LEGO Omer Counters, DIY

LEGO omer counter: from Passover to Shavuot

LEGO omer counters. I couldn’t find any, so I made some up. LEGO is ideal for an omer counter because it is inherently irresistible and in any decent-sized LEGO bin at home are bound to be 49 somethings with which to mark each day of the count.

groups of seven (can be counted horizontally or vertically)

For example, in the orange example below I used 49 minifig heads: one per day. Think of a head as a modified barley groat. With a face.*
Each row is seven days, and we will end up with seven layers: seven weeks from Pesach to Shavuot. Shavuot means “weeks.”

Day 15 of the omer. Each minifig head is a day / barley groat.

Don’t have that many little keppies in your collection? 49 pips or cylinders or bricks or whatever will work just as well.

My favorite is the cupboard and door version. I admit that not many of us happen to have 49 LEGO cupboards on hand, and also that I ordered the parts on purpose. Why?
Because if there is a LEGO door, a kid will open it.
(I learned this with my Open the Door for Elijah tableau.)
What’s behind each door? Candy? Barley sugar? Raw groats?
I will tell you what’s behind Door #33 for Lag BaOmer: LEGO fire, to remind us to make a real Lag baOmer bonfire, as per custom.

Note the LEGO symbols to show the anchoring holidays of the count. Pesach is symbolized by one of my minifig seder plates, and Shavuot is a pair of LEGO train hitches converted into The Tablets. (Do see my LEGO Moses on the Mountain.)

Just for fun, my kid and I made a vertical version with the cupboards, straight up to Shavuot. Not the steadiest tower, but fun to try.

Add a head per day, one week per row

Shavuot Tablets atop vertical omer counter

LEGO omer counter

LEGO fire inside door #33 for Lag BaOmer

Shavuot Tablets

Passover as minifig seder plate

49 steps up to Shavuot

NUMBERS: Don’t forget that Sharpie can be erased from LEGO with a swipe of rubbing alcohol. You can also use mini Avery removable stickers (the color-coding kind).

*Barley because the omer was a measure of the season’s first barley crop.

9 responses to “LEGO Omer Counters, DIY”

Tanya | 04/10/2015 at 12:05 am |

Wow! That looks great!
Where did you find 49 LEGO cupboards? I would love to set this up for my daughter.
- Joanna Brichetto | 04/10/2015 at 5:18 am |
  
  Thanks! I get all spare LEGO parts from Bricklink.com. You can pick a vendor based on inventory, location, price, etc., and also choose new or used.
Lynne | 04/10/2015 at 9:54 am |

Brilliant, as always!!
- Joanna Brichetto | 04/11/2015 at 11:44 am |
  
  Thanks, Lynne!
leanne | 04/11/2015 at 11:34 am |

We made omer bracelets, with patterns of 7 and a special bead for the 33rd day. My kids liked the math component and the craft component.
- Joanna Brichetto | 04/11/2015 at 11:45 am |
  
  Leanne, I’ve heard of bead omer necklaces, but not bracelets. If you have a pic, I’d love to see it.
leanne | 04/11/2015 at 5:07 pm |

I am happy to send you a photo. I wanted to post it here… suggestions?
- Joanna Brichetto | 04/11/2015 at 5:17 pm |
  
  I don’t know if this comment box accepts photos (unless it’s a link?), but you could always post to my fb page.
  - leanne | 04/11/2015 at 5:18 pm |
    
    I tried posting to your page, but was unsuccessful, so it’s on my page: Leanne Lieberman