In the past month the children in School-age 1 were participating in Lego building and had an opportunity to practice their problem-solving skills. The participants received a sheet of paper with a picture of the "river" that was an object which the children were challenged to build a bridge out of the Lego blocks. The children quickly took to the challenge.
Lila's bridge was designed for the people to walk on; she included two sets of stairs so the people could climb up and climb down. During the construction, Lila asked for guidance on how to connect two parts that support the bridge above the river. An educator suggested that she should attach a longer block that would join two parts together. Lila tried this and was able to finish her creation successfully. Meanwhile, Demi created a bridge that was multi-purpose. She made golden structures for the helicopters, airplanes, and cars. Demi also added roads under the bridge for the cars to drive on. Throughout this creation, Demi expressed her imagination and unique way of thinking.
Theo presented his bridge as the place for transport trucks and construction machines. He explained that "It's very solid because it is for heavy vehicles. The vehicles use the ramp to get up on the bridge and there are bumps so they would not speed". Theo used his problem-solving skills and practical thinking as he built and was very proud of his work while presenting it to his peers and educators, fostering his sense of self. Harvey's bridge, however, was made for people to walk on and enjoy the view of the river. He built a bridge that stood in the water. Harvey put the supporting beams in the middle of the river by adding extra square blocks. This made the structure stable and strong.
Facing the Lego challenge, the children learned how to problem solve as well as used and mastered their fine motor skills, while also engaging in engineering and design. Some of the children even practiced their numeracy skills by following the patterns and counting out Lego pieces they wanted to use. Finally, they enhanced their self-esteem by being able to show their work to their peers and educators.
