Who wouldn’t want to learn the story of all things LEGO?
Lowey Bundy Sichol has bundled the fascinating origins of LEGO into a brisk 110-page book, handy and accessible to kids of all ages – and to the kid in each of us.
Readers will gain a full-fledged appreciation for the toy beloved all over the world, a toy that encourages exactitude, problem-solving, and free creative play. The first bit of trivia they’ll master? The name LEGO is the shortened form of “leg godt” which is Danish for “play well.”
When you delve into From an Idea to Lego, your students and families will learn how LEGO emerged from the Christiansen family making wooden toys in 1920s Denmark.
The idea to develop plastic bricks now known as LEGO followed a strategy premised on a grand system of play. The key insight? Any LEGO brick must be able to connect with any other LEGO brick. While it may seem obvious to modern consumers who’ve grown up with LEGO, this allowed for freedom, flexibility, and a consistency that enabled LEGO to be understood by any child. It’s what led to master sculptures like the life-size Star Wars X-Wing fighter plane, but also the free play that occurs whenever two kids get together and dump out a massive, miscellaneous tub of LEGO pieces.
As most kids know, the success of the LEGO concept eventually led to LEGOLAND, video games, the films, and the expanding world of mini-figures. It’s all here!
It’s a story of entrepreneurial innovation aimed at a kid’s understanding, rather than a book filled with economic jargon. It includes simple, user-friendly explanations of economic concepts; for instance, shares of stock–necessary for the investment that can help any company grow–are compared to the individual bricks that compose a factory. More than anything else, it’s a story that highlights the LEGO company’s belief that its long-lasting, colorful bricks teach kids to be better learners and creative thinkers by “learning through play.”
Lowey Bundy Sichol has written a book that may just encourage some students to make adaptations just like the Christiansen family as much as it will make them want to share their mini-figure collections. Or just stop reading and dump out a bucket of LEGOs and play!
