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Children build their future with Lego

BOSKRUIN – Lego used as a fun, creative toy but can also be used to educate children in engineering fundamentals.

February 10, 2016

Mari Rheeder 1 minute read

Bryce Zeeman figures out the Lego lesson.

What is known as a popular children’s game has now turned into an educational workshop at the Boskruin Community Centre.

Young Engineers is a workshop for children where they receive weekly Lego lessons and the appropriate kit to complete the lesson at hand. According to Lizelle Muller, franchise owner of Young Engineers North West, the kits come from Israel and is worked out specifically to challenge the children in certain aspects.

The children who attended this weekly class on 5 February could not wait to open the kit as they had to follow instructions to build an actual working pulley system out of the Lego blocks. Muller said that they also build conveyor belts and all things to do with the engineering field.

Muller explained that Grade 1 to Grade 5 pupils do the Lego challenge and once they have completed this, they advance to Gali Lego, which is a more difficult stage. Apart from the lesson instruction where children are guided through the activity, some children also build their own structures. “They can be creative with the blocks, but the specific items in the lesson could also be built at home with any Lego kit,” said Muller.

She explained that the Lego lessons are very good for children’s fine motor skills, problem solving and concentration. The Young Engineers kits are designed to further the STEM method, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.