Bricks+Builds

09/19/2026

What. A. Day!! 🟠🟡🔵🟢🔴

NIU STEAM, thank you for an absolutely incredible day! Thank you for welcoming two local kids who just love all things STEM, love sharing our excitement with others, and love sharing our toys!

To everyone who stopped by to meet us today, you & your excitement was amazing!

{P.S. One additional plug for our NIU STEAM friends: Summer Camps 2027 will be coming in 2027. Alex has had a fantastic time the past two summers, learning so much from the team we have right here at home!}

09/19/2026

Hello from NIU STEAM STEM Fest 2026!

Noah & Alex are in the Holmes Student Center Gallery until 3pm today to teach & inspire kids (and adults!)

09/17/2026

Ten years ago, these two boys visited the annual NIU STEM Fest for the very first time. 💙

This Saturday, they are showcasing their love & passion for all things 3-D printing, robotics, and coding at their very own booth at the 2026 NIU STEM Fest! 💙

Noah has shared that STEM Fest was one of his first memories of realizing his love for all things engineering. Alex has been a summer camper with NIU STEAM the last two summers. We are so incredibly lucky to have them right in our backyard!

Come out to Northern Illinois University this Saturday, September 19 from 10am - 3pm! The boys will be in the Holmes Student Center with lots of robotics fun!

09/06/2026

Before we hit back-to-school, there was a trip to the Illinois State Fair!

To Illinois 4-H, 4-H, DeKalb County 4-H: Thank you for the absolute best first year of 4-H for Alex! 🍀 His experience at the 2026 General Project Show at the Illinois State Fair was beyond Alex’s expectations! He’s so honored to be the Robotics 3 Day 1 Champion & Inspire Award winner with his LEGO Brick Sorting Robot project. 🍀

To everyone who stopped by to talk to Alex, to the film team from National 4-H, and the team at WITY Radio 99.5FM - 980AM, you made this kid’s year! 🍀

09/05/2026

It's been a summer of fun, robotics & a little bit of website design...

Announcing our new website, bricks-and-builds.com!! 🔵🟠🟡🔴🟢🟣

Will we still share all of the fun on our socials? (Yep!) But here's where we'll tell more stories, how-tos, and fun in our STEAM work in the community & at home!

08/22/2026

’Twas the night before SAT, and throughout the house,
Not a student was stirring…except for the (computer) mouse.
The Chromebook was charged, the Desmos was near,
And test-day jitters were starting to appear.

So instead of more formulas, more practice, or stress,
We built LEGO bricks — and somehow, it helped best.
Piece by piece, the worries grew small,
A little time building his new Hubble Telescope helped calm it all.

Tomorrow brings questions, numbers, and time,
But tonight, we’re choosing to just be fine.
The SAT will be there when morning is here…
For tonight, it’s LEGO, deep breaths, and good cheer.

Good luck to all the SAT students tomorrow!
You’ve prepared. You’ve got this. Now go build something awesome.

07/29/2026

Summer Camp Fun! ⛺️ Special thanks to the DeKalb Park District for inviting us to Camp Discover last week to share fun facts about 3-D printing & robotics! The campers were so engaged & excited to share in the fun!

07/26/2026

Alex’s LEGO sorting robot is home & waiting for the Illinois State Fair!

04/08/2026

BRB, going to save this one to our Spotify faves! 🚀🌎🌚🎧

Since the Gemini missions of the mid‑1960s, we’ve had a tradition of playing music to wake up astronauts and signal the start of their workday.

For the Artemis II mission, the crew personally selected their official wake‑up songs and we’ve added them to a playlist for everyone to enjoy: https://open.spotify.com/user/nasaspotify.

Stay tuned to find out which songs they’ll choose next.