Is a science kit, some Lego, or building blocks best for fostering kids’ STEM skills and creativity? Fear not – it’s not what’s in the box, but what happens after you open it, that’s most important.
Naomi Priest, Australian National University and Tania King, The University of Melbourne
We reviewed research into gender stereotypes and biases in early childhood, and found gender as a social category develops early in life, and insight into some gender stereotypes begins early.
In a recent episode of Lego Masters, contestants were asked to build a castle in the style of the Spartans. It had white city walls — but the real Spartans famously refused to build a wall.
The Furby craze was a big deal in the 1990s, just like Cabbage Patch Kids were in the 1980s and Hatchimals were this decade.
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Sondra Bacharach, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
In a new book, philosophers argue that Lego’s coloured bricks are not just a toy, but a tool that raises challenging questions about creativity, conformity and culture.
Many voices have united in claiming the toy giant Lego is censoring the provocative Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. There are so many things wrong with those arguments it’s hard to know where to begin.
Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei’s deft use of social media has enabled him to gather worldwide support in his fight against censorship.
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What makes Ai Wei Wei so powerful? Critics say if he didn’t exist, he’d need to be invented: an artist who’s combined his life and art into a politically charged performance that helps define how we see modern China.