Le Concept Brochure

T H E W H O L E STO R Y

Who we are, What we believe and What we do

LEGO Education LEGO Education’s goal is to be part of a child’s entire preschool

For students aged 8+ we are experts in the field of

and school career. We would like children to associate LEGO® sets

educational robotics, providing LEGO® MINDSTORMS®

with fun-filled, rich learning experiences, and for teachers and

solutions designed specifically for use in the

childcare professionals to see them as essential tools that engage

classroom.

their children, challenging their creativity and significantly enhancing their knowledge and understanding. We’ve been developing solutions

By making a task involving LEGO resources inspiring

to meet this goal for more than 25 years.

and fun, teachers are able to motivate children to play an active role in their own learning process, and

Our preschool portfolio is tailored to the needs of early childhood development, and is especially good for stimulating role play and developing logic. For schoolchildren we offer a variety of theme-based sets that enable a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching, as well as sets that are designed to cover specific areas of the science and technology curriculum.

to experience a real sense of personal achievement.

Hands-on, Creativity, Problem Solving and Team Working Construction facilitates a naturally positive learning experience. As children actively construct things in the physical world, they build knowledge and understanding in their minds. We call this approach ‘learning by making’.

As well as the construction sets, which are designed for groups of children working together, LEGO Education also offers activity packs and ideas for educators to try out with their children using the sets. Activities are either included with the bricks, sold separately, or can be downloaded from the LEGO Education website. Each activity presents children with a problem, which they must work on with others

Easy to store and maintain

in order to identify and develop their own solution.

LEGO Education knows the classroom environment and understands the needs of educators, which is

By presenting children with a problem or a challenge, they are

why sets are delivered in sturdy, stackable plastic

encouraged to use their imagination, try out their problem-solving

storage boxes, with sorting trays for LEGO® elements.

skills and cooperate with others. This makes learning an adventure.

The boxes have transparent lids and are easily

And the more excited and empowered children feel, the more they

stored. Many sets include an illustrated overview

take charge of their own learning process.

of all elements, and in many cases lost bricks can be purchased directly from your local dealer.

LEGO Education products meet the highest The ability to acquire new knowledge

international standards for quality and safety and Creative thinking

can be used by children from 1 1/2 years onwards. The assortment is only available through selected dealers specializing in providing high quality

Problem solving

educational solutions. Locate your nearest dealer on our website.

Communicative skills Co-operative skills

Unlimited possibilities LEGO Education also offers a variety of large construction sets, which can be purchased separately or used to supplement the play themes. Masses of standard bricks and a wide range of special elements in lots of lively colours, provide unlimited possibilities for youngsters to create all sorts of models and designs.

Construction sets are an important feature of a

Preschool 1½+

stimulating environment, where originality and expressiveness are valued. Children need a wide variety

What’s it like to be a fire fighter? How does it feel to be Mum? How

of tools that enable them to use and develop their

do we manage traffic? What are ambulances for? Young children

senses. Creative environments allow children to

are fascinated with their immediate surroundings and the people in

make connections between one area of learning

their lives. And it’s our job to keep it that way!

and another, and so extend their understanding.

LEGO Education offers a variety of large construction sets and classic

LEGO Education preschool sets are large enough

play themes such as homes and farms, police and fire stations,

to cater for up to six children at a time, and ideal

which help to stimulate children’s natural curiosity by allowing them

for supervised or free play.

to create their own imaginary worlds and scenarios.

Play themes are ideal tools for stimulating role play. Through role play children learn to understand and express their own feelings and needs, and to understand the feelings and needs of others. They also learn to function as part of a group and become aware of their place in the wider community. Other themes like animal life or transport help young children to develop their skills of logic. They can experience and grasp concepts such as order and sequence. They begin to understand how to categorize things, to be aware of seasons, times of the day, and many other fundamental aspects of everyday life.

