The building blocks of knowledge

“OK, let’s tango, Tangler!” cried Anthony Chouler, 8.

He set a primary-colored vehicle on the school table, across from another chunky device.

Anthony and his friends were in their first day of a Lego Engineering class, one of many after-school enrichment classes the school’s PTA offers Wednesdays at Village View Elementary School.

Kids have their choice of classes like musical theater, golf and guitar in the program.

Lego Engineering isn’t just a play session with a bucket of plastic bricks. Instructor Megan McInerney sneaks in lessons about physics, pneumatics and electronics for the class.

“We go over engineering terms, and we also work on problem solving skills,” she said.

“By the end of the class, they’re really good at figuring out how to build. Today, we went over the whole power system, and how it works.”

Each model was wired up and outfitted with gears, wheels and bushings to create a customized remote-controlled vehicle.

Many of the kids chose to name their masterpieces.

Deric Eaton, 9, was hard at work building Pincher during his first Lego Engineering session.

“I have a big shield and a little poker in the front. I’m trying to make a big defensive force for it, so hopefully it won’t get knocked down,” Deric said.

“Mine is like a boulder pusher,” said Sam Moss, 11, who is an avid Lego aficionado.

His goal is to build something incredibly intricate, like the 5,000-piece Lego Millennium Falcon, in the future.

The boys didn’t simply create the cars for show; at the end of class, they competed against each other in a Lego Engineering automotive death-match.

Deric was preparing Pincher to face other vehicles that resembled bulldozers and tanks on a nearby table. His brother Tyler was making an especially imposing tank.

“Once I’m done, I’m going to go straight over to the jousting area. Hopefully I’ll win,” he said.

Sadly, the Pincher couldn’t stand up to the sheer size of the bulldozer-like contraption.

Anthony also enthusiastically participated in the vehicular battle.

“He was so excited about taking this class,” his mother, Jennifer Chouler, said. “All he does at home is play with Legos.”

She said the class choice was a no-brainer.

“It was our main goal to get him into something fun after school, instead of just having more academics,” she said.

At the end of the class, the first group to put their assigned Lego pieces away got to choose the project for next week.

The hands-down winner?

“Catapults!”

LEGO ENGINEERING

Future projects include:

 Carnival rides

 Ski lift gondolas

 Catapults

 Inch worms

 A ceiling-grazing skyscraper

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at candice.baker@latimes.com.