Student Engagement is one of the things often missing from our secondary classrooms. Every educator needs to expand their tool box now and then — we can do that by reaching into our toy box! LEGO, action figures, and superheroes are easy to understand, fun ways to reach students across age, background, and ability levels. We often think of toys as something for younger kids, but nostalgia is a powerful force, even with secondary students. This hands-on session will use LEGO, action figures, and superheroes to find new ways to reach kids. Using real-world examples from ELA, social studies, and science classes, we'll engage in principles of design thinking and see how these strategies can be the jumping-off point for research, project-based learning, or character education. Participants will receive free online templates that they'll be able to incorporate into lesson plans the day after the conference — make your classroom FUN again!