Lego Education has unveiled Spike Essentials as part of its Lego learning system to help teachers and encourage students in STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics) subjects.
The idea behind Spike Essentials is to, through "meaningful play," motivate students to become resilient and independent thinkers. This extension of the Lego Learning System is designed to help elementary school children (grades 1-5) spark an interest and understanding in STEAM subjects.
There are five playful curriculum units in Spike Essentials that each include 7-8 lessons and 6-10 hours worth of learning material in each. The educational set also comes with five hardware components as well as 449 Lego bricks, including replacement bricks.
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This isn't the average Lego kit you can find in a shop, and it has unique hardware and programming elements for high quality, technology-enhanced STEAM learning experiences. The kit is aimed at educators incorporating a hands-on approach to teaching STEAM subjects in the classroom.
Each Spike Essentials kit sells (pre order) for $274.95 and includes over 50 hours of teaching material in total. It is suitable for up to two children to use in a learning environment at a time and helps them to understand and solve engineering, mathematics and scientific problems with 35 different lesson plans.
"With the launch of Spike Essentials we are delighted to introduce a complete learning system that enriches the teaching and learning experience," Esben Staerk, President of Lego Education, said in a virtual unveiling event. "At a time when everyone is rethinking learning, we believe the Lego Learning System will spark joy and a love of learning in students that never stops."
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One major part of the set is its diverse range of minifigures. Four are included and all have their own names and backgrounds and interests to try and make them more relatable for children. Included are two boys and two girls, and one of the boys, "Daniel," is in a wheelchair.
"When students can progress step-by-step, it builds a strong foundation and knowledge base that can be expanded and deepened year after year. Lego Education developed the Lego Learning System to do exactly that and so much more," Natalie Frady, Computer Science Teacher, Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia.
"It is truly exciting to see a systematic approach to STEAM learning that is playful, scalable and engaging. Any teacher and student can benefit from the wide variety of solutions, from kindergarten to graduation," Frady added.
While the Spike Essentials kit is only available for pre order (in the U.S only) now, it will become available to the wider public in the fall of this year.
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