The Gore Family Foundation hosted its first LEGO League Basic Schools Exploration last week to introduce young children to foundational critical thinking skills through hands-on activities, while fostering early interest in robotics and collaborative problem-solving.

The one-day exploration, held at the Mico University College, was part of the foundation’s broader initiative to integrate science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) into early childhood education.

Students from 10 basic schools supported by the foundation participated in the activities which were designed to encourage creativity, communication, and teamwork through structured challenged using LEGO, a popular line of plastic construction toys.

Dr Christine Gore, executive director of the foundation, explained that the event was not designed as a competition but rather an opportunity for exploration and learning.

Principal of Jamaica College Wayne Robinson gives Mikella Morris from St Anne’s Infant School a high five after competing a task, while her teammate Rejonea Robinson looks on. (Garfield Robinson)

“We call it an exploration because we don’t want to encourage them to compete at this age. So today everybody will win, but they have been practising how to assemble the LEGO pieces into different shapes… and these activities will teach them to communicate with each other, it teaches them to work as a team, and it teaches them engineering [and] building.

“It’s all the life skills that you would want to teach a child, but they have a ball doing it,” said Gore.

She noted that the event is part of a larger initiative done over the past 12 years by the foundation to create a holistic educational environment in the schools it supports. This includes the involvement of nutritionists, music and dance teachers, tennis coaches, and now, robotics facilitators.

“Two years ago we started with robotics, but we believe in playing and the transformative power of playing and so it’s not a part of our culture really. We realise it’s not what Jamaicans do normally — which is play with their children. So it’s something new that we’re introducing and it’s just showcasing the need for us to turn our minds to building a successful future for our children,” Gore explained.

Acknowledging the attendance of several parents who were actively supporting their children, Gore further highlighted the importance of their involvement in the development process noting that the foundation actively supports families through various initiatives designed to extend learning beyond the classroom.

“We are very supportive of the parents also, we send home toys for the children. We have a toy factory in our office that is manned by our university students — those students that we have on scholarship. They work in our toy factory making toys which we send home to the parents and we send home videos to show them how to use the toys to teach children,” she added.

In the meantime, head of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) Trisha Williams-Singh, commended the foundation for its pioneering efforts in early education, stating that initiatives like this are in line with the standards and curriculum promoted by the commission.

“This initiative is very good. What is happening here is that they are exposing the children from very early years to the importance of science, engineering, [and] technology. It’s within those early years that the brain consumes and develops and a child is better able to grasp… So them doing this today is well-needed, historic and we welcome more,” said Williams-Singh.

She noted that the foundation’s outreach currently impacts up to 700 children, adding that the involvement of parents and the training of teachers contribute significantly to positive learning outcomes.

“The parents being involved, they themselves are being educated, and they themselves are seeing the difference in the behaviour of their children. So it’s a win-win,” she said.

Also in attendance was former chairman of the Early Childhood Commission Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan, who underscored the scientific rationale behind early STEAM engagement.

“The brain has periods when its development is really critical, and if you don’t get it right at that period it becomes harder to fix later on. The peak sensitive period for understanding the basis of numbers is between two and five years and during that period, all of the children in Jamaica are in a basic school or in a pre-school so we are learning, they are learning and therefore we have the opportunity to make Jamaica a STEAM country,” said Samms-Vaughan.

Parent Charlene Pothemont, whose daughter is among the participants in the Gore Family Foundation’s programme, praised the initiative for the noticeable improvements she has seen in her child’s development.

“She is involved with the LEGOs, dancing and tennis. It helps with her development and it allows her to open up to people. It helps with her thinking and it allows her to do things quickly. I see the difference in how she interacts with persons and how she interacts at home, and I have to say she has changed a lot,” Pothemont told the Observer.