Everything is awesome at Greenpoint’s PS 34, where students get to play with Lego bricks during class.
The Norman Avenue elementary school puts its pupils through a five-week program that teaches engineering via the beloved Danish toys, and the forewoman of the classroom construction site says the kids can’t believe their luck.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Shanti Crawford, who has the amazing job title of Lego Program Coordinator. “When I walk in with a bunch of Legos, I have the feeling of being like Santa Claus.”
The courses are designed to teach kids how machines work. First graders build simple robots with working gears, second graders construct spinning wheels and axles, and third graders put together pulleys. Crawford walks the youngsters through the basics, then lets them go wild creating one-of-a-kind contraptions.
Next year, the pioneering program — which kicked off around a year ago — will expand to fourth and fifth graders, who will learn computer programing. The older kids who will team up with middle schoolers from Williamsburg’s IS 318 to create original robots out of Lego Mindstorms kits.
And in what is a truly cube-ist exhibition, the first and second graders’ own creations are currently on display at the Greenpoint Library. Drop by the children’s section to check out their hockey-playing robots, catapult cars, and other wacky inventions.
PS 34’s Lego creations are on display at the Greenpoint Library [107 Norman Ave. at Leonard Street, (718) 349-8504, www.bklyn
