In Billund, we believe that children are just as capable as adults. This makes Billund Municipality a very special place in the world.
A place that insists on learning through play, and when Billund comes together as a whole to build the Capital of Children, it is not for fun. It is for the future.
A future and a lifestyle that can be smarter, more fun and more humane. Where play, learning and creativity impact not only education and business, but also urban planning and municipal policy.
A place that creates world citizens with a vision that reaches far beyond Billund.
And the only demand is that we adults learn to play. Again.
We are all born curious. We learn about life through play. But, the more we learn, the less we play. And gradually, we lose the ability to imagine anything other than what we know.
The pleasure of the absurd is replaced by knowledge and habitual thinking. And suddenly, we are just like the adults who didn’t understand us as children.
But the future is about creating together. And children know more than most that when playing together, you create worlds that no one has seen before. Find solutions never imagined.
That’s what we want – to create worlds and solutions that no one has seen or imagined before. Physically, we want to make Billund a child-friendly city that invites adventure and exploration. Mentally, we will make Billund the global capital of a future formed together with those who will live in it.
In short, Billund will be the best city in the world for children . . . and for the world.
As an IB World School in Billund with a focus on learning through play, we play an active part in developing Billund as the Capital of Children.
Ever since opening our doors in 2013 we have been working to create a pedagogy of play in collaboration with researchers from Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the LEGO Foundation. This philosophy and approach to learning has brought new families –and even more visitors—to Billund.
“In many ways LEGO House is a physical manifestation of the Capital of Children. It is one of the lighthouses in the municipality where children (and not least their adults) experience play unfolded in a pervasive creative environment and where every little detail is thought about ”.
Gitte Nipper, Head of Sales & Marketing LEGO House.
At Lalandia children can explore a world of play that engage all the senses. They learn through the many opportunities for play, whether it is in the activity pool in the Aquadome, many metres above the ground in the Adventure Tower or during a quiet moment in our goat pen.
For that reason, a visit to Lalandia is perfect for fulfilling the vision of learning through play.
CoC Playful Minds is an organization which among other things, offers children to go to Our World Academy. Here, children can unfold their creative world citizenship in practice. Through the course, children learn to relate to themselves, to each other and to the world - as well as think and act critically and creatively. It is a great basis for being a citizen of the world and engaging with it.
”Cecilie Tang-Brock, Program Manager at CoC Playful Minds.
The LEGO Foundation wants to support an agenda where learning is naturally linked to a playful approach. Children have the best opportunities for learning and developing if they are allowed to create, be curious and play. It is essential to grow these skills in a world characterized by rapid change, for the individual child as well as for society as a whole.
Tina Marie Petrowsky, Initiative Lead, the LEGO Foundation
