Press Advisory: Play-Well Northwest Opens, Innovation Through Play

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS ADVISORY 

WHEN:  SATURDAY, MAY 18^TH, 10 AM – 5 PM

WHERE:  Play-Well Northwest LEGO Activity Center, 11743 124th Avenue NE, Kirkland, WA 98034

A student excited to build his world out of LEGO at Play-Well Northwest.

The former U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, recently said, “the top 10 in-demand jobs in the future don’t exist today. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”  In the northwest region of the country, where constant innovation is the key to a strong economy, a center called Play-Well Northwest is opening.  Its main purpose is to help build the problem solvers and innovators of the future through play.  The creator of Play-Well Northwest, Play-Well TEKnologies, has been teaching engineering to kids using LEGO across the country for the past 16 years.  Play-Well now teaches over 80,000 kids a year, but where some of the most creative endeavors happen are at their centers.  Play-Well Northwest will serve as an incubator of ideas, where kids get to help create, test, and play with new, innovative programs, from LEGO architectural workshops to LEGO engineering summer camps.

Center Manager, Brandon Jones, organizing all 200,000 pieces of LEGO in preparation for the grand opening.

The World Economic Forum recently ranked the United States 52nd in the quality of mathematics and science education and 27th in developed nations in the proportion of college students receiving undergraduate degrees in science or engineering.  Even with the big push for STEM education in the past decade, initial results have not shown a major increase in college graduates from STEM related fields.  What is missing is the innovative play that encourages children to explore these fields.  Here is what Brandon Jones, Play-Well Northwest Center Manager, recently said about Play-Well’s philosophy towards teaching: “we believe kids learn best through play.  Play-Well Northwest was created as a space for children to explore, problem solve, and create through the world of LEGO.”  Play-Well Northwest attempts to cultivate that level of interest in these fields through play, challenging kids to see the world as problem solvers and explorers.  The grand opening serves as a launching pad to show how the center hopes to inspire the innovators that will solve the problems of tomorrow by simply playing today.

Play-Well Northwest will be having its grand opening celebration on Saturday, May 18^th from 10 AM – 5 PM.   Play-Well TEKnologies believes that kids learn best through play. So, Play-Well Northwest was created as a space for children to explore, problem solve, and create through the world of LEGO.  At the event, kids and parents will be able to test out new projects and curriculum, participate in engineering challenges, express themselves through building, and celebrate the opening with cake.

For more information, please contact Brandon Jones at (425) 244-9361 or brandon@play-well.org. Play-Well TEKnologies programs are not authorized, sponsored or endorsed by the LEGO® Group.

Red Tricycle Article on the Grand Opening of our Play-Well Northwest LEGO Activity Center!

We are so excited to announce the grand opening of our Play-Well Northwest LEGO Activity Center in Kirkland, WA this Saturday, May 18th. Red Tricycle just wrote an article about the center.

http://bit.ly/Play-WellNWRedTricycleArticle

The best part of the event is that it is free to come! If you are in the neighborhood, come by. If you know any families in the Seattle area, pass this along to them.

If you’d like more information about our Play-Well Northwest Grand Opening, visit http://play-well.org/pwnw_grand.shtml.

Play Well!

FOR ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE…HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Happy Mother’s Day! For all those moms out there… who stayed up late to feed us when we were cramming for a test, who got us to school on time even when we missed the bus, who believed in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves, who love us, even we aren’t being as lovable, who continue to give to us, even when they have already given so much, WE THANK YOU! HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

A small token of our appreciation. LEGO potted plants.

Play-Well Mother’s Day LEGO Giveaway

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Happy Mother’s Day!  We wanted to tell all the awesome moms we know, thank you for what you do.  To celebrate the day, we decided to have a Play-Well Mother’s Day LEGO Raffle.  Your family could win a Play-Well LEGO Engineering Birthday Party, a LEGO Iron Man Set, or a LEGO Bow Tie.  Click the link below to participate in this free raffle:

Play-Well End of The School Year Rafflecopter Giveaway

We hope you can join us this summer!

