The Lego Story

Ages: 7-11
Contributor:
Sam Collins

Watch this fantastic animated film about the history of the LEGO group.

Then try some of our suggested teaching ideas and classroom activities!

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

Write your own version of the story, or turn it into a play.
Design an advert for your favourite Lego product or for Legoland.
Write a ‘TripAdvisor’ style review of Legoland.
Write a biography of one of the main characters.
Create a quiz about the Lego Story.
Think of some questions that you would like to ask the people in the story. What do you think they would feel about the success of the Lego group today?

Visit the Billund airport website and choose a timetable. Set some maths problems using this information, looking at flight times, days with the most flights etc. Compare different destinations. How much longer does it take to fly from Billund to Heathrow than to Gdansk, for example?
Find out the prices of popular toys in toy catalogues or online shops. Could you use these to create your own word problems? Could you make a ‘wish list’ and find out the total cost?
Explore the Maths ideas in our ‘Ways to Use Lego in the Classroom’ post.

Plan and organise a Lego-themed Science challenge with your children, e.g. Can you design a vehicle that will carry an egg safely over a long distance? Can you create a parachute that will help a minifigure land safely after being dropped from a height?

There are lots of free online games on the Lego website and many of these can link with curriculum topics.
Design your own Lego bricks and models using SketchUp.
Use Lego for stop animation and animate a section of the story.

Design your own toys.
Compare different materials for making toys. Look at examples of toys made from wood and plastic, for example. Why would you choose one material over another?

Find Billund on a map and look at aerial photos on Google Earth.
Why did they build an airport at Billund? What other services do you need to support an airport? Plan a trip to Billund from your local airport.

Create a timeline of the history of Lego.
Could you find out the history of other famous toy companies? Could you make a timeline based on these events (or make a similar video)?
This film was made by Lego. Might it have been different if it was made by someone independent? Or by a competitor? How reliable is it?
Search online for photos of Ole and Godtfred Kirk Christiansen and put them in chronological order.

List the setbacks that the family encounter during the story. What do they do to overcome them? How have you overcome setbacks?
“For him, it never took long to put an idea into action”. What does this mean? What does this tell you about Ole?
“Only the best is good enough.” What does this mean?