Brick by Brick: LEGO Shipbuilding—Back in Person in 2023!

By Laura Lawfer Orr
HRNM Director of Education

Building LEGO ships at HRNM's event in 2020 (Photo by Max Lonzanida, HRNM PAO)

Since February 2012, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum has hosted an annual LEGO Shipbuilding event. For the past two years, that event has been virtual—and now, in February 2023, we will be back in person! We’re excited to welcome back our visitors for another free Lego Shipbuilding event. This will be the 11th year we have offered a LEGO Shipbuilding event, and we’re looking forward to many more.

Some of the fun activities include:

• LEGO Shipbuilding contest. If you want to participate in this competition, you can either bring a ship from home to submit in the contest, or you can build on-site with our museum-owned LEGOs. This is great for kids—and adults—of all ages! All entries must be submitted by 2pm and winners will be announced by 3:30pm. Prizes are LEGO gift cards. If bringing a ship from home, please complete this registration form before the event.

Contest entry from 2020's event (Photo by Max Lonzanida, HRNM PAO)

• Build Navy Ships with LEGOs. The Hampton Roads Naval Museum’s staff members have designed 14 Navy ships with LEGOs, all of which are available for you to build on-site using our instructions! The ships are available in easy, medium, hard, and expert difficulty levels. You can view and download some of these instructions on our website.
• LEGO Ship Displays. Built by professional model-builders, come and see our LEGO ships on display! The Hampton Roads Lego User Group (HARDLUG) will be displaying some of their members’ latest creations.
• LEGO Robotics. The First LEGO League will be demonstrating some of their creative builds and how their robotics work. See the amazing creations these students make and learn how to use LEGO robotics yourself.

LEGO free play area at the 2020 event (Photo by Max Lonzanida, HRNM PAO)

• Free-play areas. We’ll have LEGO free play and Duplo free play areas available for fun and creativity! This is where kids can build for the shipbuilding contest, but no contest participation is required to use the free-play areas.
• LEGO Crafts. Design your own LEGO craft keychain; create a LEGO paper bag puppet; or complete LEGO coloring pages—crafts for all ages!
• Sensory Room available for those who need a break from the noise of the event.

When: Saturday, February 4, 2023
10am to 4pm

Where: Half Moone Cruise Terminal
1 Waterside Drive
Norfolk, VA 23510

Cost: Free

Registration: Register for free! Registration is recommended for attendees.

Where do I park in downtown Norfolk? Parking is available in the city garages closest to the cruise terminal (Main Street, Plume Street, City Hall Ave.). Parking will cost $5 and will be pay-on-entry. Cash or credit accepted.

Is there food available? We will have several food trucks on-site with snacks and meals available for purchase. Please plan accordingly!

Note: All LEGOs owned by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum must remain at the event.

Questions? Contact Laura via email at laura.l.orr5.civ@us.navy.mil.

Families work together to build Navy ships with LEGOs (Photo by Max Lonzanida, HRNM PAO)

The 5th Annual Brick by Brick: LEGO Shipbuilding Event

Visitors at the 2015 LEGO Shipbuilding event work on building a ship for the contest. (Photo by HRNM Educator Diana Gordon.)

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is proud to announce that the fifth annual Brick by Brick: LEGO Shipbuilding event will be held from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, February 6, at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, right next to Nauticus at One Waterside Drive in Norfolk. This year's “blockbuster” LEGO Shipbuilding event promises to be the biggest one ever because it will take place in a venue that provides three times the space than in years past. This FREE program invites LEGO shipbuilders of all ages to share their creations with fellow enthusiasts on one exciting day – and compete for fabulous prizes!

This popular signature event is presented in partnership with the Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation, the Historic Naval Ships Association, the Naval Historical Foundation, and Nauticus. Children and adults alike can bring their pre-constructed LEGO ships to display and enter in the contest prior to 2 pm on February 6th. There are two separate contests: one for those who make ships at HRNM, and one for those who build their ships at home. HRNM will award prizes for five winning age categories in each competition, along with our fan favorite, voted on by YOU!

HRNM educators will be on hand to share the science behind building ships. In addition, visitors can create historic naval ships from HRNM’s own diagrams. Each year, staff members add new ships to the on-site brick fleet. New ships this year include USS Maine, USS Seawolf, USS Liberty, USS Monitor, and CSS Virginia.

USS Maine in a historic image and in the LEGO version.

