Celebrating International LEGO Day 🧱
LISTEN HERE
The Ten News Season 3: Episode 29
✔️ Five fascinating LEGO facts for International LEGO Day on January 28th
🧠 STEAM Teacher Jalen Allen explains how LEGOS help unlock creative parts of your brain
💭 Ten'er Owen answers some of your biggest LEGO questions
💸 What is a debt ceiling and why does the US need a new one?
🧱 Trivia with Tessa: Besides bricks, what is LEGO the biggest manufacturer of?
Links
International LEGO Day around the world in 2023 | There is a Day for that!
10 Fascinating Facts About Lego—From World Records to David Beckham’s Obsession - WSJ
10 top LEGO facts! - National Geographic Kids (natgeokids.com)
60 Fun LEGO Facts Every LEGO Fan Needs to Know (mamainthenow.com)
10 Incredible Benefits of Playing with Lego® - (childrenswellnesscentre.co.uk)
debt ceiling - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
House Approves Bill to Avert U.S. Default, Sending It to Biden - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Follow Along with Us
📧 Do you have something to tell us? Email us at: hello@thetennews.com
📝 Sign up for The Ten News-letter!
📸 Join us on Instagram
TRANSCRIPT:
Ryan Willard 0:04
My foot! Why are the LEGO bricks on the studio floor?
Pamela Kirkland 0:08
Oh, my bad, Ry. I've almost finished my LEGO Millennium Falcon. There.
Ryan Willard 0:16
Whoa, that's pretty good. But, why are there so many pieces leftover?
Pamela Kirkland 0:20
Um, well, those must just be extra LEGOS that came with it.
Ryan Willard 0:25
Pamela, the Falcon might have some structural issues. And it's not LEGOS. It's LEGO bricks.
Pamela Kirkland 0:33
Okay, clearly you're a LEGO Jedi. Can I be your patawon?
Ryan Willard 0:39
Of course. And you can learn from the LEGO enthusiast who is visiting today for our International LEGO Day special episode.
Pamela Kirkland 0:45
Awesome. Maybe they can show me where all these extra pieces go. I'm Pamela Kirkland.
Ryan Willard 0:52
And I'm Ryan Willard. It's Wednesday, January 25th.
Pamela Kirkland 0:55
This is The Ten News.
Various Voices 1:01
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ryan Willard 1:09
International LEGO Day is January 28th.
Pamela Kirkland 1:12
It marks the day that Lego founder and Danish carpenter Godtfred Kirk Christiansen applied for a patent on the first lego set waaaaay back in 1958.
Ryan Willard 1:25
And fun fact, the LEGO bricks made in 1958 still work with LEGO bricks made today. Okay, so we know a lot of you Ten'ers are LEGO bricks fans. And so are we! Apart from when grown-ups step on them.
Pamela Kirkland 1:40
That was ONE TIME.
Ryan Willard 1:42
And now it's time for five fascinating LEGO facts. Grown-ups who love LEGO are called AFOLs - Adult Fans of Lego.
Pamela Kirkland 1:54
If LEGO Minifigures had their own country, it would be the most populous nation on earth with a population of 4 billion.
Ryan Willard 2:06
And for every human on planet earth, there are more than 80 LEGO bricks.
Pamela Kirkland 2:12
Which is plenty of bricks, because you can combine 6 two-by-four bricks 915 million ways!
Ryan Willard 2:23
And finally, if you stacked up all the Lego bricks on Earth, you could reach 10 times higher than the moon! Who needs spaceships?!
Pamela Kirkland 2:31
That reminds me, I've got to get back to work on my Millennium Falcon.
Ryan Willard 2:41
Did you know building LEGO sets can help unlock creative parts of your brain? We wanted to know more about how LEGO bricks can help our brains and we got a recommendation from Owen, one of our original Ten'ers. His STEAM teacher Jalen Allen stopped by to break it down for us. Alright Ten'ers, I've got someone here right now that I want to introduce you to, sir, please tell us who you are, where you are from, and what is it that you do.
Jalen Allen 3:06
My name is Jalen Allen, born and raised in San Francisco, and I am the elementary STEAM teacher at the San Francisco School.
