Isn’t it a great feeling when your kids get along with your friend’s kids?
In the four years we have been blogging together, our boys have never met each other but last week we all met at Legoland Discovery Centre and within minutes our boys were laughing and playing together like they’ve been friends for years.
Legoland Discovery Centre invited us to try out the newest addition to the Vaughan Mills site: the Ninjago Laser Training Camp and since Carol, Nathalie and I are not as fluent in all things Lego like our boys, we brought them along.
Lego ROM! Amazing.
Our morning started with a group photo before we entered the Lego Factory. An interactive entrance to the museum, the factory lets kids see the steps that go into shaping a Lego brick. They can also measure their height and weight in Lego bricks, and create art with Lego bricks on ipads.
After this introduction, we hopped aboard the Kingdom’s Quest tunnel ride and were handed laser guns. This group of boys was giddy at the opportunity to point, shoot and tally up their score. The mothers all sighed. We’ve long given up on fighting the appeal of “gun play.” Truth be told, Carol got the best score. “Hey! I’m pretty good at this!” she said. Props for mom when the truth was revealed.
The boys then spent about thirty minutes constructing their Lego Racers and testing them out on the Royfoss track. It always amazes me to see what kids are capable of creating with no adult involvement. As a group they cheered each others’ cars on and made the necessary improvements to improve their performance.
After that they worked up a sweat racing through the multi-level play zone while the moms enjoyed each other’s company on the sidelines waiting to experience Merlin’s Apprentice. Seated in pairs (children under 120 cm must ride with an adult on all Legoland Discovery Centre rides), we pedaled up, up and away!
Before viewing one of the four 15 minute 4-D movies, we got in the line for the Ninjago Training Camp. The boys were excited to tackle the lasers and discussed at length their strategies with the enthusiastic operator who encouraged the boys to try the more advanced ninja and sensei levels. They were all too happy to oblige.
The maze doesn’t last long but it is addictive, meaning our boys returned to the line-up several times over to increase their score. Points are awarded by making it through the maze without “breaking” any of the laser beams. The boys used their creativity (and their oh-so-flexible limbs) to hop, crawl and slide their way through. The moms were not quite so limber but in all fairness were saddled with purses and extra sweatshirts.
When it was time to say goodbye, with the promise to get together soon, the boys made their way through the exit and of course . . . the gift shop. Each boy chose a small token to remember their special morning by and mothers were thankful for the minutes of quiet playtime said purchases bought later that afternoon. We left feeling that we could easily have stayed longer and not run out of things to do.
Thinking of making a visit? Here’s what you need to know:
– Shoes and bare feet are not permitted inside the play zone. Socks must be worn.
– The snack shop has a variety of healthier options but many options are not nut-free.
– The washrooms are clean! Hurrah!!!!
– There are NO in-and-out privileges.
– Adults are not permitted entry without children.
– Tickets are less expensive if purchased on-line ($18 each) and children under the age of 2 are free.
– The centre is not large and can get very crowded at peak times (holidays, school breaks, summer vacation, etc.)
– Many of the activities are geared to younger children (under 10)
– We spent three hours there as a group, and Carol stayed for another two hours and said her boys would happily have kept building for yet more time. Out of ten, her eldest gave it a “10 google” (off the charts).
– None of us had been before and all of us would happily go back.
4 Mothers 