Temple Beth Abraham to host LEGO event

Rome may not have been built in a day, but at Temple Beth Abraham in Canton, the community is invited to build the Old City of Jerusalem in just two hours.

Architect Stephen Schwartz (right) helps with LEGO construction.

Instead of using bricks, stone, and mortar, architect Stephen Schwartz will lead the group in the reconstruction of a 16-by-16-foot model of the Old City made entirely of Lego bricks.

Over 60,000 Legos will be available to build the model that will include many of the architectural elements of Jerusalem. Each builder will be given a particular piece of the city to build, and toward the end of the program, every building and wall will be put together to create the model.

Schwartz has been leading these building events across the northeast, and Temple Beth Abraham is honored that he is coming to Canton.

Schwartz developed the project after using Legos to teach a lesson to his daughter’s third grade class. The class got so much out of it that he began using the technique to teach children about historic places. Each event helps bring history to life for those who attend.

“After working on something like this, people really have a visual image in their minds of [what] the Old City of Jerusalem looked like,” said Schwartz. “So whenever they hear about it or learn about it in the future, they will have a reference. It is a fun, hands-on way to learn.”

Ellen Orkin and Amy Litwack, co-chairs of the Board of Education for Temple Beth Abraham, have worked with Schwartz before and are thrilled to be able to bring him to the temple for this event.

“This program is not just for kids — it’s meant to cut across all generations,” said Orkin. “In fact, you’ll likely find yourself so caught up in the fun that you’ll be right there on the mat creating your own Lego masterpiece.”

“I attended an event led by [Schwartz] a couple years ago with my son, and it was an amazing program,” said David Jacobson. “It was great to spend time working together, sharing the learning, and just having fun with Ben. We are so glad that a similar event is coming to town again.”

Temple Beth Abraham is excited to announce that The Village Toy Shop, with locations in Easton and Canton, will be sponsoring the event. Owner Kathy Mabry has generously donated multiple Lego sets and more to be raffled off at the March 18 event.

Open to the entire community, this event will be held at Temple Beth Abraham, 1301 Washington Street in Canton. The two-hour program will begin at 4 p.m. and will end with a “build your own sundae bar.” Registration is open now.

To register, please visit http://bit.ly/tbalego, or call the temple office at 781-828-5250. With pre-registration, admission to the event will be $8 for kids under 12 and $10 for adults. A family cap of $36 will apply. The Village Toy Shop is a locally-owned toy store that opened its doors in 1994 and now has retail locations in Easton and Canton.

With everything from classic games to the hottest trends, kids and families can find the perfect toy at this neighborhood gem. The Village Toy Shop has a mission to promote healthy play and create lasting memories of those “afternoon trips to the local toy store.”

Temple Beth Abraham and renowned Rabbi David Paskin inspire the Conservative community in Canton and surrounding towns with a welcoming and spiritually enriching environment filled with song.

Through religious, community service, educational, cultural, and social opportunities, the temple’s progressive, close-knit congregation serves the many needs of the current and future community of Jews.

For more information, visit www.templebethabraham.org.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Mar 8 2012. Filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.