< 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

Foundation Phase Initiative Online Course Help Centre How can we help you? Incorrect details on your certificate? Send us an email with your FPI user account information: Username Email Address Province District Send Email Can't login to the FPI online course? Send us an email with your FPI user account information: Username Email Addr ess Province District Send Email To register your user account, click the following: link To reset your password, click the following: link Please note: After you complete a unit on the online course, don’t forget to mark it off as “complete” - this is mandatory There will be a button on the bottom of each and every page to do this. Remember that if you don’t do this it will be difficult for you to download your certificate. There are quizzes throughout the online course that have to be completed as you move through the course. Once you reach the last section of the course, you will have to complete the final quiz. Once you pass the Final Quiz with 80% or more, your certificate will become available for you to download. You can do this as many times as needed. This video shows you how to register for FPI Online Course If you can't find what you are looking for, email us at cfe@carefored.co.za or call us on 011 462 2581 . Please Like the FPI Community Facebook page below to share ideas and see what other teachers are doing with Six Bricks in their classroom.

Welcome to the home of Playful Learning For easy access, click any button below to tour our site. ABOUT US WORKSHOPS PLAY BOX SIX BRICKS RESOURCES Our Mission is to inspire life-long learning through the engagement of concrete manipulatives which challenge and empower educators and children to make positive changes in their development. Our Philosophy as Care for Education stems from our belief that learning should take place through construction rather than instruction, and that many more concrete, tactile tools or manipulatives should be used, not only to stimulate and encourage the learners, but to greatly accelerate the conceptualisation process and to allow children to become more inventive, curious and creative. Care for Education's Golden Circle To improve the lives of those in marginalized or vulnerable communities, particularly children, by working with partners, providing training and resources to foster skills development and well-being, through play-based approaches that promote exploration and empathy, encourage collaboration and innovation, inspiring the builders of tomorrow to dream big. Workshops Discover how to incorporate learning through play into your teaching practice and how to fuel children’s natural desire for creativity & learning by using a playful approach in your lessons. Our workshops are suited for people who work with children from Early Childhood Development (ECD) , Primary & High school or even further. Apply for a workshop of your choice below LEGO Play Box Workshop Join us for a 3-hour workshop & discover playful ways of teaching and learning using LEGO Suitable for Primary & High School Applications Have Closed Six Bricks Workshop Join us for a fun workshop and discover playful ways of teaching and learning using Six Bricks. Suitable for ECD & School Email Locate DUPLO Play Box Workshop Join us for a 3-hour workshop & discover playful ways of teaching and learning using LEGO DUPLO Suitable for ECD level Applications Have Closed FPI Online Course This course introduces you to play-based learning & how to integrate it in foundation phase. Suitable for teachers Start Play Box DUPLO/LEGO Workshops Videos The LEGO Foundation utilizes two types of Play Boxes for global humanitarian efforts. These boxes are filled with either DUPLO or LEGO System bricks by retired LEGO group employees, using pieces from damaged and returned boxes. This initiative operates under the name LEGO Charity. Care for Education is the primary distributor of Play Boxes in Southern Africa. Any charitable organisation may apply for these boxes by completing an online application form. Each organisation and application is vetted to ensure that the donations are going to places that will positively impact children’s lives. LEGO Play Box Workshop Join us for a 3-hour workshop & discover playful ways of teaching and learning using LEGO Suitable for Primary & High School Apply DUPLO Play Box Workshop Join us for a 3-hour workshop & discover playful ways of teaching and learning using LEGO DUPLO Suitable for ECD level Apply Play Box Resources The following resources are recommended when conducting Play Box Activities: ACTIVITIES Read more about the differences between DUPLO & LEGO Play Box below. DUPLO Play Box The DUPLO Play Box contains a variety of DUPLO elements which are valuable as teaching / learning tools in any Early Childhood curriculum as they facilitate development and learning through play. Teacher-guided activities with the DUPLO help children to develop both physically and cognitively. Children are curious about their environment and for learning to take place, they need to be stimulated through their sense of taste, touch, sight, hearing, smell, and they need to move. Children need to be encouraged to explore, create, play and interact with others and their surroundings. The manipulation of concrete material is essential to the young child’s concept development and the large elements in the DUPLO Play Box are the perfect size for young children to handle confidently. They are able to quickly build outside of their field of vision, thereby developing abstract thinking. The child can use his/her own imagination to build creative solutions to problems when playing with the contents of this box. This active learning stimulates the emotional, social, cognitive and physical developmental areas of the child - skills in these areas are needed for critical thinking and learning to take place. LEGO Play Box The LEGO Play Box training emphasises the idea that play fosters holistic child development, encouraging participants to enhance language and vocabulary. Each Play Box activity is designed to cultivate a range of skills, promoting lifelong learning and adaptability in an ever-changing world. The LEGO ABC (Afterschool Building Club) training is uniquely tailored, with a strong emphasis on socio-emotional learning. Activities within the Play Box training encourage self-awareness, empathy, and teamwork. Participants engage in problem-solving scenarios, such as ‘build to express’, using play as a tool to address real-world issues. Care for Education