Ryan Willard 3:14
Okay, well, not everyone has had the benefit of learning through STEAM. What is STEAM? And why is it important?
Jalen Allen 3:21
Yeah, STEAM is the next iteration of STEM science, technology, engineering, and math. But we made sure to add "A." A invites us to be creative, and messy and approach everything we do with creative vigor.
Ryan Willard 3:35
I am creative and I am messy. So it seems like STEAM should have been for me. I'm curious. What are some of the things that you do with the A in STEAM?
Jalen Allen 3:44
Well, the A with steam, we design neighborhoods, we build bridges, we make rockets, anything that you can think of, we try to do it with a little bit of extra flair making sure that each kid gets the brain their creative and quirky self to each project we do.
Ryan Willard 3:59
Now LEGO bricks are considered one of the coolest toys on the planet and all ages can enjoy them. But, what are some of the benefits of playing with LEGO bricks beside just being cool and fun?
Jalen Allen 4:11
Yeah, LEGO bricks are the best material ever. They're a medium that everyone from five years old to 85 knows how to use. Kids get to bring creativity. They build. They play with each other. It's amazing to see kids can struggle to write a story. You give them LEGO bricks and 20 minutes later, they built an entire castle and can tell you about each character and what's going on. Legos are just an opportunity for kids to be creative and see challenges and approach them in a creative way. When something doesn't work with LEGOS. It's alright. You just figure out a different way to make it work.
Ryan Willard 4:51
Okay, we've gotten a little hot tip here at The Ten News that we are investigating. I've heard you use LEGO bricks in your lessons.
Jalen Allen 5:00
Yes.
Ryan Willard 5:01
Why do you do this? And what do you do?
Jalen Allen 5:03
Absolutely. Kids know the challenges and the limitations of LEGOS. We've done everything from building bridges to using LEGOS as an introduction to coding, there is literally nothing that you can't do in STEAM without adding LEGO to it.
Ryan Willard 5:22
How did you get this idea? And what did you have to do to make this happen?
Jalen Allen 5:27
Well, I was a LEGO kid, and still am to this day, we have LEGOS at school, and kids love to do it during choice time. So, I took that as an opportunity to add it to the classroom and the engagement level of our students just rose. That's the best part about LEGO, is they make something for every age group. So, we use LEGO Spark for the younger kids, which is an introduction to coding, and then LEGO Mindstorms, which is like the bigger kid version of it and middle school. So there is really something for everyone.
Ryan Willard 6:00
So you've been using LEGO bricks for a while. What's one of the coolest LEGO sets you've ever put together?
Jalen Allen 6:07
The Millennium Falcon. It was when I was 10 years old. It was the biggest box I ever had. It took me three days to build it and my room, it is handed out the greatest LEGO project of all time.
Ryan Willard 6:19
Now, one of our friends at The Ten News, my co-host, Pamela is literally putting together a Lego Millennium Falcon right now. Do you have any tips for her to do so? Because this is the first time she's ever put one together?
Jalen Allen 6:30
I'm a big organizer of my pieces, especially when you get to those larger projects. It's easy to get lost in the sauce. Take your time set up right and then have fun.
Ryan Willard 6:41
Okay, Pamela, I hope you're listening. And I hope this helps you finish it. But back to your classroom. What is one of the coolest things someone in your class has ever built?
Jalen Allen 6:52
With LEGO bricks? That's hard. And I know the kids listen to this. So I'm going to try not to pick favorites here. One of the coolest things that I've ever seen built was a suspension bridge that could hold multiple containers of liquid cement. It was a project we did, where we tried to make this bridge. What do we need? What type of support, and I'm talking this bridge is four feet tall, has multiple pillars, and the absolute excitement of when this thing held up? It was the greatest LEGO project I've ever seen.
Ryan Willard 7:28
That sounds amazing. Okay, I want to know if I, as a Ten'er, want to get LEGO bricks into my classroom. I want my teacher to teach us to use LEGO bricks just like you do. What would I say to my teacher to try and get them to do it?
Jalen Allen 7:44
Well, as a student, I would go hey, do you want your students not to bother you for the next five to eight hours because we're all having the time of our lives and learning at the same time? LEGO!
