The famous toy brand ‘LEGO’ was named after the Danish words ‘Leg godt,’ which translates to ‘play well.’ Taking that message to heart, Emma Ravikovitch `28 and Nora Demak `28 have channeled the spirit of ‘playing well’ into their work leading The Little LEGO Project, an up and coming volunteer opportunity at the George J. Mitchell School.
The Little Lego Project is a great option for students who want to work with groups of kids, in a more flexible setting. Ravikovitch compared The Little LEGO project to the popular volunteer opportunity the College offers, known as “CCAK” (Colby Cares About Kids): “It’s a good way for people that want to volunteer with kids […] but didn’t join CCAK because it was too big a commitment.”
The volunteer hours take place at a local public school during first graders’ computer lab class. Four volunteers from The Little Lego Project go in for an hour, and work with a group of roughly fifteen students. They provide big boxes of LEGOs and instructions for how to build various things. “We’re teaching a mini lesson for that hour with some specific goal we want them to work on, whilst physically applying it to the LEGOs,” Ravikovitch explains.
“For example, a goal would be following all the steps in order or helping a friend,” Demak remarks. The project utilizes LEGOs as a tool to help kids develop various skills. Ravikovtich and Demak list problem solving, teamwork, data extraction, creativity, executive functioning skills like working with their hands, spatial recognition, and coordination, as a few.
Ravikovitch and Demak both agree that the LEGO component is a big plus. “The LEGO aspect was a big part of why I joined,” Demak explains. “I really liked that it gives the kids and us a creative outlet.” Ravikovitch chimed in, noting “It’s kind of fun for us too! During our first meeting with all the volunteers, we built the LEGOs. […] That was really cool.”
Demak and Ravikovitch have also seen changes in the behavior of students in the classroom over the course of their time working with various students. “They didn’t work together at first. Some of the kids had more experience, which probably depended on if the students could afford LEGOs at home, or if they had a sibling that could help them,” Ravikovitch observed.
She noticed how one student in particular would try and help his friends by taking over his classmates’ projects. Ravikovitch and Demak’s job was to encourage the student to help his peers without overstepping, and instead ask questions like ‘how can I help you?’ or ‘what pieces do you need to find?’ “They learned how to find that boundary,” Demak describes.
Ravikovitch and Demark’s goal is to get more volunteers involved. It’s a really great way to get involved with local public school kids. Part of the reason Demak enjoys the experience is due to the diverse perspectives of the students she works with. “The kids there are very different and have different upbringings from a lot of Colby students. […] the program is like a way of still staying connected with the community in Waterville, because Colby can kind of feel like an isolated bubble a lot of the time.”
The Little Lego Project only runs through George J. Mitchell School. The College is very involved with Albert S. Hall School, which, Ravikovitch notes, “has like a ton of after-school programs, resources, and Colby involvement. For George J. Mitchell, the project is a really big thing for them.”
Ravikovitch describes how cute it is when they call her “Miss Emma” and ask for hugs and pictures at the end of each session. Ravikovitch and Demak are neither education nor psych majors. They just wanted to volunteer and have fun with kids. If you are interested in volunteering for The Little Lego project, reach out to either of them ebravi28@colby.edu or nrdema28@colby.edu.
~ Molly Garvey `28
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