Engaging Students in Sustainability Through LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®

We collaborated with the Geography & Sustainability Lead, local councils, and arts teams to engage students in envisioning their community’s future.

Using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and the Citizenshift ‘Rapid Democracy’ approach, we directly asked young people about their needs and wishes.

Background

• Young people suffer high Climate Anxiety issues: With 83% of teens experiencing climate anxiety (UK Census 2022), creating a positive, inclusive dialogue is vital.
• Local Deprivation: The area near the school has a diverse socio-economic community, there is a shortage of community facilities.
• Social inequality: Lymington, the abutting town, has had the concentration of development focus, spending and economic value.

How does LSP work in school?

It gets students engaged

“Eco / Green Schools”groups can be hard to get engagement.

It’s a fairly normal occurance. But did you read the bit above about people’s climate anxiety? It’s a serious problem.

How can we really expect young people to engage when the prevailing message bas been doomerism.

Using positive play-based methods helps cut through anxiety, keep people present & keep them psychologically safe, enhancing confidence and communication skills.

It’s highly flexible methodology

Whatever the subject, any methodology needs to fit the classroom structure and timings, ditto for after school or lunch clubs. It’s easy to make this as short or as long as you need.

Why it works for everyone

Lego hooks people in

Play = Joy + Flow for a calming process.

LEGO attracts students with hands-on play; a familiar and enjoyable cultural touchstone.

Inclusive for All: The “low threshold, high ceiling” method ensures participation for everyone, regardless of grade, ability, or mood.

No Wrong Answers: Students create diverse solutions, fostering ownership and responsibility.

Calm Through Play: Hands-on, minds-on learning immerses students, calming the brain with endorphins. Boisterous groups naturally settle into focus within minutes.

Collaborative Building: Individual models combine into shared group visions, promoting teamwork while valuing individual contributions.

Empowering Storytelling: The models act as prompts for students to share their ideas and articulate visions confidently.

The process we used

We were visioning in this project, so the goal was to enable young people think big. We used AI images to help prompt their thinking and discuss what might be possible in their semi-urban environment.

AI, Guided Time Travel, Lego and Urban Planning

Debrief: Teachers guide reflection on the process and its connection to real-world sustainability.

Pose a Challenge: Students respond to prompts like, “What does a sustainable community look like?”

Build Individually: Each student creates a model reflecting their ideas.

Share and Reflect: Students explain their models, ensuring all voices are heard.

Collaborate and Combine: Individual models are integrated into a larger community vision, sparking discussion.

From these we will draw out themes, build on these further, and present the school governing body, council, local museum etc to share this important work.

Fitting with the Curriculum

Low Threshold, High Ceiling” approach

The work implicitly requires creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.

It supports geography (sustainability), PSHE (teamwork, empathy), design & technology (prototyping, problem-solving), and English (storytelling).

LSP’s “low threshold, high ceiling” approach ensures inclusivity, allowing all students to engage at their own level. It promotes emotional well-being, mindfulness, and social skills while embedding values like respect and inclusion.

The hands-on, student-centered method enhances engagement, making learning active and memorable, providing an innovative way to enrich lessons and develop well-rounded, resilient, and curious learners.