is committed to advancing education through the power of play. By forging partnerships with schools and organisations working with children, Care for Education donates Play Boxes to enhance learning experiences. The focus is on training educators to harness the potential of LEGO and the learning through play pedagogy, ensuring that children aged 10-15 (Grade 4-10) benefit from stimulating, active, and explorative learning. Browse our video library showing some excellent L earning through Play practice and meet some inspiring Play Box practitioners across different Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres around South Africa. All Videos Care For Education Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing Practitioners' Tales Little Folks Nursery School 01:37 Play Video Now Playing Practitioners' Tales Ep.1 Siyamthemba 03:32 Play Video Now Playing Practitioners' Tales Ep. 2 Mamshoba ECD Centre 02:20 Play Video Now Playing Practitioners' Tales Ep 3 Bambinos Early Learning 01:03 Play Video During ECD visits, the researchers at Care for Education support practitioners as they show some of their best playful learning activities. Six Bricks Workshops Around the World Videos The invention of Six Bricks A team from Hands on Technologies started working on an idea, that Brent Hutcheson had imagined, around using only Six DUPLO bricks. About Six Bricks - a Beyond the Brick video RESOURCES VIDEOS This basic set of six different coloured DUPLO 2x4-stud bricks is used to encourage children to construct and (more importantly) to deconstruct ideas and concepts whilst working on and developing their perceptual skills. Six Bricks activities help to develop core learning skills – self-regulation; curiosity; creativity & playfulness – the foundation for all later learning, as children solve problems, understand themselves, others and the world around them. The idea of using Six Bricks is based on a belief that children need to be exposed to perceptual (obtaining information from senses)-motor (learning to move with control and efficiency) experiences, which require them to use their brain and body together. This is important for most classroom activities - as in writing, for example, where the child must know the alphabet and how words are formed by combining letters. The child must then transform this knowledge into action – gripping, stabilizing and moving the pencil. The child’s perceptual skill of sight will be used to adjust the movements to create the required pattern or shape. This example illustrates how the mind and body must work together. Performing physical activities also build neural pathways and the more neural pathways the brain has, the easier it is to learn. Perceptual-motor skills are necessary and important in preparing the child’s brain for learning – they build that strong base to support future academic learning. Six Bricks Workshop Join us for a fun workshop and discover playful ways of teaching and learning using Six Bricks. Suitable for ECD & School Email Locate FPI Online Course This course introduces you to play-based learning & how to integrate it in foundation phase. Suitable for teachers Start Care for Education's impact extends globally, with collaborations spanning various regions. Partnering with organisations like IRC (Play Matters) , SOS Children Villages and UNICEF , we've conducted training sessions on learning through play using Six Bricks in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey. We have also supported LEGO Foundation teams with training and workshops in Denmark, Mexico, US, New Zealand, India, Italy, Ukraine and Poland. We currently have more than 58 active Six Bricks facilitators located outside South Africa, operating globally in diverse settings such as schools, remedial centres, hospitals, and even old-age homes. Several of these facilitators participated in a week-long Six Bricks seminar hosted at the heart of Six Bricks in South Africa in 2023. What is Six Bricks? A set of 2x4 DUPLO bricks of 6 different colours to engage children in playful learning. Crossing the Midline How to use just Six Bricks to encourage children to perform bilateral & cross-lateral movements. Gross Motor Skills Left & right torso twists to encourage midline crossing. Number of Ways to Connect The reason why Six Bricks can be such a versatile tool. Back to Back A communication game to promote language development & spatial awareness. Copy a Model A great visual discrimination & memory activity. Tricky Tower A fun challenge to practise your fine motor control, balance, inhibitory control, perseverance & spatial awareness Dice Game A social group game to consolidate number recognition & awareness and to practise taking turns. Cube Fun Build a cube & move your body. More Cube Fun Understanding prepositions. Two Bricks Simple hand-eye coordination exercises. Listen & Do Listen to, interpret & follow instructions. 3D Model Build Copy & compare a model. Sequencing Exercise Great pre-reading skills to develop. Tactile Exercise Close your eyes & develop your sense of touch. Touch Work together & have fun. Build it ... Guess it Build a model for your friend to guess. Story Starter Sort colours; build a creature; tell the story. Templates (2D to 3D) Build in 3D from a 2D instruction. Cube Crawls Gross motor & crossing midline exercise. Pyramid Problem solving & collaboration. Touch the Colours Peripheral vision & colour awareness. Pass the Message Auditory discrimination & memory skills. Stud Sort A sorting activity. Hanging Around How many bricks can you balance off the edge of a table? Brick in a Bin Aim, estimate & calculate distance in a fun, active game. Pyramid Problem solving & collaboration. Twister A full body workout! Build Your Name Initial letters & syllabification. Remember It Challenge your memory. Match the Colours Match; one to one correspondence; colour awareness. Paddle Ball Hand-eye coordination game. Super Glue High Five Challenge your inhibitory control & sort colours. Build Your News Recall; build an event & tell your friends. Using Templates Figure-ground & depth perception. Balloon Tennis A game for problem solving & hand-eye coordination. What's Trending? BLOG Partnering with Communities to Improve Early Childhood Education 11 0 comments 0 Post not marked as liked Bricks of Wisdom: Teachers Share How Learning through Play with Six Bricks Transforms Learning 15 0 comments 0 Post not marked as liked Overcoming Challenges in Education: Smart Solutions for Every Classroom 43 0 comments 0 Post not marked as liked About us Workshops PB SB

