LEGO Exhibit at Morton Arboretum Helps Kids Connect With Nature

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN 2019; THE LEGO EXHIBIT HAS CLOSED.

What would life be like without LEGOs (or LEGO® bricks as The LEGO Group likes to call them)? Well, the floors of my house would be cleaner and I’d have fewer cuts on my feet from stepping on them in the middle of the night. But, other than that, the world would be a lot less enjoyable. Because, let’s face it, LEGOs are fun to play and build with regardless of your age, and they’re a welcome alternative to our world of screens and other technology.

If you’re looking for a way to combine nature and some LEGO® fun, you should check out the award-winning exhibition, Nature Connects: Art with LEGO® Bricks by artist Sean Kenney, which returned to the Morton Arboretum earlier this year. The exhibit runs through September 15, 2019, and features 15 displays created entirely from LEGO® bricks. Several new creations have been added to the 2019 exhibit including a bee midflight, a pileated woodpecker with a bright crimson crest, and an oak tree sprouting from an acorn. The LEGO® creations are located on the arboretum’s east side.

I checked out Nature Connects with my 9-year-old son earlier this week, and we had a great time searching for the colorful and creative plants and animals, which are located along Meadow Lake and near the visitor center. I like the exhibit because:

• It allowed us to get some exercise and learn about nature as we searched for the next LEGO® creation.
• It was a great way to introduce kids to nature. Each LEGO® creation features an interpretive placard that provides information about the plant or animal depicted and encourages the reader to participate in a nature-related activity at the arboretum.
• It allowed us to enjoy some quality father-son time that did not involve playing a video game or watching a movie.  
• It allowed me to marvel at the ingenuity and creativity of the artist Sean Kenney. These works of art took a lot of time to design and build. For example, the Monarch Butterfly exhibit (pictured above) took 425 hours to build and 39,708 LEGO® bricks to complete.
• It inspires kids to use LEGOs or other materials to build their own plants and animals, and develop their creativity and critical-thinking skills. 

Other attractions/activities at the arboretum include:

• Beautiful forests
• Rare plants and trees
• A Children’s Garden (where they can build their own LEGO masterpieces, jump from rock to rock in a play pond, and participate in other activities)
• The Schulenberg Prairie
• Lakes and ponds
• Great hiking trails
• Classes, fests, and other activities for kids and adults
• And much more.

Copyright (text/photos) Andrew Morkes

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Looking for some great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $18.99.

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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES

I have been a writer and editor for nearly 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I’m also a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school. 

In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 60 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).

Here’s a list of the environmental-focused titles that I’ve written:

• Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
• Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
• Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
• Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
• Environment (Getting Started series)
• Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)