Lego Challenge - Giving Kids Agency

Image by Torsten Breswald from Pixabay

In a recent post on the STARnet Community blog, Caitlin Savage of the Skokie Public Library shared their library's success in giving kids free rein in programs to be collaborative and creative. It's so easy to overplan and be a bit rigid in what we offer. This post gets us thinking a different way and honors kids' discovery and exploration!

Caitlin writes: "This is wonderful for a lot of reasons – first and foremost, sharing ideas and information are a librarian’s modus operandi. When we collaborate, we build (in this case literally) and we improve. It’s also worth noting that there are MANY school districts in Skokie that ultimately feed into two high schools. A collaborative, open program offers kids from all over the opportunity to connect, create together, and get to know one another in a way that they might not otherwise have. Finally, kids working together means kids learning from each other. In this case, as this program has evolved, we now welcome ALL ages, so at times we have older teens, grandparents, toddlers and elementary kids working in the same room."

Click here to read this fascinating post. [Lego Challenge: SEL and STEAM at Skokie Library. Savage, Caitlin. STARnet Community blog. June 16, 2023]