How LEGO Is Training The Scientists And Problem Solvers Of The Future

Through play children (and adults) learn how to use their imaginations, to experiment with different ways of doing things. This might seem like it has relevance only for their self-development, but it's also through imagination and experimentation that the human race as a collective arrives at the solutions to its problems. As such, it's vital that we encourage children and people more generally to use their imaginations and to experiment, and it's to this end that LEGO, of all things, has an important role to play in nurturing the next generation of engineers, scientists and problem solvers. And we're not just talking about informal play with LEGO here, since one organization in particular has taken it upon itself to incorporate the famous Danish toy in competitions and workshops, all of which aim to instil a love for science and engineering in children. This organization is FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit public charity based in New Hampshire that works to inspire young people to pursue careers and education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. Beginning in 1999, it partnered with the LEGO Group itself to launch the FIRST LEGO League, tapping into the LEGO brand to bring children to science.