HIGH POINT, N.C., April 16, 2015 – Over 300 children spent their weekend with HPU education majors learning fun and educational ways to use Legos. The Lego showcase event, Come Build With Us, gave children from the community the opportunity to learn and participate in Lego learning projects, robotic showcases and create a “future city” for the year 3,000 using Legos.
“Over 5,400 children and parents have experienced this wonderful event, and the feedback has been outstanding,” says Dr. Shirley Disseler, assistant professor of education. “HPU students gain valuable knowledge about classroom management, critical thinking and lesson planning. They love working with all of the various ages.”
HPU students in the School of Education used Legos to promote teamwork, engineering, science, math and communication for the children.
“Being able to see students work together to solve problems using Lego bricks has been very rewarding; it inspires me to be a teacher,” says education major Shirley Headen. “My favorite part of participating in Lego Day is watching children who have never met come together and collaborate on how to complete their task with the Legos. It is great to be a student at a university that invites children from the community to come out and learn the value of innovation through collaboration.”
“Participating in these events throughout my time at HPU has enabled me to connect with the entire community, both students and parents,” says education major John Yankello. “Watching the children’s eyes light up as they arrive on campus is remarkable. Every aspect of this event is centered on providing a memorable and educational experience for the children.”
In addition to community Lego Days, HPU hosts Lego field trips for multiple schools each year, as well as Lego teacher academics. The School of Education at HPU hopes to grow the program to include competitions amongst local schools in robotics, and to have more summer camps. The first STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) camp will be held June 26 – July 3 for ages 8 – 11. You can request an application by emailing Disseler at [email protected].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZtVUjxfyhs&feature=youtu.be