LAKELAND, Fla. – A Florida teen is showcasing his LEGO creations in hopes of inspiring others to think outside the box.
“First, I build the thing, get an idea from it, break it down and build something else from it,” said Kaleb Smith, a 13-year-old who has been working with LEGOs since he was 3. “It gets my imagination going.”
He not only uses the bricks to come up with creative and detailed works of art, but LEGOs have also become a tool for learning as Kaleb uses them to overcome challenges like dyslexia, while being homeschooled.
“We studied ancient Egypt and medieval times,” Kaleb said. “You can have more time to build and you don’t have homework.”
Kaleb uses the building bricks to create scenes from his schoolbooks and lessons. His sister said he is taking advantage of a unique type of learning.
“We put a lot of pressure on academic knowledge (and) he’s smart in that way, too, but I think he’s better at the physical aspect and working with his hands,” said Jadyn.
So how many LEGOs are hanging around the house?
“Maybe 100,000,” Kaleb said. “I step on them often. It hurts, but I’m getting used to it.”
Kaleb’s love for LEGOs drew him to one of the largest LEGO fan events last year: the Orlando Brick Convention.
“There was a bunch of big stuff and I had little stuff, so I wanted to build bigger next year,” Kaleb said.
And he has! He created a replica of the Eye of Sauron from “Lord of the Rings” that stands over 5 feet tall. The structure took months to build.
“He’s worked so many hours,” said Jadyn. “He can look at a picture and then make it into LEGO structures without having instructions. It’s really incredible.”
Kaleb admits that his one-of-a-kind creations don’t come without some frustration. He said with patience and some music, he’s able to get through issues he comes across.
And he gets to share them this year with him an invitation to present at the Orlando Brick Convention. He’ll be the youngest displayer alongside expert builders with tens of thousands of LEGO enthusiasts expected to visit over the weekend.
“I feel awesome because I want to inspire more people to build bigger things,” said Kaleb.
The event includes brick pits, a fan zone, LEGO vendors, photo ops and hundreds of LEGO displays, including life-size models. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales are donated to Creations for Charity, a nonprofit that provides LEGO sets to underprivileged and hospitalized kids around the world.
The Orlando Brick Convention takes place March 16-17 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee. Tickets are $14.