INFORMATIONAL MEETING for PARENTS and BUILDERS -
SUNDAY - November 24, 2024 at 3pm! (NO FEE and NO COMMITTMENT - come learn more about the club and what we'll be doing this year!)
Pre-Register NOW for more information (No fee)
Who is the team for?
The South Jersey Select Lego Team is a Kids Lego club for children and young teens, ages 9-14. The club will meet two times per month, with 2-4 hour build days, during which the club will work on the current year-long project.
The team is hosted by our adult builders from the South Jersey Lego User Group (SJLUG) and meet at the LUG's clubhouse in Berlin, NJ - normally a kid-free zone!.
The South Jersey Select Lego Team is a Kids Lego club for children and young teens, ages 9-14. The club will meet two times per month, with 2-4 hour build days, during which the club will work on the current year-long project.
The team is hosted by our adult builders from the South Jersey Lego User Group (SJLUG) and meet at the LUG's clubhouse in Berlin, NJ - normally a kid-free zone!.
What does the Lego team do? If Lego were a Sport - The SJSLT would be the "Travel Team" of kid builders. Our talented & hard-working team of kid builders work on longer, more in-depth projects, many of which last for months. The club develops projects in which the kids work together to create displays and projects which are shown off at area Lego shows, where tens of thousands of people can view them.
Being part of the SJSLT is not just another class you register for -it's a commitment, both of time, and of the child's focus. The family has to be committed to attending regularly - and the kids are not invited soley based on the child's talent and skills. While Lego knowledge and creativity are one major aspect, the child's ability to behave responsibly and respectfully, their willingness to contribute and work together with others - and and they need to be comfortable working in a variety of different conditions, including being able to work for periods of time with less direct supervision, but equally as well when part of a group of their peers. Our team allows the kids the opportunity to step up as leaders - to help and guide the younger and newer members, and team members will builds both solo projects AND they will be expected to contribute thier time and effort to work on both small group and whole-team based projects.
The team enjoys privleges and responsibilities more similar to what our Adult Club members do - they often have acess to the Lego clubhouse in ways that our students and campers don't, so being part of the SJSLT is absolutely special and with only 20 spots each year- it's a privlege that's limited to kids who have EARNED their spot. The club's BIG show is in Philadelphia each April - and team members have FREE access for themselves and their family members, and members along with a parent or older sibling, are expected to participate by working at our club's booth at the show each year.
Invitations are offered throughout the year to students who have based on a student's previous participation, attendance and traits that would work well within the already existing team. All SJ Select Team Members MUST be a minimum of 10 years old as of October (each Oct begins a new "year" for the club)
Being part of the SJSLT is not just another class you register for -it's a commitment, both of time, and of the child's focus. The family has to be committed to attending regularly - and the kids are not invited soley based on the child's talent and skills. While Lego knowledge and creativity are one major aspect, the child's ability to behave responsibly and respectfully, their willingness to contribute and work together with others - and and they need to be comfortable working in a variety of different conditions, including being able to work for periods of time with less direct supervision, but equally as well when part of a group of their peers. Our team allows the kids the opportunity to step up as leaders - to help and guide the younger and newer members, and team members will builds both solo projects AND they will be expected to contribute thier time and effort to work on both small group and whole-team based projects.
The team enjoys privleges and responsibilities more similar to what our Adult Club members do - they often have acess to the Lego clubhouse in ways that our students and campers don't, so being part of the SJSLT is absolutely special and with only 20 spots each year- it's a privlege that's limited to kids who have EARNED their spot. The club's BIG show is in Philadelphia each April - and team members have FREE access for themselves and their family members, and members along with a parent or older sibling, are expected to participate by working at our club's booth at the show each year.
Invitations are offered throughout the year to students who have based on a student's previous participation, attendance and traits that would work well within the already existing team. All SJ Select Team Members MUST be a minimum of 10 years old as of October (each Oct begins a new "year" for the club)
What Benefits do Team Members get?
First- the basic stuff:
First- the basic stuff:
- Each team member will get a team T-shirt to wear to public events, to show that they are part of our team of select builders. The team shirts have the "South Jersey Select Lego Team" with bricks on the back, and "SJSLT" with the member's first name on the front. The shirts are styled similar to sports team jerseys.
- Each team member will get a personalized Sig-Fig - a minifigure made to look just like them. Every serious Lego builder - yes - especially the adults - had a Sig-fig, and our Select Team will be no different. We'll help each builder select a minifig that best matches their look & personality.
- Club members get FREE ENTRANCE to ALL Brickfest Lego Show events that the team is attending / displaying at or participating in! They may also be given access to other shows and events, depending on what events are available to the team each year.