This year, we will also be offering STEM activities for elementary and middle school children. First Lego League of Virginia will be on-deck for a LEGO robotics demonstration, to include some hands-on programing, and Engineering for Kids will be providing hands-on LEGO robotics activities as well. Finally, SeaPerch will have a demonstration table for their remotely operated underwater vehicle competitions.

Several LEGO-related activities will accompany the event, so be sure to bring your creativity to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. We have activities available for all age ranges--from toddlers to adults. Crafts, free-play areas, and more will be open from 10 am to 5 pm on the 6th.

Advance registration is available on Eventbrite. You can also purchase t-shirts to support this and future LEGO Shipbuilding events. Contact 757-322-3168 or donald.darcy@navy.mil with any questions. We'll see you here on February 6th!

Brick by Brick: Lego Shipbuilding 2014

Calling all Lego ship builders!  On Saturday, February 8, from 10am to 5pm, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum will bring back its “blockbuster” LEGO Shipbuilding event for a third year. This FREE program invites LEGO shipbuilders of all ages to share their creations with fellow enthusiasts on one exciting day – and compete for fabulous prizes!

This popular signature event is presented in partnership with the Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation, the Naval Historical Foundation, and Bricks 4 Kidz.  Children and adults alike can bring their pre-constructed LEGO ships (either from a kit or from scratch) to display at the museum prior to 2pm on February 8th. HRNM will award prizes for five winning age categories, along with a new category this year—“fan favorite”—voted on by YOU!

Don’t have a ship made already but want to be part of the contest? Never fear! Throughout the day, visitors can stop by a free-play station and build their own ships. Educators will also be on hand to share the science behind building ships with LEGOs. In addition, visitors can create historic naval ships from HRNM’s own diagrams. Each year, staff members add new ships to their on-site brick fleet. New ships this year include the USS Onondaga, USS Maine, and CSS Nansemond.

Several LEGO-related activities will accompany the event, so be sure to bring your creativity to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. Please note: all creations made with HRNM-owned LEGOs must stay at the museum. 

For all questions and inquiries, please contact Laura Orr at laura.l.orr@navy.mil or 757-322-3108, or visit HRNM’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HRNavalMuseum.

LEGO Shipbuilding Event Recap

One of this past Saturday's visitors enjoys the Free Play area

Well, it's officially over.

For now.

The night before the LEGO Shipbuilding Event, I laid in bed unable to sleep.  The anticipation.  The excitement.  The preparation and set up.  To be honest, I could hear my heart beating out of my chest as the doors to the museum opened. After what seemed like months of preparation, the day was here. When the time came, I was more than pleasantly surprised.  In my six years working at the museum, I have never seen a single day event so well-attended as on this past Saturday.

And what a Saturday it was.  Nearly 1,500 people came out to view or participate in the event.  This nearly doubles the number we had at the inaugural Lego shipbuilding event last year.  Drawing in crowds from across Virginia and beyond, the event went off without a hitch.

It was a special pleasure to talk to several individuals and families who came out for the second time.  One contestant, Nathan, came to several HRNM-related events this past year.  He ended up winning second place in his age category.  Congratulations, Nathan!  Nathan is pictured with his ship below.

2nd place, Age 8-12 group, Nathan, with his ship, "DragonFly"

Thank you to all who came and participated in this year's event.  A special thank you to all who participated in the shipbuilding contest.

We are always more than welcome to take your suggestions for next year's event.  It is never too late to start planning!

We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who helped out, including active duty sailors and one very helpful gentlemen from our friends at the Naval Historical Foundation.  The MacArthur Memorial graciously provided chairs and tables for the event.  There is no way we could have done this without them! Bricks 4 Kidz also provided some great Lego activities for the visitors, and we truly appreciate their time spent working with our program.

Staff at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum look forward to next year's event.  We sincerely hope that everybody who came out this year will also attend next year's event.  I can promise that it will be bigger and better!  With your help and support, we can continue to bring quality and family-fun educational programming to the Hampton Roads community and beyond.  It will be held the first Saturday in February 2014.  While you are at it, make sure to head on over to the HRNM Facebook page (and "Like" us if you haven't already) and vote for what you want to see for next year's ships.  We will also be offering LEGO Shipbuilding as a FREE educational program for school systems in the area.  If you liked the event, you will love working with LEGOs at school!

Make sure to check the Hampton Roads Naval Museum Facebook page to see the full set of pictures from the event.

Many thanks (and LEGOs),

Matthew Eng (and the entire HRNM Staff)

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For a listing of our current 2013 Calendar of Events, go HERE.

For a full recap of news media on the event:

Daily Press (original article): HERE.
Los Angeles Times: HERE.
Naval Historical Foundation Blog: HERE.

