Using Legos In School Counseling
It’s been a while, Savvy Friends! I hope this blog post finds all of you staying safe during this difficult time across the globe. I have wanted to share my thoughts on this resource for some time now, but when I tell you Murphy’s Law is real, just believe me! Along with adjusting to our “new normal,” I spent time recovering from a surgery totally unrelated to the herniated disk/pinched nerve I had just two weeks prior. I last worked a full week at school February 10-14! The week after that, school was open to students for a day and a half canceling my Lego group yet again because of the weather! The next week, my back did it’s thing and the rest is history! Currently, as most of you, I’ve had to jump into virtual school counseling due to a global pandemic. Needless to say: There’s been A LOT going on!
I really wanted to have a few groups using this resource before writing, but that didn’t really work out. I did get to have two of the six sessions though, and that’s better than none! So let me tell you my thoughts on Brick-Based Counseling by Derek Tulluck!
I am very glad to have a new resource that is so engaging for my students. Brick-Based Counseling includes several lessons that can be used with whole and small groups. There are several great topics including growth mindset, self-esteem, and mindfulness. This resource also gives you access to digital files for three more project-based groups. The author gives thorough instructions for how to get started which was great for someone like me who has never been big into Lego use. He also discusses the benefits of using Lego bricks along with data collecting and goal setting. Each topic has six lessons and each lesson concludes with discussion questions and follow-up activities.
At the time I received the book, I was preparing to start a new 2nd grade friendship group. I was excited to see the collaboration based friendship activities. Our first session was “Sharing Ideas, Listening, and Making a Plan Together.” In this session, the students were able to practice communication skills by taking turns talking, listening, and making a plan to build a tower with a partner. My students were so excited to use the Lego bricks. They did great with following the directions and worked well together.
Our second session was “Sharing, Trading, and Taking Turns.” In this session, the students used Lego Minifigures to practice the three skills. We talked about respectful words they can use when they are using each of the skills. Again, my students were very excited because of the hands-on nature of the activities. They were able to take turns demonstrating the different skills during this session. We closed out this session looking forward to when we would meet again for session three, but as I said before…our fun ended there. On a positive note, they practiced several skills just in those first two sessions, and that says volumes about this book.
I look forward to using this resource again in the future. I know many of you have seen this resource on social media and have heard how great it is. I’m here to concur with all of the wonderful things you’ve heard about it! I definitely recommend this as a great resource to add to your school counseling program. You can also visit The Brick Counselor website for more information and activities. Thanks to Derek Tulluck for a great new and innovative resource!
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