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What events & activities will the team participate in?
(AKA: What is the time commitment)
Team Meetings - Monthly (At the Clubhouse, West Berlin NJ)
Each month we will hold one 2 hour long build day on the FIRST FRIDAY of the month - followed by a longer build day in the month. We will determine the dates based on the availability of the members who are currently joining.
2025 Meeting Dates:
SUNDAY - November 24, 2024 at 3pm - Informational Meeting for Parents and Kids
SATURDAY - December 7th 2024: 6-8PM Holiday Ornament Builds / Winter City Builds
MONDAY - Dec 30th 4-7PM Winter Wonderland Vignette Builds
2025 Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
INTERESTED? PRE-REGISTER to let us know your availability!
SUNDAY - November 24, 2024 at 3pm - Informational Meeting for Parents and Kids
SATURDAY - December 7th 2024: 6-8PM Holiday Ornament Builds / Winter City Builds
MONDAY - Dec 30th 4-7PM Winter Wonderland Vignette Builds
2025 Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
INTERESTED? PRE-REGISTER to let us know your availability!
Team Build Days -
Open-House Style- at least 2x a month
(At the Clubhouse, West Berlin NJ)
Open-House Style- at least 2x a month
(At the Clubhouse, West Berlin NJ)
Build Days are held at our extensively stocked Lego clubhouse in West Berlin, NJ. There, the team will have thousands of Lego sets and millions of Lego parts available in order to build one or more large-scale impressive Lego projects. (see sjlug.com for ideas of what our adult club builds - our junior club will be building similar style projects). There will be at least one 2-hour meeting, and at least 2 (but as many as 6) 3+ hour "open house" style build days each month, where members are invited to come to the clubhouse to work for any amount of time that they are available within that build day's hours each month (for example, if you are only able to drop by for an hour, that's fine -or you can drop the member off for the entire length of the build day).
Additional Open Build Days will be scheduled as-needed throughout the year. During the summer - we will often hold open build hours as late as 9pm. No build hours will be later than 7pm on a school night / during the school year.
Additional Open Build Days will be scheduled as-needed throughout the year. During the summer - we will often hold open build hours as late as 9pm. No build hours will be later than 7pm on a school night / during the school year.
Local Area Events - TBA (within 1-hr of West Berlin, NJ)
The club may plan and hold events, such as a public display of the club's project(s) at a local mall, or we may attend local events such as holiday street festivals, or other activities. There will be no additional cost to team members to attend these shows, but members will be encouraged to attend, to show off their builds to the public, to talk about what they've built, and to encourage other young builders to get involved with our Mini Master Builder classes & the SJSLT! We'll announce upcoming events at meetings, and discuss the club's interest and level of possible participation. We also welcome members to notify the club if they know of any events that they would like the club to take part in.
The club may plan and hold events, such as a public display of the club's project(s) at a local mall, or we may attend local events such as holiday street festivals, or other activities. There will be no additional cost to team members to attend these shows, but members will be encouraged to attend, to show off their builds to the public, to talk about what they've built, and to encourage other young builders to get involved with our Mini Master Builder classes & the SJSLT! We'll announce upcoming events at meetings, and discuss the club's interest and level of possible participation. We also welcome members to notify the club if they know of any events that they would like the club to take part in.
Lego Shows & Conventions
(Voluntary travel & additional expense may be involved)
(Voluntary travel & additional expense may be involved)
This team's Lego builds will travel to and be displayed at multiple HUGE Lego conventions. These are fully optional events that the club members families may or may not choose to travel to or attend such as Brickfest (Oct 2023 in Oaks PA) Brick World (June 2024 in Chicago, IL) & Brickfair (Aug 2024 in Chantilly, Va).
Attendance at these conventions is completely optional, it is up to each member's family to decide if they wish to expend the funds & time commitment involved with traveling to & attending these four-day long Lego events. Regardless of the team's attendance, their builds will be taken to and displayed at these events, garnering an audience of thousands upon thousands of people who will see the team's hard work displayed prominently beside displays built by talented adult builders from all over the world. We encourage team members families to consider coming to any of the shows, even if they only wish to attend one of the public-facing event dates. The club will offer free or discounted tickets for attendance to Team Members whenever it's possible for us to do so!
Attendance at these conventions is completely optional, it is up to each member's family to decide if they wish to expend the funds & time commitment involved with traveling to & attending these four-day long Lego events. Regardless of the team's attendance, their builds will be taken to and displayed at these events, garnering an audience of thousands upon thousands of people who will see the team's hard work displayed prominently beside displays built by talented adult builders from all over the world. We encourage team members families to consider coming to any of the shows, even if they only wish to attend one of the public-facing event dates. The club will offer free or discounted tickets for attendance to Team Members whenever it's possible for us to do so!
