Inspire and be inspired
The live lessons explored "Building Imagination" - a Lyfta storyworld from China where learners meet Wei Wei; the only female LEGO Certified Professional in the world as she helps unleash the creativity of 2,000 children to build a giant LEGO mandala.
Our Director of Education and Impact, Harriet Marshall, led the session and kicked off with a shared exploration of the 360° spaces in the storyworld. First, we explored Wei Wei’s colourful office, experienced the sights and sounds and made predictions about what Wei Wei’s job might be.
Guesses from students ranged from everything from a LEGO designer or artist, to an engineer or architect. Next we transported ourselves through the remaining 360° scenes, exploring the Skybridge and the Bund waterfront in Shanghai to situate the story, before watching the short film ‘Brick by Brick’.
The film covers themes such as creativity and imagination, collaboration and the concept of infinity. Students shared some lovely reflections:
"It inspired us to be creative. We were astounded by the number of combinations you can make with just a few pieces of LEGO. "
"We liked that she used teamwork to create her pieces, and seeing the end result of the LEGO artwork"
"We would like to encourage this type of creative play not just in school with teachers and students - but parents and children."
"We liked when she showed the large picture they all created together - it was like a city of imagination!"
"We liked the fact that the models are all unique - just like people. The end result was stunning!"
"We were inspired by the idea of working with LEGO as a job. Lots of us play with LEGO and didn't realise we could make a career out of it."
And many were inspired to action:
"She inspired us to go home and get creative - we want to draw and create with LEGO"
"The architecture in the city was stunning - I want to learn more about it and research into it"
"We're going to get the LEGO blocks out tonight and see where our imagination takes us."
There’s still time to be part of something special
If you missed the live lessons - don’t worry, you can still take part in the exciting collaborative project!
We’re inviting schools and classrooms everywhere to collaborate during January and February to build a giant digital mandala.
It's free and easy to participate, and by contributing, you'll not only be a part of something extraordinary, but will also stand a chance of winning a £300 LEGO voucher for your school.
Read more about the Lyfta Mandala Collaboration project here.
How to take part
1. Explore Lyfta storyworld "Building Imagination"
- If you are a Lyfta subscriber you could explore the storyworld at a time convenient to you. You can also use the ready-made lesson plan, “Make a mandala.”
- If you don’t have an account, sign up for a free Lyfta Starter account. You will receive 14 days free access to all Lyfta content and resources.
2. Invite students to create their own mandala designs, from LEGO or other materials, and submit them by 1st March 2024 to be part of the collaborative digital artwork. Submissions will also be entered into our competition to receive a £300 LEGO voucher for the school.
3. We’ll share the final design and celebrate our collaborative work together!
Optional bonus entries for helping us spread the word!
We want as many schools as possible to be part of the collaborative design, so please help us to spread the word, and as a thank you, you’ll receive bonus entries to the draw!
- Write a post or simply use this one to share the competition and @mention other educators who might like to join. We will give a bonus prize draw entry for every @mention you add.
- Share the information via email to other educators in your network, for any schools that participate, we’ll give you x10 bonus entries to the prize draw! Just email us a list of the names and location of the schools you have shared it with.
"At Lyfta, we are all about connection; connecting on an emotional level with our stories, connecting to other people, places and perspectives, and connecting learners to their place in the wider world. We're excited to bring together schools from across the UK and beyond through this project, to connect and create something beautiful together"
