This is a sponsored post by LEGO® Education. All opinions are my own.
Today’s students will soon go on to shape the future of our society. This is why it is so important that we give them opportunities to play and explore in a variety of ways in order to problem solve, fail and then try again. As educators and parents, we need to help nurture students’ self-confidence, perseverance and creativity so they will be willing to tackle the world’s challenges by becoming creative innovators.
The kit arrived in a blue tub that had all parts organized nicely in plastic bags. I used the white tray that was provided to sort all of the LEGO bricks into their correct labeled compartment. It took some time but I enjoyed getting everything in its place before I started to build. I became familiar with all of the different pieces and the organizer helped speed up the building process.
Next, I downloaded the LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 app to my iPad. This free app works on PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, iPads and Android tablets. Once I launched the app I selected “My First Project” which was building and coding the Glowing Snail. This was a great first project since the app walked me through step by step how to build the snail. I was able to build the snail in about 3 minutes!
Afterwards the app showed me some examples on how I could make it glow and do a variety of other things by creating a coding sequence using the coding blocks. It was fun to make the glowing snail light up different colors and play a sound. I enjoyed exploring making patterns with the blinking lights.
The Glowing Snail building project would be easy enough for a 2nd grader to explore.
After building the snail, I started to delve into the app a little more looking to build something else. I was blown away with all of the amazing project ideas this one kit could cover. Students can build, unbuild and rebuild so many different kinds of structures!
Having these guided projects really helps the builder understand how to build something from scratch and integrate coding. As you complete more and more challenges you begin to realize how you can go about making your own creations. As I was building the structure for cleaning the oceans, it sparked an idea to start brainstorming a structure that could safely and easily clean litter off of a highway. It is now time to experiment and try building something independently. The possibilities are endless.
Rebuild the World with LEGO® Education
LEGO® Education’s campaign encourages learners to try something new even when they face failure. It motivates learners to understand that they have the potential to have a real world impact. Through purposeful play, students can learn how to be flexible problem-solvers while building their confidence along the way. The excitement and curiosity that LEGO® Education brings to the classroom will help all learners develop essential skills to tackle tomorrow’s opportunities. It also helps students discover how science, engineering and math affect their everyday life.
