2 Friday, March 8, 2024brooklintowncrier.com My Gen Z daughter is having a throwback to her childhood, but with a new twist. A few weeks ago, we began cleaning out the old nursery/playroom/ games room to convert it into a guest room/office. The playroom got moved upstairs because she was afraid of the basement. Now though the basement is her favorite hangout which means this upstairs room has become a storage room. We needed an office for my work-from-home days and for her to do homework. As we put away the toys she'd outgrown, she rediscovered her Lego sets. We packed them into storage containers which is when she got nostalgic, suddenly deciding she wanted to create a Lego city in the basement. On one hand, it was great that these expensive toys were now getting renewed interest. I also considered the nightmare that I would have to dust and carefully move things without breaking them. As well, the dog would have to be restricted from the basement because he'd chewed a some Lego pieces in the past. A few days later, she had several sets built and displayed on the air hockey table. The city was under development. By the end of the week, air hockey games were suspended indefinitely. Once the existing sets were built, she placed all the little Lego friends into action. I thought this was it, figuring the city would stay until friends came over and the air hockey table was needed. I was wrong. After building the sets, she then began to make additions and improvements. She bought a big box of random Lego from Facebook and started to create her own designs: a satellite tower, a hockey arena and a hardware store soon joined the collection. At this point I started Brooklin Family Matters: by Leanne Brown Is A Lego Town Her Future? to realize that she was mirroring Brooklin. I asked about her new interest. "I like to design things," she said. "and figure out how to make things better. I learned about design issues in tech and how a small change can have vast improvements to the overall functionality and..." Her thoughts and passion were flowing. Over the last month, her designs have become more complex. She talks about using concepts she learned in Tech and Math this year to figure out design issues. As it turns out, the renewed interest in the old toy isn't about nostalgia but rather about her future. She's starting to consider engineering and aerospace science as career paths. While the Lego Brooklin is a dusting challenge, watching my kid use an old toy to discover something new about herself is worth it. Being a teen is all about discovering who you are, independent of your parents. This can be aided by peers, experiences and the community. It seems that some teachers at the local high school are guiding her to discover her best self. I will be forever thankful to them for opening her eyes to the STEM possibilities long after the Lego Brooklin overtakes the air hockey table space. Sigh! Monday - Thursday 9:00am-7:00pm Friday 9:00am-5:30pm Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm Sunday Closed Top Dollar for Your Trade 1201 Dundas St. East, Whitby SALES 905-668-5846 SERVICE 905-668-8871 PARTS 905-668-8853 ORDER YOUR PRE-OWNED CAR WITH US! SALES (905) 721-6599 SERVICE (905) 721-6588 PARTS (905) 721-6577 445 Winchester Road East, Brooklin Check out our Pre-Owned Inventory on our website! 2024 ELANTRA • 2023 SONATA 2024 VENUE • 2024 KONA 2024 TUCSON • 2023 SANTA FE 2024 PALISADE • 2024 SANTA CRUZ VIEW CURRENT SPECIAL OFFERS AT HYUNDAICANADA.COM OR COME SEE US!