How do you play with Lego?

One of the things I look forward to at the moment is diving into the Lego pile with my kids. It’s a reliable slice of joy.

We bought a giant (giant!) tub of Lego pieces from a friend’s teenager a few years ago, and there are few things as satisfying as pouring the whole tub onto a quilt (the cascading sound is glorious!) and then sifting through it to look for Cool Things. “Woah, look at this!” one of us will say, and hold it up for admiration.

I’m currently on the hunt for hands and arms, because we’ve finally managed to put together a People Box so we can make any number of figurines that take up residence at different spots in my home… Like the cheerleaders on my desk, complete with magic wand! (A Very Cool Thing.)

It’s a wonderful waste of time. A way to make order from chaos (however small a corner of chaos). And a flexing of creative muscles that feels totally fun…

Fun! That rarest of all beasts.

What about you – do you prefer follow-the-instructions Lego, or make-stuff-up Lego? (Both are wonderful.)