2025 Shows & Events:
Sat & Sun - April 2025- Exact Dates -TBA
Philadelphia
Brickfest
(No Show Registration / Ticket Price for Members)
What is the cost to join & take part in the SJSLT?
There's a one time fee of $135 to join, which covers the child's registration for Brickfest (as a displayer), their team t-shirt, Brick Badge & their customized Signature Minifig. The additional cost are the monthly dues, which helps us cover the cost of the project(s) the team will be building (as we often need to order specialized parts, sets, and figures, as well as buying additional bulk Lego, and covering the cost of the two spaces that we use for the club to meet/build). For the first round of new members - T-shirts will be distributed at the JULY 2023 meeting and all other club swag will be delivered by the September 2023 meeting (though it will likely be sooner).
Dues are collected monthly from members on the 5th of each month, starting the first full month after the member has joined. We will start collecting dues in Jan 2025 for those paying monthly. The club dues are $34 per member, per month.
If you choose to pay one year's worth of dues at a time - there is a $83 savings, making the cost for one full year $115 + $325 ($408-$83) = $440
Parents may choose to sign-up for monthly reoccurring payments of $34 per month, to be charged automatically, or to make a single payment at the beginning of the season.
All funds collected support the cost of the team's projects. South Jersey Lego User Group is a not-for-profit organization, and we have no paid employees. 100% of what we collect is used to improve our club.
There's a one time fee of $135 to join, which covers the child's registration for Brickfest (as a displayer), their team t-shirt, Brick Badge & their customized Signature Minifig. The additional cost are the monthly dues, which helps us cover the cost of the project(s) the team will be building (as we often need to order specialized parts, sets, and figures, as well as buying additional bulk Lego, and covering the cost of the two spaces that we use for the club to meet/build). For the first round of new members - T-shirts will be distributed at the JULY 2023 meeting and all other club swag will be delivered by the September 2023 meeting (though it will likely be sooner).
Dues are collected monthly from members on the 5th of each month, starting the first full month after the member has joined. We will start collecting dues in Jan 2025 for those paying monthly. The club dues are $34 per member, per month.
If you choose to pay one year's worth of dues at a time - there is a $83 savings, making the cost for one full year $115 + $325 ($408-$83) = $440
Parents may choose to sign-up for monthly reoccurring payments of $34 per month, to be charged automatically, or to make a single payment at the beginning of the season.
All funds collected support the cost of the team's projects. South Jersey Lego User Group is a not-for-profit organization, and we have no paid employees. 100% of what we collect is used to improve our club.
Additional Optional Costs -
Opportunities to Build-Up your Lego Collection
On occasion, the club may hold events that would allow your family to actually take home Lego to add to your personal collection at a GREATLY discounted cost. We know that Lego is not an entirely inexpensive hobby - and as a club, we are always on the lookout for ways to help our members get more parts and pieces to make it easier for them to keep on building.
Another opportunity is your chance to take part in discounted Lego hauls. Several times a year, as stores are preparing to clear-out their current stock to make room for new items or as they are clearing out remaining stock from the holidays, our Club members will find GREAT deals on sets, marked down anywhere from 40-70% off of retail cost. We'll often purchase large numbers of clearance sets all at once. The club will then offer up this large stock of sets at the significantly discounted prices to our SJLUG & SJSLT members. You might not have time to hunt down these bargains or even know when and where to look - but by being part of the South Jersey Lego Club family - you'll be invited to get in on these huge Lego hauls, stocking up on Lego at a much lower cost. It's a fantastic way to find sets that have been wanting, or to get multiple copies of a set that you really wanted parts from - and all for far LESS than it would typically cost you. This past year alone, we've spent more than $1500-$2500 on discounted Lego sets and shared them among our club members, multiple times!
Another Lego-collection boost is that we will sometimes buy large collections from private sellers - coming "home" to the clubhouse with hundreds of pounds of parts. We may allow members to chose to buy-in to the bulk purchase, for example, you might choose to buy 15 lbs of Lego - usually these bulk-buys are great opportunities to add lots of new and interesting parts to your current collection. You may get pieces of sets that are new or many-years old, you may find great mini-figures or lots of cool accessories and pieces you never knew existed. Our adult club (SJLUG) OFTEN has bulk Lego available for $4-$6 a lb, depending on the current availability - so always ask if you're looking for parts!
