The Afterschool Building Club (ABC) was developed by Care for Education for school-age learners. ABC promotes learning through play by using LEGO® system bricks to create and imagine buildings, fantasies, and solutions to complex, real-world problems.
Today, Care for Education was joined by a passionate group of 20 aftercare staff and primary school teachers for training in LEGO® ABC.
They went on a journey of exploration as they playfully became city managers, salesmen, princesses, and villains. They worked on their language and mathematical skills and explored developmental learning areas like creativity, empathy, group work, and reasoning skills.
They placed themselves in the shoes of children as they hosted animated debates about whether a magnifying glass or a navigator might serve them better as billionaires suddenly stuck on a deserted island.
The teachers also discussed complex community problems and constructively worked together to develop functional, well-maintained communities. They actively engaged in critical thinking and remarked on the importance of developing similar problem-solving and soft skills in learners. After some lively conversations, the teachers enthusiastically left the training well-equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to apply learning through play using LEGO® ABC with their learners.
“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs” (James L. Hymes, JR). LEGO® ABC encourages children to explore and express their creativity, and test and try constructions and solutions as far as their imagination stretches.
So, the question is – would you rather have a magnifying glass or a wireless navigator if you were a billionaire stuck on a deserted island?