Six Bricks - Support Activities Foundation Phase Initiative - Support Activities Term 1 (2025) Term 1- 4 (2024) Try these fun weekly activities suited for Grade R to Grade 3. • Aligned with CAPS & DBE Workbooks (blue books) • Term & week specific

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Resources Play Box Activities Activities Information Play Box Lego Fun and Games Play Box Lego Language Play Box Lego Life Skills Play Box Lego Maths with photos Play Box Lego Maths Play Box Lego Social Sciences Play Box Lego Technology Guidelines for sorting and storing your LEGO DUPLO Play box activity booklet LEGO Play box activity booklet Field of Vision Play Box Summary

Support Activities Extra Materials Padlet Six Bricks World Ideas Six Bricks Resources The following resources are recommended when conducting Six Bricks Activities: BOOKS SUDUKO MIDLINE TEMPLATES VIDEOS INFORMATION Download the Six Bricks App here Play Box Resources The following resources are recommended when conducting Play Box Activities: ACTIVITIES Care For Education has developed over 250 activities for Six Bricks which cover various aspects of child development (± 3 - 12 years). These activities are contained in an easy-to-use teacher guide and are only available from Hands on Technologies . Foundation Phase Initiative - Support Activities Term 1 (2025) Term 1- 4 (2024) Try these fun weekly activities suited for Grade R to Grade 3. • Aligned with CAPS & DBE Workbooks (blue books) • Term & week specific Six Bricks World Ideas The global Six Bricks community is growing and thriving with many Six Brickers creating inspirational activities all based on the characteristics of PLAY. Because we love sharing and don’t want to lose any interesting and fun ideas, we use PADLET , an easy and accessible platform, to store and share Six Bricks activities and games from all over the world. Explore Grobby Six Bricks - Farmyard Adventure Grobby Six Bricks is a Superhero / Superheroine. Unlike the caped superheroes, Grobby uses Six bricks, brain power and problem solving skills to devise a solution to a pressing problem. This is a story to be shared and enjoyed by the children. The story will act as a springboard for the children to write their own Grobby Six Bricks stories. Author: Martin Pender Read all about GROBBY or order the book here Watch a video of a 'reading' of the book below. Six Bricks Interactive Whiteboard Software This is an amazing software support to all Six Bricks Enthusiasts & Practitioners + it’s FREE! The Software is full of great ways to use Six Bricks in curriculum. Tip: when you access the software and the 35+ tools, be sure to check out the ‘Teacher Notes’ above each toolbar to get an idea of how to operate and apply the software in curriculum. Link to: Six Bricks Software Author: Martin Pender Different on the outside but the same on the inside! Each idea has a broad focus which could be Loving Language , Number Fun or Moving and Learning , so they may look a little different on the outside, but each idea includes all the richness that comes with Learning through Play. Use the activities below to make learning fun! Moving & Learning Human Brick Conveyor Belt Wonky Towers Sleight of Hand 3D Hide and Think What is the secret letter? Number Fun Towers with a Twist How many studs can you see? How many are left? Tower Take Down! Estimate and Check Loving Language Building with Language Bringing Storybooks to Life Bricks & Bat, Balloons & Balls Build your Ice Cream Tops and Tails

< 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

Six Bricks World Ideas The global Six Bricks community is growing and thriving with many Six Brickers creating inspirational activities all based on the characteristics of PLAY. Because we love sharing and don’t want to lose any interesting and fun ideas, we use PADLET , an easy and accessible platform, to store and share Six Bricks activities and games from all over the world. Padlet Grobby Six Bricks - Farmyard Adventure Grobby Six Bricks is a Superhero / Superheroine. Unlike the caped superheroes, Grobby uses Six bricks, brain power and problem solving skills to devise a solution to a pressing problem. This is a story to be shared and enjoyed by the children. The story will act as a springboard for the children to write their own Grobby Six Bricks stories. Author: Martin Pender Read all about GROBBY or order the book here Watch a video of a 'reading' of the book below. Six Bricks Interactive Whiteboard Software This is an amazing software support to all Six Bricks Enthusiasts & Practitioners + it’s FREE! The Software is full of great ways to use Six Bricks in curriculum. Tip: when you access the software and the 35+ tools, be sure to check out the ‘Teacher Notes’ above each toolbar to get an idea of how to operate and apply the software in curriculum. Link to: Six Bricks Software Author: Martin Pender

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Thank you for your interest! Unfortunately we have closed our Online Trainings for the 2020 period and will reopen again in late January 2022. We hope to see you then!