One other potential optional cost would be participation in a Parts Draft! A Parts Draft is held like this: Each member who wants to participate buys & brings a copy of the exact same set that was selected in advance. (Sets can range from $20-$50). The group then opens and sorts all of the minifigures & Lego parts from the sets, grouping together the like-pieces (for example, one pile might be three windshields, another pile might be 8 1x2 red bricks). A system, like rolling dice, is determined to choose an order for the Draft. We then go around, according to the order of the Draft, round-robin style, and each person selects which single minifigure, or which small pile of parts you would like. We continue going around the group, selecting parts until all the parts have been claimed. Part Drafts are an extremely fantastic money-saving way to build up your Lego parts & Minifig collection, and its a great-deal of fun!)
Additional Optional Costs - Charity Projects
We may have times during the year when there are optional fundraising projects that our clubs help to support (such as Project Christmas, which supplies toys and supplies to families in need each holiday (www.ProjectChristmasNJ.com) or SJLUG's Brick Angels Program. The Brick Angels program designs and creates our own home-made Lego sets, fundraises and collects the parts necessary to package the sets, and then we distribute those sets to those who could really use some joy & fun in their lives. Some of the groups we plan to support art those with chronic or serious health problems, such as women with breast cancer, kids who are hospitalized, or those suffering from chronic neurological or physical health problems. We've also discussed supplying sets to organizations that help older kids and young adults with Autism, those with learning disabilities, organizations that support kids who suffer from bullying, or to support existing charities that collect supplies for underprivileged schools or after-school programs as well as domestic violence shelters that support families with children.)
SJLUG feels VERY strongly about being a welcoming organization and we are passionate about inclusion. Our adult club has such a HUGELY diverse community - we have members with chronic health conditions, physical disabilities, neurological differences including multiple members on the Autism Spectrum, we have members overcoming mental illness & various learning disabilities, our membership includes multiple members of the LGBTQIA+ community and of course, we welcome members of ALL backgrounds and beliefs - as well as all ages and abilities. As a result of our diverse membership - we are very passionate about supporting a MULTITUDE of different communities, bringing joy to everyone we possibly can - by sharing our passion and love of building with Lego.
Additional Optional Costs - Travel & Attendance at Lego Conventions & Shows
If possible, SJLIG will provide free or discounted tickets for SJSLT Team Members to attend Lego Events, Shows or Conventions where their projects will be displayed. The cost of displaying at Brickfest in Oct(Philadelphia)/Apr(Edison) will be covered as part of the child's fee to join the Select Team. There will be some events, however, where it is not possible for us to get free or discounted passes, and it will be up to individual families to decide if they wish to travel to shows that are outside of our area, and if they wish to spend the money to travel, to stay in a hotel and to register for the actual convention.
The cost to display the team's projects will be covered by member's dues, but some shows require each participant to register separately (Such as Brickfair Virginia, who's registration cost is approximately $85-$125 and is required separately for each person who plans to attend.) Attendance and participation in these multi-day events is NEVER required, although we do welcome and encourage families to consider attending at least one show throughout the year.
Our Club's Philosophy & Goal
SJLUG Members firmly believe that EVERYONE'S lives can be made better by embracing creativity, fun and the need to continue to PLAY - at EVERY age. Lifelong PLAY and creativity are the cornerstones of a happy and healthy life, and we want our junior members to be encouraged by the fantastic support our SJLUG members show for one another - we want the kids to see adults who care about and support each other, who work together and problem-solve, all while using HEALTHY communication and ALWAYS showing kindness for one another, despite our many differences. Our adult members hope that by being good role-models, we'll show our Junior Members that you're NEVER too old for fun and that life is better when you welcome those who are different from yourself, to be a part of your circle of friends.
Opportunities to Build-Up your Lego Collection
On occasion, the club may hold events that would allow your family to actually take home Lego to add to your personal collection at a GREATLY discounted cost. We know that Lego is not an entirely inexpensive hobby - and as a club, we are always on the lookout for ways to help our members get more parts and pieces to make it easier for them to keep on building.
Another opportunity is your chance to take part in discounted Lego hauls. Several times a year, as stores are preparing to clear-out their current stock to make room for new items or as they are clearing out remaining stock from the holidays, our Club members will find GREAT deals on sets, marked down anywhere from 40-70% off of retail cost. We'll often purchase large numbers of clearance sets all at once. The club will then offer up this large stock of sets at the significantly discounted prices to our SJLUG & SJSLT members. You might not have time to hunt down these bargains or even know when and where to look - but by being part of the South Jersey Lego Club family - you'll be invited to get in on these huge Lego hauls, stocking up on Lego at a much lower cost. It's a fantastic way to find sets that have been wanting, or to get multiple copies of a set that you really wanted parts from - and all for far LESS than it would typically cost you. This past year alone, we've spent more than $1500-$2500 on discounted Lego sets and shared them among our club members, multiple times!
