If you are a fan of toys, perhaps you have James May's Toy Stories and you may have seen where he built a house out of Legos. I want to challenge my students to do the same. We will pursue this as an after school activity, that will encourage students to explore different building methods.
Our students are Native American Lakota Sioux Indians.
They are from some of the poorest communities in the US. Opportunities to explore these kinds of activities generally do not happen at home. Early and young learning happens through play, and manipulatives, which many of us have taken for granted are not realistically possible here. Often the choices for families are food and shelter over learning opportunities, such as play with purpose. Exploratory play is key to developing problem solving, creativity, visual manipulation, and fine motor skills. It also helps building cooperation between co-builders.
My Project
The basis of the project is to build a Lego building that can support 100 pounds, while being tall enough for a student to stand beneath the building.
Legos are known to provide opportunities for creative play. They also provide skill building activities when taking a kit to completion following photographic instructions. While the photos are seem easy to follow, you have to take the pictures and place them in your mind to mentally manipulate the position against what you have in your hands. When teaching fifth grade, I gave students a similar opportunity and their skill set grew in measurable ways. When first presented the project, most could not look at the pictures and translate them into action. After completing several projects, they were able to complete sophisticated projects in very short order.
Without providing these exploratory play opportunities, our students miss out on basic skill sets.
These skill sets translate into the classroom by teaching students meta-cognitive skills. They won't realize they are thinking about thinking. They will realize that they accomplished something very powerful, opening the student up to the idea of how they think.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Truckenbrod and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
