Lego-themed camps offered across Triangle this summer

There's a new camp provider in the Triangle this summer and this one teaches engineering and architectural concepts to kids by building Lego projects.

Play-Well TEKnologies' name is based on the word Lego, which comes from a Danish phrase that means "play well." The "TEK" part of TEKnologies stands for "Teaching Engineering to Kids."  The California-based company began providing Lego-themed summer camps in 1997. It now has locations across the country. This is its first summer in the Triangle.

Alex Pearce, a former Lego engineering instructor in Connecticut, is running the program in North Carolina. It's designed for kids ages 5 to 14.

"Our approach mixes the fun and excitement of playing with Lego while also introducing and teaching important engineering concepts," Pearce tells me. "For example, we build motorized gear cars and discuss the meshing of gears and the effects of different gear ratios."

Pearce tells me that he'll also be doing programs for other schools and groups, including the parks and recreation department in Chapel Hill and summer camps at Cary Academy and Durham Academy. Programs will be offered in Cumberland, Durham, Moore, Orange and Wake counties.