LEGO bricks teach children the basics of design and construction, from reconciling form with function to creating sturdy foundations that can withstand baby brothers. Aid the education of budding builders with today's Groupon: for $12, you get one adult or child ticket (up to a $20 value) to LEGO KidsFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. See the website for additional schedules and pricing. Choose between the following dates:

• Friday, June 17 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Sunday, June 19 for Session II, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

LEGO KidsFest’s numerous play areas treat tykes of all ages to a weekend of hands-on fun, games, and life-size LEGO models. In the DUPLO Construction Zones, toddlers can master the basics of building and cooperation using the larger DUPLO bricks, which easily accommodate tiny hands. Send future Master Builders to the Construction Zone where children five-and-older can build till their hearts' content with standard-sized LEGO bricks. Other activities give kids the opportunity to build LEGO racecars and then race them along ramps to the finish line, while monochrome build areas encourage creative youngsters to make the ultimate statement by building with bricks in a single color. At the Mystery Mural Build, brick stackers contribute tiles to a small portion of a LEGO mural that will only be unveiled in its entirety at the end of the festival. For even more advanced brickitecture, wrap your detachable yellow barrel-head around Creation Nation, where attendees can help build a basketball-court-sized map of the United States.

Older fest-goers seeking a different kind of hands-on play can indulge in a little LEGO-themed button-mashing excitement at the popular video-game gallery, or create and build their own LEGO board games, with customizable dice and rules that can be changed from game to game. A concession area offers the chance to sip a cup of coffee and rest digits after bouts of fine-motor merriment. Along with admiring the fruits of your own LEGO-labors, gaze in awe at the complexity of the life-size LEGO models, which in the past have featured Batman, Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants and C-3PO.