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LEGO Toy Construction

Superintendents

Telephone Number

Email Address

Jennifer LaGuire 

Tippecanoe4HLegoProject@gmail.com 

Overview

This project will encourage the member to use their imagination and ingenuity in creating an exhibit for the 4-H Fair. Overall design, construction techniques, soundness, sturdiness, overall balance, and creativity will be some of the criteria used to judge this project. Lego (or construction type parts) are not allowed in Miscellaneous Craft.

This project will be judged by each grade in four levels:

Each grade level will be eligible for a champion and reserve champion

  • Grades 3 – 4

  • Grades 5 – 6

  • Grades 7 – 8

  • Grades 9 – 12

Project Exhibit Guidelines

  1. The project should be constructed to scale as much as possible.

  2. All exhibits MUST have a reinforced, non-flexible, solid base (such as a ½ inch thick board) that does not exceed the grade-level size guidelines. Bases/boards MUST be finished and integrated into the overall design of the project. LEGO base-plates alone are not considered sturdy bases and must be secured to another solid, non-flexible base.

  3. Projects MUST be stable and sturdy enough to be safely moved for post-judging Fair display without breaking or collapsing. Projects that are not stable to move, the 4-H member will need to be present post-judging to move their project for display or there is a risk that the project will break or collapse and lost parts could occur.

  4. Members may use any brand of interlocking building block similar to the LEGO® brand (e.g. LEGO®, Mega Bloks, Duplo, etc). K’nex are not permitted. Please note: some off-brand blocks may not connect securely together, which can affect the stability and quality of the overall build.

  5. All projects MUST include a completed 4-H Craft Information Card, 4-H_618a-W. This information card is to describe work completed so the judge can more accurately evaluate the exhibit. Craft Information Cards are for judging purposes only and will not be returned to the exhibitor.

  6. No motorized parts are allowed.

  7. No altering of the blocks in any way is allowed. This includes cutting, breaking, filing, painting, or using markers, crayons, pencils chalk, etc. on blocks or base plates.

  8. Those blocks with labels which have been imprinted on the blocks or stickers that come with the kit may be accepted.

  9. Pieces cannot be glued together, but items can be mounted to the display board/base by gluing, mounting tape, double-stick tape, mounting putty, Command Strips, or other mounting material.

  10. If you are concerned about theft or special pieces, a solid clear cover or display case (not plastic wrap) may be used after judging for public display at the fair.

  11. Exhibitors should strive to create a more advanced project each year.

  12. Starting at Grade 5, greater emphasis will be placed on original or modified designs rather than projects built strictly from a single kit. Exhibitors are encouraged to use creativity by combining parts from multiple kits or designing their own projects.

  13.  No project can be more than 36 inches tall.

  14. According to state regulations: “For safety purposes, any craft exhibit that resembles a sword, knife, or look-a-like weapon will be judged but will not be allowed to display at the fair. Mini-fig accessories that come from kits/sets (e.g., Minecraft tools/arrows/spears, pirate swords, or similar) are acceptable. However, exhibitors may not build scale replicas of weapons.

Grade 3–4

  1. Kits Only – Bring kit instructions with you for judging.

  2. Construct a single kit that contains 600 pieces or fewer. Kit can be of any type and include multiple items, but must be 600 or less total pieces according to the listing of the number of pieces on the box\instructions

  3. Display board/base should be no larger than 12 inches x 12 inches.            

Grades 5–6

  1. Design of your choice or modified kit/kits.

  2. Displayed board should be no larger than 18” by 18”.

Grades 7–8

  1.  Design of your choice or Modified kit/kits*.

  2. Display board/base should be no larger than 18 inches x 18 inches.

Grades 9–12

  1. Self-created design. Modified kits* can be integrated into the design – the emphasis is on creativity in the design.

  2. The exhibit MUST have moveable parts (but not motorized).

                a. Even though they move, animals and people do not fulfill the requirements for moveable parts.

                b. Doors, windows, and shutters are not considered movable parts.

                c. Moveable parts include gears, wheels and axle, hinges, pulleys, inclined planes, levers, etc.

3. Display board/base should be no larger than 24 inches x 24 inches.

*Modified kits are parts from various kits or combining kits/sets in your project design.

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