Tag: LEGO

LEGO Gets All the Attention, But This Toy Is Even Better at Developing Creativity

Posted on by robbie

Move over, LEGO. Another classic toy is having a renaissance.
Colorful, flexible, and distinctly smelly — Play-Doh has been praised by The Atlantic’s CityLab as “a toy that encourages creative building like Lego, but does it even better.”
As we previously mentioned, some educators argue that since children derive such great benefits from the arts, STEM (for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) should be changed to STEAM (the A stands for arts), to highlight the importance of creative endeavors.
LEGOs have often been considered the STEM toy of choice, but the blocky pieces only fit into rigid angles and can’t change color. The beauty of Play-Doh is how it can create curves, textures and can be mixed into different hues. The possibilities with the squishy dough are truly endless — not to mention that it’s also much less painful to step on in the middle of the night.
MORE: These Women Invented a Toy That Truly Includes Every Child
When used in the classroom or home, the colorful clay can be molded into body parts and organs (check out the awesome ear canal this girl made) or even be used to create electrical circuits. The toy’s manufacturer, Hasbro, even has a 3-D Play-Doh printer on the market.
Another bonus with Play-Doh, as CityLab notes, is how it’s gender-neutral. When it comes to the plastic blocks however, the kits are distinctly marketed to boys (secret agents, dragons, spaceships and robots) or girls (cutesy animals, dream houses, beauty parlors).
It’s unclear if Play-Doh sales have increased due to the emphasis on STEM or STEAM education, but a PR person tells CityLab they’ve shipped one billion cans in the past five years.


DON’T MISS: The Significance of a Classic Toy Severing Ties with Big Oil

The Significance of a Classic Toy Severing Ties with Big Oil

Posted on by robbie

From a Star Wars Death Star to Cinderella’s castle and every wonderful creation in between, LEGO’s colorful blocks offer endless possibilities. Brick by brick, these tiny toys inspire the imaginations of future architects, engineers, scientists and other problem solvers who want to build and shape the world for the better.
That’s why it’s so important that the beloved toymaker has recently decided to end its 50-year-long partnership with Shell following a viral Greenpeace campaign that targeted the oil company’s plan to drill the Arctic coast of Alaska.
Earlier this summer, the international environmental organization released an emotional video where our favorite plastic bricks and little yellow faces drown in slick black crude as a gut-wrenching rendition of “The LEGO Movie” theme song “Everything is Awesome” plays in the background. The message is this: “Shell is polluting our kids’ imaginations. Tell LEGO to end its partnership with Shell.”
Since its release, the video has chalked up nearly 6 million views, sparking protests around the world and garnering nearly 1 million petition signatures to stop LEGO from associating with a company that’s planning to exploit the polar region for more oil.
MORE: Discover what LEGO is doing in classrooms across America. Take Action
Remarkably, Greenpeace’s campaign succeeded. Following public pressure, LEGO will no longer have Shell’s logo on its toys, and the toy company will stop distributing free sets at Shell’s gas stations around the world, according to Salon.
LEGO’s departure really matters, as James Turner, the Head of Arctic Communications for Greenpeace writes, “By placing its logo in thousands of playrooms around the world, Shell tried to insulate itself against anyone who claims that oil companies have no long term place in our society. Children who grow up with Shell toys are less likely to criticize the brand in later life, and are more inclined to believe the company when it claims that spills, fires and accidents are just the cost of doing business.”
Turner points out that while LEGO’s bricks are made from oil, the Danish company is currently searching for “alternative, non fossil based materials for its bricks in the coming years” and pledges “to use only renewable energy across all of its factories and offices.”
LEGO President and CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp says in a statement following his company’s breakup with Shell, “We are determined to leave a positive impact on society and the planet that children will inherit. Our unique contribution is through inspiring and developing children by delivering creative play experiences all over the world.”
Meanwhile, Shell is still gearing up to drill the Arctic (so maybe everything isn’t awesome quite yet). However, more and more companies are distancing themselves from Big Oil, as Salon notes. LEGO is following in a wider trend of large companies such as Google, Facebook and the Rockerfeller family in cutting ties with corporations that exploit fossil fuels or worsen climate change. This kind of corporate responsibility is absolutely tantamount to protecting our fragile environment, as well as a safer world for future generations.
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DON’T MISS: These Kids Studied 600 LEGO Sets and Found Something Very Unsettling

