As part of our training and development program, we registered our kids in the First Lego League (FIRST South Africa) program played by children all across South Africa, whereby they get an Ipad (for the robotic programming) and lego blocks for the building exercises. The program started in October and is ongoing.
The main aim is to encourage teamwork and creativity and at the same time instil the following values:
- we are all unique
- we respect one another
- we care about one another
- we give everyone a chance
- we appreciate one another
Each session involves building a given model after finding the relevant lego blocks. There is also room for their own creativity where they receive a project to build on their own, ie building an amusement park. A third leg in the program is where they build a model that can be programmed to move. They can also participate in nationwide challenges and teams are encouraged to enter but we have only tested the model this year and will be submitting the children’s work next year in the league competitions.
The program has been a resounding success and the children simply love each activity. The success of the program lies in having fun and playing while they are learning. Each child will also receive a participation medal at a special celebration ceremony to celebrate their creativity.