we had nine categories which were announced beforehand.  Guests were encouraged to build toward multiple categories, since there would only be one winner of each award category.

Certificates (along with a treat bag) were given for:

Indiana Jones Award--Most Adventurous
Concorde Award--Most Aerodynamic
Bat-Tumbler Award--Most Compact & Sturdy
Pegasus Award--Most Fantastical
Mad Scientist Award--Most Ingenious
Camelot Award--Most Medieval
General Patton Award--Most Militaristic
Suburban Award--Most Realistic
Golden Starship Award--Futuristic

We let the nine builders watch funny videos on YouTube for a few minutes, to give the judges (B12 and B20) a chance to judge the entries in private.  As the winners were announced (with appropriate drum rolls), each boy seemed pleased with his award; there were no complaints over the judging.  The candy in the treat bag may have helped take their minds off any disappointments; however, it seemed the most fun was in the building.  And as one of the guests pointed out, B12 would enjoy playing with all the creations after the builders went home!

Yup, B12 came up with a winner of an idea.  And his guests were all winners in my book.  His golden birthday was truly "golden"!