These Kids Studied 600 Lego Sets and Found Something Very Unsettling

Posted on by robbie

In 1981, Lego put out an iconic advertisement of a little girl proudly holding a creation made of red, blue, green, yellow bricks. Back in those days, Legos weren’t just for boys — they were for all children.
But look down the aisles at any toy store and you’ll immediately see that many toys (not just Legos) are gender-specific. When it comes to the plastic blocks, the kits geared towards boys consist of secret agents, dragons, spaceships and robots. For girls, there are the Lego Friends sets complete with butterflies, pool parties, beauty parlors, and pinks and purples.
And perhaps as a result of the gender discrepancy, these blocks are no longer clicking with all children.
MORE: Playing with Purpose: Toys That Encourage Girl Power
As the Human Rights Campaign reports, fourth and fifth grade students at Shorewood Hills Elementary in Madison, Wisconsin, studied 600 Lego sets and came up with some problematic stats. The findings are published on their site WhatItIsIsBeautiful.com (cleverly named after that 1981 ad).
The student researchers analyzed Lego beings and found that there were more robots, aliens and animals combined than there were girl figures. (The breakdown: 75 percent boys, 12 percent girls, 8 percent robots and aliens, 5 percent animals.)
Additionally, they also discovered that of 406 human Lego figures, an overwhelming majority — 94 percent — represented European cultures.
In a series of poignant letters, the youngsters wrote to the Danish brand, pleading for more gender and cultural diversity. One student asked the company, “First of all, why do almost all the girls in Lego have to be baking and suntanning? I love to bake, but it’s not like I cannot do rock climbing or snowboarding.”
ALSO: These Women Invented a Toy That Truly Includes Every Child
Another student wrote, “I think you should stop assuming that boys like blowing stuff up and girls like pink. I’m a boy and, personally I like pink. I think you should remove the whole Lego friends thing and make more girl figures. Maybe you could also add some African American Lego people.”
Remarkably, Lego spokesperson Steve Clines actually wrote back, acknowledging all the students’ criticisms (Read his response here).
“It’s true we currently have more male than female minifigures in our assortment. We completely agree that we need to be careful about the roles our female figures play — we need to make sure they’re part of the action and have exciting adventures, and aren’t just waiting to be rescued.”
He added that Lego is having “many conversations” about the concerns the students have raised and their comments will be shared with the Marketing and Development teams.
“After all,” Clines says, “we want to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow: that means both boys and girls, everywhere in the world!”
Sounds like these kids are literally the building blocks of change.
DON’T MISS: These Girls Had Little Chance of Becoming Scientists, Until They Connected With an Innovator Who’s Improving Their Odds

This Young Genius Used LEGOs to Create an Incredible Tool for the Blind

Posted on by robbie

What started out as a science fair project has turned into a mission to help the less fortunate. With nothing more than a $350 LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit, some simple hardware from Home Depot and an ordinary thumbtack, seventh grader Shubham Banerjee has created a fully functioning Braille printer to help the blind read.
Typical Braille printers can cost up to $2000, which can be a burdensome financial setback for many families. As Kinja reports, nine out of ten of the 285 million visually impaired people in the world live in developing countries. Showing wisdom beyond his young age, the California boy genius wrote on his Facebook page that he’s just trying to do his part in making the world a better place with his cost-friendly machine, which he has called the “Braigo.”
“Why are engineers or companies not creating better and cheaper Assistive Technologies for the people in need?” he wrote. “We are fortunate to live a normal life, maybe we are better equipped to help others, why don’t we do it?”
MORE: These Two Students Developed an Incredibly Cheap Solution to a Common Disability
What’s most impressive about Banerjee’s innovation is how it’s an open-source project, which means anyone can access it. He’s declined to patent the device not only because it’s expensive to do so, but also so other can tinker with it to find improvements. The machine currently only types out the letters A-Z and does not move as fast as Banerjee would like. “I would love to see more experienced people in robotics take my design and code and make something even more cool to help the disadvantaged,” he wrote on Facebook. Check out the video above to see how the Braigo works.