Another Lego-collection boost is that we will sometimes buy large collections from private sellers - coming "home" to the clubhouse with hundreds of pounds of parts. We may allow members to chose to buy-in to the bulk purchase, for example, you might choose to buy 15 lbs of Lego - usually these bulk-buys are great opportunities to add lots of new and interesting parts to your current collection. You may get pieces of sets that are new or many-years old, you may find great mini-figures or lots of cool accessories and pieces you never knew existed. Our adult club (SJLUG) OFTEN has bulk Lego available for $4-$6 a lb, depending on the current availability - so always ask if you're looking for parts!
One other potential optional cost would be participation in a Parts Draft! A Parts Draft is held like this: Each member who wants to participate buys & brings a copy of the exact same set that was selected in advance. (Sets can range from $20-$50). The group then opens and sorts all of the minifigures & Lego parts from the sets, grouping together the like-pieces (for example, one pile might be three windshields, another pile might be 8 1x2 red bricks). A system, like rolling dice, is determined to choose an order for the Draft. We then go around, according to the order of the Draft, round-robin style, and each person selects which single minifigure, or which small pile of parts you would like. We continue going around the group, selecting parts until all the parts have been claimed. Part Drafts are an extremely fantastic money-saving way to build up your Lego parts & Minifig collection, and its a great-deal of fun!)
Additional Optional Costs - Charity Projects
We may have times during the year when there are optional fundraising projects that our clubs help to support (such as Project Christmas, which supplies toys and supplies to families in need each holiday (www.ProjectChristmasNJ.com) or SJLUG's Brick Angels Program. The Brick Angels program designs and creates our own home-made Lego sets, fundraises and collects the parts necessary to package the sets, and then we distribute those sets to those who could really use some joy & fun in their lives. Some of the groups we plan to support art those with chronic or serious health problems, such as women with breast cancer, kids who are hospitalized, or those suffering from chronic neurological or physical health problems. We've also discussed supplying sets to organizations that help older kids and young adults with Autism, those with learning disabilities, organizations that support kids who suffer from bullying, or to support existing charities that collect supplies for underprivileged schools or after-school programs as well as domestic violence shelters that support families with children.)
SJLUG feels VERY strongly about being a welcoming organization and we are passionate about inclusion. Our adult club has such a HUGELY diverse community - we have members with chronic health conditions, physical disabilities, neurological differences including multiple members on the Autism Spectrum, we have members overcoming mental illness & various learning disabilities, our membership includes multiple members of the LGBTQIA+ community and of course, we welcome members of ALL backgrounds and beliefs - as well as all ages and abilities. As a result of our diverse membership - we are very passionate about supporting a MULTITUDE of different communities, bringing joy to everyone we possibly can - by sharing our passion and love of building with Lego.
Additional Optional Costs - Travel & Attendance at Lego Conventions & Shows
If possible, SJLIG will provide free or discounted tickets for SJSLT Team Members to attend Lego Events, Shows or Conventions where their projects will be displayed. The cost of displaying at Brickfest in Oct(Philadelphia)/Apr(Edison) will be covered as part of the child's fee to join the Select Team. There will be some events, however, where it is not possible for us to get free or discounted passes, and it will be up to individual families to decide if they wish to travel to shows that are outside of our area, and if they wish to spend the money to travel, to stay in a hotel and to register for the actual convention.
The cost to display the team's projects will be covered by member's dues, but some shows require each participant to register separately (Such as Brickfair Virginia, who's registration cost is approximately $85-$125 and is required separately for each person who plans to attend.) Attendance and participation in these multi-day events is NEVER required, although we do welcome and encourage families to consider attending at least one show throughout the year.
Our Club's Philosophy & Goal
SJLUG Members firmly believe that EVERYONE'S lives can be made better by embracing creativity, fun and the need to continue to PLAY - at EVERY age. Lifelong PLAY and creativity are the cornerstones of a happy and healthy life, and we want our junior members to be encouraged by the fantastic support our SJLUG members show for one another - we want the kids to see adults who care about and support each other, who work together and problem-solve, all while using HEALTHY communication and ALWAYS showing kindness for one another, despite our many differences. Our adult members hope that by being good role-models, we'll show our Junior Members that you're NEVER too old for fun and that life is better when you welcome those who are different from yourself, to be a part of your circle of friends.