Lego My Brain

One of the advantages of raising both a boy and a girl is that you get to see the inner workings of both types of brains – as well as how their personalities diverge. Not that they always divide along party lines – there are still days when I can't tell their "Mooooooommmmmmm!" shouts apart. But there are some distinct differences that add an interesting element to the parenting of them.

My 6-year-old son Jack's quirks and desires have had a chance to rise above the usual backseat din this week, with his sister off fulfilling her dramatic needs at a performing arts sleepaway camp. To reward his gracious attitude at having to endure the prep as well as the two-hour drive into the mountains, we decided to fulfill his wildest dreams by turning him loose upon that nirvana for the youngsters of his mindset: LEGOLAND California. And he was definitely among his own kind.

Yes, I know. It's a theme park that both boys and girls love and appreciate. I know I enjoy it, even as a grownup girl with limited engineering skills and very little desire to build things out of plastic blocks.

But I find it entertaining to sit back and watch how those little blocks click right into a young boy's cerebral synapses. They look at the Statue of Liberty in Miniland USA and immediately start reassembling it in their mind's eye. The rides – tame by most SoCal theme park standards – seem almost secondary to the Hero Factory, DUPLO Play and Build and Test areas of the park.

Jack spent more than an hour in the Build and Test room, where he received a set of wheels and was instructed to build a car and race it against other kids' creations. Jack would construct, watch his car's performance on the track and then take it back to the assembly area for modification. Yes, it's nerdy. But these are the equivalent of roller coasters for the brain – and I felt as though he was building skills that he might use at some point in his life.

A similar nerdy "force" could be felt at the new Star Wars Area at Miniland USA. I've tried to resist the Dark Side, but now that I've watched all the movies through Jack's eyes, I can appreciate the Wookiees and Ewoks and tauntauns (I feel a little nerdy even typing those words). And to see those iconic scenes in tiny LEGO form was captivating. The Hoth scene (with its collapsing AT-ATs) from Episode V was my favorite. OK, I'll stop now.

We escaped geekdom to immerse ourselves in the undersea world at the adjacent SeaLife Aquarium. Amid the tunnels of ocean life, I had a strong urge to stretch out and stare up at the rays, sharks and colorful fish as they swam over me. While the creatures aren't necessarily exotic (jellies, sea horses and octupi) or abundant, the vibe was immersive and educational. Jack liked the touch pools; I liked the hammerhead.

Naturally, the day ended with a stop at the gift shop – a critical final brick in the Legoland experience. Jack found a small kit that contained enough pieces and the instructions to make three modes of transport: a submarine, a speedboat and an airplane.

Sure, it's not Naboo. But someday, perhaps he'll be building something just as grand ...