Hello, Let's Talk About This Incredible 3,000-Piece LEGO Treehouse Set

Parents, cover those bare feet. On August 1st, LEGO will unveil one of its largest LEGO Ideas sets ever: the LEGO Ideas Treehouse. And it is not just special because of its massive size (although that's definitely part of it; the set is made up of 3,036 pieces to be exact), but it also contains the highest number of sustainable bricks ever in a LEGO set. Yep, you read that correctly. The design was created by super fan Kevin Feeser, who after submitting his design to the Ideas crowd sourcing platform, eventually gathered enough votes to see his dream come to fruition and be made especially by LEGO. I had no idea that the toy building brick company took ideas from their fans, but I think their collaborative approach makes a lot of sense. As a company, why not go to the people that love your product the most for ideas and inspiration? Nice work, LEGO.

As mentioned above, the LEGO Ideas Treehouse is also the most sustainable set yet created by LEGO. I'm giving you all the kudos here, LEGO, as this has always been one of my biggest issues with the brand (not to mention the pain caused by stepping on a LEGO piece barefoot, but I digress). I'm so happy to see that one of the biggest toy companies around is evolving and doing what they can to become more sustainable and friendly to our planet. All 180 of the botanical elements in this set are made from plant-based polyethylene plastic using sustainable sourced sugarcane. This includes the treetop canopy, which has interchangeable sets of green summer leaf elements and yellow and brown fall leaf elements. There is an increasing need for eco-friendly, high quality toys, and I'm glad to know we can now include LEGO in this list.

For ages 16+ (or younger, with the help of an adult), the LEGO Ideas Treehouse measures over 14 inches high and is approximately 10 inches wide and deep. The set contains plenty of play-inspiring features, like a removable treetop, three detailed cabins, a winding staircase, a crane for hoisting supplies, a telescope for stargazing, a "babbling brook," four mini figures and a swing. Essentially, it is every child's dream tree house in LEGO form.

And while any LEGO nut will tell you a great deal of the fun is in the art of the building process, this set is also meant to be played with once it's finished. You can peek inside each room thanks to the removable roofs, and the tree house also has its own bathroom and bedrooms. The figurine family doesn't know quite how well they've got it.

Bricks 4 Kidz, which offers STEM classes for children centered around LEGO building, touts the benefits of kids playing with LEGOs. While math, spatial activities and early engineering skills have been enhanced as a result of LEGO building, construction play also has the ability to improve a child's social and communication skills. When children gather around a table to work on a building project, they are all taking on roles, whether they realize it or not. And that means collaboration is occurring, all with the common goal of getting to the LEGO finish line.

There was a collective "Whoa!" when I showed my daughters the new LEGO Ideas Treehouse, and I must say, I was right there with them. Are you a LEGO VIP? Membership has its privileges: you can get yours beginning July 24 for $199 before it hits shelves on August 1. Got an idea for a future LEGO set? You can submit it here. Happy building!