LEGO® KidsFest in Portland - My Experience

We received free media passes from US Family Guide and free product from Bissell to facilitate this review and post.

We got to go to  LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 in Portland on Friday, October 11, 2013 as a family. We are huge LEGO® fans and so it didn't surprise us when our kids loved going.

There are tons of hands on activities and things to look at while you are there. There are also activities your kids can participate in to win free LEGO® prizes. As you come into the convention center you will see a Lost Parent Zone off to the right where you can tell your kids and other family members to meet in case they loose track of you. Also they have a lost and found there in case you loose something other than kids. My daughter, Zari, misplaced her rain jacket and we found it there moments later.

LEGO® Model Museum: dozens of life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks. Here is Superman with my good friend (of 16 years) and fellow Cascadia Connect Blogger, Erin of Connected2Christ, and her daughter with me and my daughters (taken by Erin's husband).

When you look straight ahead you will see the Model Museum, where life-size models of characters and other things from movies and TV are completely made out of LEGO® bricks! My favorite was a life size model of Iron Man! His eyes and arc light reactor even glowed. I wanted to get a picture of my son, Jaedan (the Iron Man fan), with him, but he is camera shy, so it never happened. There were all kinds of others though too: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Sponge Bob, Batman, Lightning McQueen, Superman, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, LEGO, Toy Story characters, etc.

One of the many Construction Zones at LEGO® KidsFest

My kids had the most fun at the Construction Zones where they could build anything their minds could fathom with LEGO® bricks that were provided in bins and on tables. My husband and my kids spent the most time there.

Creation Nation: My boys both added their LEGO® creations to the huge map of the USA

Zari in the Brick Pile: a gigantic pile full of LEGO bricks for creative play and enjoyment.

LEGO® Galaxy Squad: Zari firing missiles at aliens.

Challenge Zone: Jaedan's space ship that he made.

Jaedan raced against others to build something space related at the Challenge Zone and got a LEGO® Batmobile from the LEGO® DC Universe SuperHeroes as a participation prize to take home.

Zari at the LEGO® Friends zone.

Zari and Teela loved the LEGO® Friends zone. These LEGO® sets are made especially with girls in mind. Both Zari and Teela loved to build with these bricks and sets in this construction zone. I loved the cute deer, dolphins, and horses that come with some of the sets. I am placing these in the girls' wishlists because they liked them so much. They even had a LEGO® Friends photo booth to get your picture taken in.

Activity Area: Delbin's team built a bridge.

In the Activity Area Delbin competed as a team with other teams to build a bridge with Duplo LEGO® bricks. They then put each of their bridges on pier columns that were spaced apart on either side and placed weights in the middle to see how much stress it could take before it buckled. Delbin's team took a good 20lbs, but a previous competition we watched there was a team that took on almost 50lbs of weight! It was amazing to watch! All the kids who participated got a LEGO® Star Wars fighter to take home.

Delbin trying out the Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo that actually sucks up small LEGO® bricks. WOW! A smile while doing a "chore".

Zari trying the Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo out too. The handle can also accommodate kiddo size.

The kids got their hand at trying out the Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo. It actually picks up small LEGO® bricks and has a clear viewing compartment that holds the stuff it picks up. I received one free to review later, so watch out for my post about it!

Honest Tea: Free Drink Samples.

We visited the Honest Tea booth to get some free Honest Kids drink samples and we also watched as Honest Kids drink pouches were made into friendship bracelets for kids. We tried both the Berry Berry Good Lemonade and the Super Fruit Punch. These USDA organic drinks are sweetened with only fruit juice and don't contain GMOs. I am so glad they were there to quench our thirst along with the drinking water fountains stationed around the floor.

Some of my fellow Cascadia Connect Blogger friends. From left to right Me, Mary Ann of A Cloth Life, Carol of All Mommy Wants, and Beeb of Beeb-Log, Contest Corner, and Super Coupon Girl (taken by Jai).

I saw some of my blogger friends from Cascadia Connect and their families at the LEGO KidsFest too! I also saw Maryann of Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz Co. and Jana of Merlot Mommy that are not pictured.

Some of the free swag we took home from LEGO KidsFest

Sessions:
Friday, October 11, 2013 4 pm - 8:30 pm
Saturday, October 12, 2013 Session I: 9 am – 1:30 pm Session II: 3 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 13, 2013 Session I: 9 am – 1:30 pm Session II: 3 pm – 7:30 pm
(Note: Each session offers the same exhibits and activities)

Where:
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard
Portland, OR 97232
Halls C, D & E
(503) 235-7575
www.oregoncc.org

Other notable things to see and check out that aren't mentioned above:

• LEGO Art Gallery: display your LEGO works of art
• LEGO Master Builders: live demonstrations and activities from the crew who get paid to play
• Race Ramps: build your own custom car, then race it down the ramp against friends and family
• LEGO Games Arena: roll the dice to play LEGO board games
• LEGO DUPLO®: younger visitors can explore imagination through building
• LEGO Retail and KidsFest Marketplace: purchase LEGO merchandise and official KidsFest tour goods
• LEGO KidsFest Theater sponsored by Cartoon Network: watch cartoons while you rest
• Monochromatic Builds: bricks of a single color to foster group creativity
• LEGO Mindstorms: build and program robots
• Reading Rest Stop sponsored by DK Publishing and Guidecraft: sit comfortably and read books about LEGO
• And More!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received free tickets for my family to go to LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 in Portland to facilitate this review. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free tickets. I also was contacted by Bissell and given a free Perfect Sweep Turbo to review later at my leisure because I went to the event. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this promo.