Ryan Willard 7:57
Okay, Ten'ers, you heard that first from Mr. Jalen dropping some knowledge on us. Mr. Jalen, is there anything else you want to say to our Ten'ers?
Jalen Allen 8:06
LEGO is the greatest thing ever. Whether you're a kid or you're an adult, it's an opportunity for you to be creative, build and have fun with others. Parents & kids play with Lego. You don't have to get the biggest set ever. It can be the random pieces. It's an adventure waiting to be made in front of you.
Ryan Willard 8:26
Awesome and as a thank you for coming on The Ten News. We would like to give Owen and his classmates 15 minutes of extra recess time. So congratulations, Owen. And Jalen because you get 15 minutes of freedom.
Jalen Allen 8:42
We can make that happen. Thank you. Thank you!
Pamela Kirkland 8:54
This LEGO set is driving me up a wall. Where does this go? In this? Did the Millennium Falcon have wheels?
Ryan Willard 9:05
Pamela, why don't we let you keep working on your LEGO Build? I know that our original Ten'ers, Owen, is a big LEGO fan and hanging out with his mom today here in The Ten News studio. I'm gonna go see what they're up to, hey, Kap! What are you doing?
Tracy Kaplan 9:17
Looking over some questions for LEGO that were sent in by our Ten'ers. I'm going to give LEGO a call on our super secret LEGO phone. And when I get the answers, Owen is going to help me share them today. Owen, can you help me with sharing some of the questions and answers that we got from LEGO? All right. First question.
Owen Kaplan 9:40
Where do your ideas come from and can kids submit design requests?
Tracy Kaplan 9:48
So, Owen, can I learn from LEGO that LEGO has a spot on their website where kids and adults can submit their design requests and vote on their favorite? LEGO then takes all those votes. decides which ones get made into a set. Cool. Question two.
Owen Kaplan 10:05
How are designs created? Is it all on the computer? Or do you practice building them by hand?
Tracy Kaplan 10:13
So according to LEGO, it's both. It's really up to the designer and their preference for how they work and how they are built. So some of them build by hand or on the computer. Cool, right? All right. Number three.
Owen Kaplan 10:28
Since it's International LEGO Day, we want to know what is the oldest LEGO set?
Tracy Kaplan 10:36
Well, technically, according to LEGO, the first set to launch was the Automatic Binding Bricks set in 1949. And we put a link in the show notes so you can check it out on their site. And all those bricks still work with today's bricks.
Owen Kaplan 10:53
Wow, did you know that before LEGO started designing plastic bricks, they made wooden toys instead?
Tracy Kaplan 10:59
Wow, that's a great segue into a bunch of questions we got about the plastic that is used to make LEGO bricks. Owen, what was one of the questions?
Owen Kaplan 11:08
When will LEGO start using recycled plastic?
Tracy Kaplan 11:13
Well, that's a great question. I know. It's something that we talk a lot about in our house, we make sure that we recycle. But what we heard from the LEGO team is that they're really working on making their whole operations more sustainable. without sacrificing the quality and safety of their bricks. They now have a platform called LEGO Replay, which is a way to pass on your use of LEGO bricks and share it with other kids in need. Since they launched the program in 2019. In the US, and 2020. In Canada, over 720,000 pounds of LEGO bricks have been donated, resulting in over 160,000 Children playing with LEGO Replay bricks. And what's really great is they know how many people pass down their LEGOS from generation to generation. So, making sure that bricks get reused, just like how you use your dad's old LEGO bricks, right? Yep. Thanks so much for your help with those questions from, Ten'ers. I have one more question for you direct from the Kaplan household. How many times a week does your mom step on LEGOS that you've left on the floor?
Owen Kaplan 12:18
I think around eight days a week. Anything we can do about that? Actually, a few years ago, LEGO made anti-LEGO slippers for a limited amount of time.
Tracy Kaplan 12:29
Hmm, I'm gonna go see if I can get a pair of those. Thanks, Owen.
Ryan Willard 12:40
Pamela, I heard we need a new ceiling, ASAP.
Pamela Kirkland 12:44
I mean, I guess we could make a ceiling using LEGO bricks. If you really want me to.
