The building blocks of education

Back, from left: Ken Knott, Jan Tinetti, Damien Harris, and Bernie Hanvey. Front, from left: Nate Clissold, Daisy Smith, and Sienna Mackintosh, all five. Photo: Ryan Wood.

Pupils at Mount Maunganui Primary School will have the chance to practice their building skills thanks to the addition of some learning blocks.

At set of the large, interlocking plastic blocks – essentially giant Lego – has been donated to the school through local charitable trust, Donors Choice.

Ken Knott and Bernie Hanvey from Donors Choice visited the school on Monday, along with Labour MP Jan Tinetti, to present the blocks, as well as a water trough.

Mount Maunganui Primary School Principal Damien Harris says the school already has one set of the blocks, which have proven extremely popular.

'We try to focus on learning through play, which teaches ‘soft' skills such as creativity and collaboration,” he says.

Former school principal Jan agrees with that approach to education. While she was at Merivale School, her pupils also benefited from Donors Choice, which provided a programmable robot for the kids to practice coding with.

'We were looking to integrate technology into our curriculum, and at the same time we also had a number of students with autism,” says Jan.

'The robot allowed us to involve them with the programming, because it was easier for them to relate their learning to a physical thing. They see it as an actual person, but there's no confusion as to how it will react, which can be a problem for autistic children.”

Donors Choice, which has provided several donations to local schools, is a new initiative based on successful USA-based charity Donors Choose.

'This trust basically links up enthusiastic teachers and their class of students with sponsors who are interested in supporting school projects beneficial to the students,” says Ken.

The New Zealand version is currently small, but they're working to build their profile and bring more donors on board.

'We're focused on classroom and teacher projects. It's not for school uniforms or travelling on a school trip. It's for things that will enhance the learning of the children in the school environment.”

Business mentor Bernie says a company he's been working with donated three standing desks, two of which were sold and used to fund the blocks.

'Most projects in the United States are only around $400-$500, and that's what we're seeing here too.”

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