The Voorhees Sun
Whoever said that playing with toys is a waste of time clearly hasn’t met 10-year-old Osage Elementary School student Luke Magette.
Luke recently created a QR code for LEGO built entirely out of LEGOs.
A QR (quick response) code consists of black modules arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device such as a camera. When read by the camera, it will direct the user to the company’s URL or a webpage with information about the product or event.
QR code has become a focus of advertising strategy, since it provides quick and effortless access to the brand’s website.
Leta Strain is a teacher and enrichment specialist at Osage Elementary School working with students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The enrichment classes are for students who are gifted and placed in an accelerated program. She showed her classes a video of the marketing agency “redpepper” creating a QR code for Oreos using, you guessed it, Oreos.
The video inspired Luke to do the same but with LEGOs.
“Luke is so animated and well-spoken,” Strain said.
“After he saw the video, he immediately asked if he would be able to do the same thing with LEGOs. I told him he should definitely try.”
The question of “why LEGOs?” is quickly answered when speaking to Luke or his parents.
“He’s been in love with LEGOs since he was little,” his mother Mimmy said.
“Whenever we don’t hear Luke for a couple of hours, we know where to find him.”
The Magettes converted extra closet space in their home to accommodate all the LEGOs Luke has accrued, as well as to give him a workspace.
“He’ll do the specific kits you can buy like Star Wars but most of all he likes creating his own,” Mimmy said.
“It’s exciting to see him using his creativity, using his imagination.”
Even before the QR code, Luke had built an impressive LEGO resume.
He has made sushi, a bride and groom for the top of a wedding cake, and a robot with the ability to walk, all out of LEGOs.
“Luke just has that ability, that vision, to see something and be able to build it,” Mimmy said.
Strain agreed with his mother’s sentiment.
“He’s very mathematically gifted. He has the ability to think outside the box,” Strain said.
Once Luke brought the project into school after the Memorial Day holiday, Strain reached out to LEGO, LEGO Club Magazine and Brick Journal about it.
Her hope is to have his QR code be used by the company.
“I encourage freethinking and free expression in my class,” Strain said. “And what Luke has done is so cool.”
Even if the QR code doesn’t catch their attention, it is a pretty safe bet something Luke builds will.