School Start 4+ Day One at school is the biggest scheduled change in a child’s life,

Early start on science & technology 5+

and parents and educators are naturally concerned about how well

Get kids excited about technology. You can never

prepared children are to take that step and how they will cope with

start too soon. The LEGO Education range of early

the daily challenges that school presents.

science and technology solutions gives children from 5+ a chance to experience basic principles

LEGO Education offers a variety of exciting play and construction

of physical science, such as forces, motion and

sets for early years’ classrooms, which help ensure an inspiring,

energy, and to work with simple technology such

playful and challenging school start for children from 4 years. These

as gears and levers. Kids get to work with simple

sets can be used to work on topics such as community roles and

mechanisms in a playful and inventive way. Our

relations, jobs and functions, global travel and methods of transport.

solutions are designed to encourage children to

In this way children learn to identify features of the place in which

observe, predict, question and test their ideas –

they live and to understand the wider community and environment

all-important skills for budding designers, scientists

around them, as well as exploring their role in that world. School start

and engineers. Activity packs are available for

sets include inspiration cards for group work and discussions and

these sets, including illustrated worksheets and

in many cases extra activities are available on the LEGO Education

teacher guides.

website. See examples of activities at LEGO.com/education. Search the Activity Bank.

Science & Technology 5 to 11+ LEGO Education specializes in helping teachers to introduce areas of

a description of teaching targets and outcomes and

the science and technology curriculum in a hands-on, experimental

fully detailed lesson plans for up to 45 sessions.

way. Children explore problems and discover their own solutions.

Materials often include video material or illustrated

They experiment with forces and motion, working with wheels, axles,

guides designed to inspire the kids and set the

levers and pulleys. They investigate concepts such as magnetism,

scene. And the children have illustrated guides

friction, gravity and speed. They explore ways to generate, store and

and worksheets to help them work their way

use energy and work with motorized and wind power.

through the tasks. See examples of activities at LEGO.com/education under Activity Bank.

Using LEGO Education solutions, children are encouraged to behave as young scientists and engineers. They are given opportunities to test their ideas, ask questions, predict outcomes, carry out fair tests, make systematic observations and measurements, draw up conclusions and review and evaluate all of their efforts.

For each of our sets we offer curriculum and teaching support materials. Teachers are given the necessary background information,

“My pupils engage in a hands-on approach to science, where they start by forming their own questions about concepts and try to find ways that will enable them to come up with answers.”

“For example I might want to engage my students in a concept such as structures. They will start by forming questions such as ‘I wonder how much weight this structure can withstand? Or which shape is the strongest?’” “LEGO® sets are ideal for this approach to learning, because of the thinking that is involved when children begin building and working with them.”

Katie Pence, Kokanee Elementary School, Washington, USA

Teaching Science & Technology with Robots 8+ Robotics has become a popular and effective way for teachers to cover important areas of their science and technology curricula. LEGO Education has more than a decade of experience in developing educational robotics concepts for children from 8 to 16+. LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education is a tailor made solution of bricks, software and activity packs for use in classroom and after-school club environments.

Through robotics, students get to grips with techniques that are used in the real world. They build, design and program fully-functional models and behave as young scientists, carrying out simple investigations, calculating and measuring behaviours and predicting and recording

LEGO Education works in partnership with

their results. They work together on realistic problems, solving them

educational specialists to develop its robotics

imaginatively by sharing, developing and communicating ideas.

concepts. Partners include National Instruments, responsible for the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education

The following curriculum areas are covered by Robotics:

software platform; Carnegie Mellon University’s

Science – transfer of energy, force, speed, power relationships and

Robotics Academy, responsible for activity packs

the effect of friction

for the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education concept;

Technology – program and control input and output devices, using

and Tufts University’s Center for Engineering

wireless communications technology, researching and sharing

Educational Outreach, which supports a growing

information via networks, using multimedia

global community of teachers and after school

Engineering – brainstorming solutions, select on, build it, test it and

childcare professionals using MINDSTORMS

evaluate it.

Education.

Mathematics – measure distance, circumference, rotational speed. Use coordinate systems, convert decimals and fractions, work with metric and customary units, apply mathematical reasoning.

Partners LEGO Education designs and produces total solutions for preschool environments, schools and after-school clubs. Our solutions are developed in close cooperation with childcare professionals, educational experts and practising teachers around the world.

As well as brick sets that cater for groups of children, we offer comprehensive curriculum material and activity packs. Many of our

LEGO Education products are sold exclusively

products include activities that span a complete school year. They

through a worldwide network of specialist suppliers

include video support material, worksheets that can be photocopied,

who offer advice and support on how to use LEGO®

colourful inspiration cards and illustrations, and much more.

sets in a preschool, classroom and after-school setting. To find your nearest dealer visit our website and search under Where to Buy.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, DUPLO and MINDSTORMS are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2006 The LEGO Group. 4510185