While many will think that LEGO is just a toy, it is much more than that. It helps to build creativity, self-esteem, teamwork as well as problem-solving and mathematical reasoning skills. If you have ventured down to Junior School lately, you will observe this in the amazing designs that the girls entered in our Top Design competition. Their designs reflected critical and creative thinking and for many, this is just the start of their journey into areas such as design, architecture or even engineering.

The Junior School students were challenged to consider the design of the new building and recreate their favourite space out of LEGO. There was a wide variety of entries including art, STEM and general classrooms, and even the new Village Green. Each design was unique and reflected careful consideration of the needs and wants of the students and teachers. While creative license was taken in some rooms, including a classroom with a slide in it, or even an ice cream van on the Village Green, the girls all worked extremely hard to design and build their space.

The precise nature of LEGO promotes the development of fine motor skills along with lateral thinking and planning skills. When speaking to Annika Gill (Year 1) about her Village Green design, she commented on how she thought about and planned each space and what the girls of Junior School would like and how she could go about achieving that with the LEGO she had at home. Using LEGO to build these spaces requires much perseverance as ideas change and fail. Reframing these ideas and trying new things is an essential skill in all areas of learning.

The girls’ Lego designs have captured the attention of all in Junior School, and when speaking to their peers they have all proudly shown off their hard work. We congratulate all of the girls for their entries, and with the assistance of all of the staff in Junior School, we had the very difficult task of selecting four winners

• 1st Mietta Jenkins (Year 4)
• 2nd Annika Gill (Year 1)
• 3rd Olivia Grasso (Year 2)
• 4th Sophie and Carys Dreaver (Prep)