< Back Chief Albert Luthuli Network of Early Childhood Centres (Extract from LEGO Foundation Play Box Study: A Retrospective Assessment of Practices [South Africa Case Study Brief]) Jessica Winter 08 Jul 2022 The extracted report presents the well-established, resourceful forums in Chief Albert Luthuli. The report describes a Play Box lesson and the domains of development, as well as the reported value of Play Box in impoverished areas. Read the full extract by Gareth Rossiter and more about the resourcefulness demonstrated by ECD centres, particularly during COVID-19. Chief Albert Luthuli Network of Early Childhood Centres .pdf Download PDF • 169KB Previous Next

< Back Botshabelo Urban Kids in Midrand and Olievenhoutbosch (Extract from LEGO Foundation Play Box Study: A Retrospective Assessment of Practices [South Africa Case Study Brief]) Jessica Winter 18 Jul 2022 The extracted report describes a playful lesson facilitated by a teacher at an early learning centre in Botshabelo. The report explains how the teacher uses Play Box with ease and confidence as she integrates activities with early literacy and numeracy. Read the full report by Gareth Rossiter. Botshabelo Urban Kids in Midrand and Olievenhoutbosch .pdf Download PDF • 125KB Previous Next

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Six bricks Golf shirt R400.00 Six bricks t-shirt R220.00 Six bricks socks R75.00 sondela t-shirt top secret: shirt design will be released at the sondela R400.00 sets of six bricks R60.00 get the Tools for your toolbox find me fast sets R1500.00 the latest from care for education in six bricks learning Pre-order your six bricks Sondela conference merchandise now using the link below: ORDER HERE Pre orders are open until Monday 9 february Care for Education will not arrange to have your merchandise couriered outside of south Africa. once you have completed the pre-order form and your order has been captured you will recieve an invoice.

Thank you for your interest! Unfortunately all training applications are now closed for 2025. Please visit our website after 20 January 2026 to apply.

Use our Six Bricks Books filled with content around play-based learning. Six Bricks Books Books Index Groups & Games Perceptual Skills Literacy Skills Physical Skills Numeracy Skills Social - Emotional

Get know more about our team We’re a passionate group of thinkers, creators, and doers; committed to making a difference. With diverse backgrounds and shared values, we collaborate to drive innovation, deliver results, and build meaningful connections. Get to know the people behind the work. Kelly Hutcheson Renegade educator, play evangelist, and champion of the neurodivergent. Read More Evah Nkosi Learning through Play Trainer at Care for Education Read More Brent Hutcheson Director at Care for Education and inventor of Six Bricks. Read More

Kelly Hutcheson: The Global Play Rebellion Rooted in Six Bricks At Care for Education, we’ve always believed in the profound power of play. Few embody this belief with more fierce dedication and transformative insight than Kelly Hutcheson. Her journey with us, particularly alongside her father, Brent Hutcheson, in the development and global dissemination of the Six Bricks methodology, was the forging of a revolutionary new approach in education and parenting. Today, Kelly Hutcheson continues to champion a radical rethinking of childhood, education, and parenting, and her foundations were solidified here, amidst the colorful potential of six simple bricks. From "Problem Child" to Play-Driven Pioneer Kelly’s mission is deeply personal. Growing up navigating the challenges of dyslexia within traditional education systems, she was often labeled the "problem child." It was a label that could have defined her, confined her. But in her home, a different story was being written… one where play-based learning became the key that unlocked a world of understanding and unique capability. Her perceived "disruptions" were recognized as creative breakthroughs, her "struggles" as the forging of unique problem-solving pathways. This personal transformation became a shared vision. Witnessing the profound impact of this approach, her father, Brent Hutcheson, a foundational innovator at Care for Education, developed Six Bricks . What began as an intuitive response to one child’s needs blossomed, with the support of entities like the LEGO Foundation, into a global movement. Kelly was at the heart of this, translating personal experience into actionable, international training, playing a pivotal role in bringing Six Bricks to educators and children in diverse countries like Ireland, China, Germany, Egypt, the US, and Ukraine. Challenging the Death of Genius Kelly Hutcheson’s work with Six Bricks and Care for Education laid the groundwork for a broader, more urgent calling: to challenge the very foundations of systems that, in her words, often contribute to The Death of Genius . She argues that our current educational and parenting paradigms, obsessed with conformity and control, are systematically stifling the innate brilliance within every child . She believes children don’t need more instruction, just more freedom. Less top-down control, more intrinsic curiosity. Less relentless scheduling, more space for the kind of productive struggle that builds true confidence. For Kelly Hutcheson, The Secret to Smarter Kids isn't found in accelerated academics or a pile of educational toys, but in nurturing their natural ability to learn through play, to question fearlessly, and to trust their own minds. Her philosophy is a direct challenge: "You say you want independence but you interrupt every attempt at it. You say you value empathy but model emotional reactivity and call it “protection.”... We are raising children to be obedient machines in a system that is emotionally bankrupt and then we wonder why they don’t know how to care. Empathy is dying. Because our children have never seen it lived." This is about questioning the deep-seated fears and societal pressures that lead to over-parenting and restrictive educational environments. From Denmark's Innovation to Diverse Curricula Kelly Hutcheson’s commitment to this vision is backed by extensive, hands-on international experience. Her journey has taken her from facilitating Six Bricks training globally with Care for Education to: Greengates International School, Mexico Nova Pioneer, South Africa Sandton Junior Colleges, South Africa International School of Billund (ISB), Denmark This diverse exposure, coupled with degrees in Early Childhood Development and Learning Support from the University of Pretoria, and research on international reading programs at Harvard University (focusing on the Tools of the Mind Curriculum), has given her a unique understanding of how children learn best across various cultural and systemic contexts. Her expertise also extends to Special Needs education, ensuring her approach is inclusive and adaptable. She has also served as a World LEGO Robotics Competition Judge, underscoring her connection to playful innovation. The Play Alchemist & Free the Child The fire ignited during her time with Care for Education and the global Six Bricks movement now burns brighter with The Play Alchemist . Through this platform, Kelly offers parents and educators a new paradigm, tools, and the fierce conviction needed to transform homes and classrooms into laboratories of creativity, critical thinking, and authentic self-discovery. This philosophy, this urgent call to action, has culminated in her provocative book, Free the Child . It’s a direct, often uncomfortable, but ultimately liberating guide for parents ready to dismantle fear-based habits, step back from over-intervention, and cultivate true resilience and independence in their children. Free the Child is a manifesto for a new generation of parenting. Kelly Hutcheson is a catalyst for change, deeply connected to the Care for Education family and the legacy of Six Bricks, now taking those foundational principles to challenge and inspire a global audience. Her message is clear: if you're ready to question everything, to embrace discomfort for the sake of profound growth, and to truly free your child, Kelly Hutcheson is leading the charge.

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Explore some of the research conducted around Play Box in South Africa. Practioners' Tales Browse the Care for Education video library showing some excellent Learning through Play practice and meet some inspiring Play Box practitioners across different ECD centres around South Africa. During ECD visits, the researchers at Care for Education support practitioners as they show some of their best playful learning activities. All Videos Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing 03 - Play Box Series - Tower Build Activity 02:58 Play Video Now Playing 04 - Play Box Series - Looky & Feely Bags 02:33 Play Video Now Playing 01 - Play Box Series - Introduction 03:17 Play Video Now Playing 06 - Play Box Series - Tips 01:01 Play Video