The Lego workshop is a quick yet challenging activity for children at the 16th annual Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, which runs until May 4
Sharjah, April 26, 2025
Children stepped into the role of engineers for the day at the LEGO Bridge workshop during the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025) on Friday. Tasked with building a bridge using LEGO pieces within an intense 20-minute time frame, participants had to meet specific criteria: the bridge could not have any support pillars in the water, and it needed to endure a series of durability tests. Starting with a weight of 1 kg, the bridge had to withstand additional loads of 2 kg and 3 kg in succession.
Children in the 6-14 age group were given a sheet of paper shaped like the alphabet I and were asked to build their bridge in the shape of the letter. The pillars came up on the broader two sides while the support structure over the imaginary waterbody was fortified with numerous flat and long bricks.
As the stopwatch ticked away, each team built their bridge with as many blocks as they could; some were careful to strengthen it evenly while the younger ones were less proficient in the engineering. Some bridges did not withstand the durability test but the whole operation was so much fun that the ones who failed the test were as excited and happy about their efforts as the others.
According to workshop facilitator Adnan from Fun Robotics, “the workshop aims to help children to think critically as they build a bridge using LEGO bricks”. The essence of the workshop is to make them understand that there are two sides to a bridge and how it should be connected to hold weights which would help them to appreciate engineering marvels in real-life situations, he added.
Taking place until May 4 in Expo Center Sharjah, the 16th edition of SCRF promises an immersive experience under the theme “Dive into Books”. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year’s agenda will feature 133 guests from 70 countries, and 122 Arab and international publishing houses from 22 nations.
For more information on this free-to-attend event, visit www.scrf.ae.
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