August 5, 2009

A Big, Bright Idea

What's the best way to celebrate National Inventors' Month? Build a giant Lego light bulb!

By Laura Slot

Even before the project started, Lego master builder Steve Gerling was excited. "We're going to build our fingers to the bone," he told TFK. Last weekend, Lego teamed up with the Smithsonian Center for Invention and Innovation in Washington, D.C., to build an eight-foot-tall version of Thomas Edison's light bulb. August is National Inventors' Month, and the light bulb is the symbol for a big idea.

©2009 THE LEGO GROUP The completed light bulb was built with hundreds of thousands of bricks.

Brick by Brick

More than 10,000 kids helped build the giant plastic structure with hundreds of thousands of Lego bricks. It took two days to build it. "The little plastic bricks are so accessible," Gerling says. "It's a medium of creativity and inventiveness."

Gerling has been a Lego master builder for 13 years. For this project, he first made a drawing of the light bulb and then a prototype, or a smaller version of the bulb. Anything can be built with Lego, the master builder says, but large projects need extra support. "We have a couple of very small glued sections, because it's a round shape," he said. "It's just a little bit of insurance."

The Spark of an Idea

Edison invented the incandescent lamp 130 years ago. He succeeded only after conducting many experiments. Edison became one of America's most successful inventors. He held more than 1,000 patents for inventions.

©2009 THE LEGO GROUP Kids and parents help build sections of the light bulb with Legos.

The Lego light bulb was built in the National Museum of American History. At the museum, visitors can learn more about remarkable inventions in the "Invention at Play" exhibition. The Spark!Lab features a building and engineering laboratory.

Unlike Edison's inventions, the Lego light bulb will not stand the test of time. It was constructed in the middle of the museum's entrance and was broken down right after the project was completed. Still, Gerling says that he and the museum's visitors had a fantastic experience. "Watching the kids plowing into this," he says, "was a great deal of fun."

Inspired? Try building your own Lego light bulb with these instructions.

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