ORLANDO, Fla. – A grant from the LEGO Foundation will help the Orlando Science Center find new ways to help children learn through play.
“Learning through play is actually the best way to learn and there is a growing body of research to prove that our brains love to play,” said JoAnn Newman, president and CEO of Orlando Science Center.
Newman said the grant will not only create year-round activities at the center but will also fund Neighborhood Science, a program that brings these hands-on experiences to local children at neighborhood centers around Orlando, at no cost.
“And what we’ve done is we’ve taken some of these activities out and provided those to the children of the neighborhood for free in the after-school setting. So it’s been wonderful to help those children and learn through play as well,” Newman said.
The center says it is also developing a new Learning Through Play experience with help from the grant.
The Orlando Science Center’s mission is to get kids away from their devices and focus on hands-on learning.
That mission is working, especially for 14-year-old Gabriella.
“I think definitely phones are really addicting, I’ll admit that. But having Lego, it’s a way to kind of get off your phone and broaden your ideas and creativity,” Gabriella said.
Newman added, “The children who are getting engaged in these activities — they are all in. They are not thinking about their screen or their cell phone or whatever. They are all in, in the moment.”
The program isn’t just for kids. “I think adults love to play as much as children. We don’t maybe think about it as often. Or maybe it doesn’t come as naturally to us because children just have that natural curiosity. But when you see the adults engage, it’s amazing,” Newman said.
The announcement came on LEGO World Play Day.
For more information about upcoming events and hands-on activities, visit the Orlando Science Center website.