Click HERE to find a Play-Well LEGO Engineering Camp Near You!

Bridging The Gap Between Seniors and Students Using LEGO

On February 1st, 2013, our non-profit partner, Play-Well Outreach, ran an intergenerational program with residents of Tamalpais retirement home and a 4th grade class from Kentfield’s Bacich Elementary School.  The Larkspur Patch was there to do the story.   Here is the article.

Seniors and Students Build Wall and Relationships

Residents of The Tamalpais retirement community and students from Jennifer Sterling’s fourth grade class at Kentfield’s Bacich Elementary School used LEGOS® to build their own version of the Great Wall of China on January 30 during their regular visit arranged through LITA’s Bridging Generations program.  Led by guest Tim Bowen, Founder and President of Play-Well TEKnologies, the activity involved small groups of seniors and students building segments of the wall that were then all connected.  Bowen volunteered his time and brought the supplies to facilitate this activity.

Tim Bowen, Founder and President of Play-Well TEKnologies helps Bacich 4th grader and The Tamalpais resident complete their final LEGO wall project Credit Jessie Nicely

“We are so glad that Tim approached us to conduct this engaging activity since it enabled the students to teach something new to the seniors,  most of whom had never played with LEGOS® before,” said Dena Selix, LITA’s Intergenerational Coordinator and a  credentialed teacher. “Our goal with Bridging Generations is to bring seniors and students together through meaningful lessons and activities that foster ongoing relationships throughout the school year. Ironically, by building a wall together today, the seniors and students built upon their relationships with each other.”

Bacich fourth grader Ella Hyman shows longtime Bridging Generations participant Tamiko Flannery, a resident of The Tamalpais, how to build with LEGOS. Credit Dena Selix

In its fifth year, LITA’s Bridging Generations program matches elementary school students from schools around Marin to visit regularly with residents of long-term care facilities throughout the county.  This school year, there are a total of eight classes from schools around the county visiting nearby assisted living communities in their towns, including Greenbrae, Corte Madera, Mill Valley, San Rafael and Novato.

The Tamalpais resident and longtime Bridging Generations participant, Marilyn Davis, helps fourth grader Jake Klompus build the base of their wall. Credit Dena Selix

Founded in 1975, LITA is a nonprofit organization that strives to improve the quality of life for residents of Marin’s skilled nursing, assisted living and board and care facilities by matching volunteers for regular visits.  The organization’s four other programs are One-to-One Friends, The Pet Connection, LITA Families, and Holiday Gifts for the Elderly.

Based in San Anselmo, Play-Well TEKnologies offers classes, workshops, and summer camps at over 200 public school, private school, home school, and summer camp sites. Its project-based programs are designed to teach principles and methods of engineering, to encourage students to work through design challenges using what they have learned, and to allow students to work at their optimal pace.

Bacich Teacher Jennifer Sterling assists with her fourth graders’ wall built with The Tamalpais resident Edith Hana. Credit Dena Selix

Myrna Pepper, resident of The Tamalpais and longtime Bridging Generations participant, works with her Bacich fourth grade buddies, Dexter Lama and Christopher Pontius, to complete their parapet. Credit Dena Selix

The entire article can be found here.

Our Washington DC Staff Superhero Training

Just finished our Superhero training with our staff in Washington DC. They are now ready to train kids on how to save the world using LEGO as Superheroes. Find out more about our superhero with LEGO programs here.

We Can Be A Part Of Your Bring Your Kids To Work Day

A few years ago, we provided a LEGO engineering consulting challenge at Accenture for kids attending their parents’ Bring Your Kids To Work Day.  Let us know if you’d like us to be a part of your upcoming Bring Your Kids To Work Day.  Email Jeff at jeff@play-well.org.