The Nintendo Labo is an incredible piece of equipment that has inspired many to do equally incredible things. A few weeks ago Ariana Grande sang using the Nintendo Labo’s keyboard for her backing beat, a week after it was Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi who took the reins and used it to compose the opening theme tune. But what about the little people? The ones who do great things in their own right, but aren’t often given the same amount of recognition.
This is where UK teacher Chris McGivern comes in. McGivern is a year six (sixth grade) school teacher who has used the Nintendo Labo’s cardboard accessories to enrich his lessons, allowing students a different, but fun way to explore their own creativity in a way that also complimented the school’s curriculum.
You may be wondering how. In McGivern’s class, students were asked to find a way to build the remote control car Toy-Con using the cardboard sheets they were given in a way that would allow them to successfully carry a cookie between two points.
Speaking to BT, McGivern said that “the Toy-Cons in the classroom involves using skills that touch upon multiple parts of the school curriculum.” He continued, “from design and creativity to construct the toys to science skills in working out how to set the correct vibration frequencies in the Switch controllers which are used to move the RC Car.”
What we do know is that this has got to be a much more entertaining way to learn. Something that McGivern himself also agrees with, saying “the magic of Nintendo Labo is matching a product with the opportunity to make, play and discover, in such an imaginative way.” And let’s face it, it certainly beats trying to learn to code at the tender age of nine or ten, now doesn’t it?
What do you think? Do you wish you had these sort of opportunities when you were younger, or do you believe the Nintendo Labo should be mandatory in the classroom in general? Let us know in the comments below.
