Playing with Lego has developed into a classroom teaching project for Devon dad Julian Surtees

Great British Life: A Lego Technic carA Lego Technic car (Image: Archant)

A Devon dad is helping make education fun - by creating interactive lessons using Lego.

Great British Life: A Lego Technic carA Lego Technic car (Image: Archant)

Catapults, pyramids, fairgrounds rides and cars – all constructed from Lego Technic – form part of the classroom experiences run by father-of-four Julian Surtees.

Julian, from Chudleigh, has been a parent helper in his sons’ schools over the past 20 years and realised that using Lego he could help children grasp concepts from the curriculum in a way that was both enjoyable and memorable.

He explained: “I’ve played with Lego and Lego Technic for the past 45 years. The idea to use Lego in school to support learning came about when my third child was in Year 3 and they were studying the Egyptians.

“We gathered together as much Lego as we could and set about building a large Lego pyramid.

“My aim in using Lego Technic is to inspire children and to make learning interactive and fun. I have put together a range of different lessons all using Technic Lego to support different aspects of the curriculum.”

A lesson in which Year 3 children design and build catapults can cover aspects of the curriculum like design, technology, history and maths.

Meanwhile older children in Year 6 can make motorised vehicles and test them, recording how using different cogs affects speed and performance on the flat and up hills.

The lessons have had a good response from pupils and their teachers.

Lee Goodenough, who teaches Year 6 pupils at Chudleigh Primary School said: “The children absolutely loved the morning and got so much out of it. I was really impressed with the high level of maths that was incorporated into the session.”

Teacher Chris Parker at Dunsford Primary School said: “It was a really educational afternoon which the children thoroughly enjoyed and were 100% engaged through the whole session. The open-ended nature of the afternoon really encouraged the children to innovate and solve problems.”

For more information go to education.juliansurtees.co.uk