Now that my kids are 15, 11, and 9, the Lego box doesn’t come out as often as it used to. But when I announced that today’s make something assignment was to work with Lego blocks, all three took interest.

I brought out the bin and scooped a few handfuls of Legos on to the dining room table. As the girls fine-tuned tiny structures, I sorted shapes and colors, considering what word I might construct.

There were a few obvious choices: build, create, stack, click, snap …

But anyone with a decent collection of these colorful building materials knows the pain that comes when sole of foot finds the unforgiving edges of an errant Lego block. In that moment, other words might spring to mind, but “ow” is the most acceptable for a family audience.