Full Size Battleship Program at HRNM

Do you remember playing the Milton Bradley board game Battleship as a kid?  Do you remember the anticipation of scoring hits on your friend's board, or the feeling of nervousness when your opponent scores near hits and misses on your elaborate ship setup?

One of the original MB Battleship game boxes

Instead of all solid blue or green board pieces, we checker-boarded our life size version using both white and blue soft foam tiles.  Given our space constraints in the Odean Vanthul Life at Sea Room, a life-size game board of 50 spaces were used on both sides (10 across x 5 down).  Instead of battleship game pieces, human participants become the ships themselves as they link together to make 4 square battleships, 3 square destroyers and subs, and 1 person patrol boats.  We hope to do the full size (10x10) very soon. 

The game helps to teach visitors, especially younger ones, about simple graphs and reading the X and Y axis, coordinates, quadrants, origin, and basic memorization.  These are useful skills, as many younger visitors are learning the same principles in their math classes during the school year. 

HRNM Education Staff, interns, and volunteers had a great time setting up and conducting the game for visitors this past week and 4th of July weekend.  Hundreds of visitors participated over the past week, as family members took on family members (and sometimes our HRNM Staff).  Come on down and see for yourself!  We will be playing this periodically this summer.

Ed Volunteer Chris Armistead and the full size Battleship in our Life at Sea Room



Operation Holiday Cheer 2009

Every year, museum visitors young and old alike send glad tidings to Sailors and Marines who are deployed during the holiday season. The Education Dept. at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum selects one ship every year for distribution. This year, the guided-missile frigate USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29) was chosen. Beginning on 13 November, children and families visiting the museum used various materials such as markers, construction paper, and glue to creatively produce beautiful, thoughtful, and festive cards.

There were over 250 cards made by museum guests this year, and nearly 500 cards made by students at Camp Allen Elementary School in Norfolk, VA. Thanks again to Jennifer Rascoe at Camp Allen Elementary for your appreciated participation. These cards will be distributed to the brave men and women of the USS Stephen W. Groves over the holidays.

We would like to personally thank all the families who participated in the event, and hope to see you again at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum very soon!

- HRNM Education

Flag Day Contest Winners Announced - Congrats Jacob and Leah!

On June 13th and 14th 2009, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum Educators celebrated Flag Day by holding a coloring contest for guests. Participating guests were asked to create a flag based on the original description of our 13-Star American Flag in 1775. We had over 70 participants in two different age categories, and everyone did a fantastic job. But, we had to crown two winners that best exemplified creativity and patriotism. Winners recieved a flag that was flown on the USS Wisconsin! Here they are:

Jacob Claytor (Age 10) Collinsville, TX

Leah Zajac (Age 6) Rochester, MI

Congrats to both of you for a job well done!

- HRNM Education

Happy 65th Birthday Battleship Wisconsin

On April 16th, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum celebrated the 65th birthday of Battleship Wisconsin in style! HRNM Educators planned a variety of family fun activities for museum and ship visitors.

One of the highlights of the day was a visit from WWII Reenactor Jim Callear, who entertained guests young and old with a mock WWII US Navy enlistment activity in the Battle of the Atlantic Gallery (pictured left). Jim and his fellow recruiters also brought a variety of period uniforms, literature, and posters. Needless to say, many guests were impressed with the activity. Look for Jim and his colleagues to visit HRNM this summer.

For the younger guests, HRNM Educators conducted its annual Sail Through the Navy program in honor of the battleship's birthday. Each participating guest recieved a "passport" and completed four different kid friendly activities on board Wisconsin. When all four activities were finished and stamped, guests received a spin on a prize wheel. Throughout the day, there were over 120 participants in this event. HRNM Educators and interns plan to conduct "Sail Through the Navy" every friday this summer.

The other activity for guests on April 16th was a coloring station where birthday cards for the Wisconsin were made. The cards were all impressive, but here are some of the best that the Educators recieved throughout the day.

Thank you to all visitors who made Battleship Wisconsin's 65th birthday a big success! Stay posted for more updates on educational programs and activities for the summer. As always, the Naval Museum and its educational programming are all free and open to the public.

-HRNM EDUCATION

Operation Holiday Cheer 2008

FAMILY FUN AT HRNM!

During the month of November, the education department at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum held its annual Operation Holiday Cheer. Museum patrons made over 200 holiday cards for sailors on theaircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) currently deployed in the Middle East. The kids that made the cards had a great time! Here is a sample of some of the cards we are sending!

Thank you for all your service!

- HRNM Education Department