Ryan Willard 12:50
No, we need a new debt ceiling. But also what is a debt ceiling? And why do we need a new one?
Pamela Kirkland 12:56
Oh, yeah. LEGO bricks certainly can't build a debt ceiling. It's basically the limit to our national debt.
Sound Bit 13:04
What does that mean?
Pamela Kirkland 13:06
Did you know that the US federal government borrows money to pay its bills? It does. The US spends more on federal programs than what it brings in through taxes. So it borrows from the public or other government agencies like the US Treasury. But it can't just borrow any amount it deems. There's a limit and that limit is called the debt ceiling. Maybe you've heard the term debt ceiling in the news lately. The government's debt hit $31.4 trillion, meaning it's reached the limit. What would normally happen here? Well, Congress would have to agree on a plan to raise the limit on the national debt before it goes over, also called defaulting on the debt. But Democrats and Republicans haven't come up with an agreement just yet on what some members of Congress want to keep the limit low. And over the years, it's become a big debate. In the meantime, the government can delay the day when it cannot pay its bills, but only for a few months. So can the US government actually run out of money? Well, if the debt ceiling is not increased, the government won't have enough money to pay federal workers salaries or fun federal programs. But that has never happened to you. The debt ceiling has been raised 98 times since it was first established all the way back in 1917.
Ryan Willard 14:33
Okay, so the debt ceiling is not an actual ceiling made of roof stuff. Right?
Pamela Kirkland 14:39
No, just like how my LEGO Millennium Falcon won't really be able to fly through space.
Ryan Willard 14:45
Not today, but maybe one day, Pamela.
Tessa Flannery 14:54
Welcome to the trivia room.
Owen Kaplan 14:57
Thanks for having me, Tessa.
Tessa Flannery 14:59
Great to see you, Owen! Owen, why don't you hop up on the trivia throne for today's LEGO trivia question? You ready?
Owen Kaplan 15:06
You bet!
Sound Bit 15:10
What is going on here?
Tessa Flannery 15:19
LEGO is the largest toy maker in the world, but it's also the biggest manufacturer of what item? Is it a) cardboard boxes, b) tires, or c) human figurines? Ten'ers, did you guess it? Owen, what's your answer?
Owen Kaplan 15:37
I think it's c, because normally multiple mini-figures come in one set.
Tessa Flannery 15:41
The answer is b) tires. That's right, LEGO makes more tires than Goodyear, Bridgestone, or Michelin companies that build tires for actual cars. LEGO historians said that in 2022, Lego made 700 million tires.
Owen Kaplan 16:05
Wow, that's a lot of wheels.
Tessa Flannery 16:07
Totally! Ten'ers, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your trivia knowledge? Visit thetennews.com/contact to get in touch and we might have you on the show.
Ryan Willard 16:19
Not gonna lie. Your Millennium Falcon looks amazing.
Pamela Kirkland 16:22
Thank you for all your help, Ry.
Ryan Willard 16:25
It's my bricking pleasure. Oh, we got to give special Ten News snaps to one of our listeners.
Pamela Kirkland 16:30
But before we do, here's a quick note for the grown-ups.
Ryan Willard 16:34
Time for Ten News Snaps!
Pamela Kirkland 16:40
Ten'ers, Yay, wrote this review of The Ten News. I love this podcast. I listened to it every night before I go to bed. I really liked the Thanksgiving Special when Laine did the thing on food allergies. I have celiac so I'm gluten-free. Anyways, love the podcast. Keep it up, Ryan and Pam.
Ryan Willard 17:02
Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Ten Things You Need to Know drops every Tuesday and our in-depth reports drop every Wednesday. But if you want some bonus content, you could join the Ten'ers Club on our website or on Apple podcasts. Club members get special bonus content and more. Check out the website or our channel on Apple.
Pamela Kirkland 17:19
The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.
Ryan Willard 17:24
The Ten News creative team is building with LEGO bricks and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, and Tessa Flannery.
Pamela Kirkland 17:31
Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle. And our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
Ryan Willard 17:39
I'm Ryan Willard.
Pamela Kirkland 17:40
And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Fly Millennium Falcon, fly!
