This fun and creative building toy can also encourage learning at school!
It is no secret why kids love playing with toys―whether they are building or creating something completely new from their imagination, acting out a lively scene with stuffed animals and action figures, or opening up their minds to something new, such as science experiments or puppet show, toys provide children with a creative, stimulating outlet that they cannot get anywhere else. Plus, there is just nothing better than watching a child’s imagination run wild as they create and build things all on their own.
However, what if they could also be educating and growing their mind, as well as getting in a fun hour of play time every day? Now that would really be the best toy ever. Luckily, that is the toy that Laser Pegs has strived to create over the years.
While parents and children everywhere have long loved Laser Pegs as a fun way to be imaginative and creative at home, now even school teachers are seeing the light of these unique, light-up construction toys and are bringing them into the classroom as part of their curriculum. What is even more unique about using Laser Pegs as an educational tool is that they provide different benefits for school children of different ages, depending on what sensory and learning stage they are currently at.
Jeanette Oettinger, a 3rd grade teacher from Rochester, New York, recently wrote to Laser Pegs expressing the excitement that her school children expressed after she introduced them to Laser Pegs over the summer.
“Over the summer, I purchased toys for my traveling STEM cart. One of the toy sets that we bought were Laser Pegs. The kids have been enjoying them a lot,” she wrote.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Club is a popular after school activity that many teachers across the country, like Jeanette, host as a way to teach children further about math, engineering and science. Laser Pegs are a perfect tool for this club, as they help children develop leadership and social skills as they play, and even help them grow their cognitive development skills. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they are fun for kids to play with, as well!
“We use them almost daily and I also run a girls only STEM club after school … We used your Laser Pegs last week and connected it to light bulbs,” Jeanette wrote. “In the STEM card, these are often the first to be snatched up.”
In her blog, which you can find on the Harley School website, Jeanette included Laser Pegs in a recent Light Exploration experiment with her girls’ STEM club. She instructed them to build a unique structure that would be able to utilize a separate glow stick in some way. In her blog, Jeanette wrote:
“They drove right in the task and the lights were exciting. This surprisingly caused them to bust into some impromptu Christmas music. Since I was in no way, shape, or form in the mood to have “jingle bells” stuck in my head, I decided they should sing Halloween music. Not surprisingly, the 2nd grade overnight song began to fill the room.”
You can read Jeanette’s full blog post, as well as see the photos of her students using Laser Pegs during their Light Exploration experiment, on her blog. What do you think about using Laser Pegs in school for educational purposes? Would you have loved to see these in the classroom when you were a student? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!