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Betta Bilda construction set (1960s)

Lego is one of the most popular construction sets ever mad. It was invented in Denmark. Lego is Danish for ‘play well’.

Talking about old toys

Use the questions below to talk with children about old construction sets. Talk about the image here, or use the questions to explore an old construction set you or the children may have brought in to your classroom or setting.

Look closely at the box for this toy. Can you guess what’s inside just from looking at the box?
  • This is a construction set
  • There are over 350 pieces
  • It was made by the famous construction set company Airfix.
  • Take a look at what’s inside the box here
What do you think it’s made of?

It’s made mainly from plastic.

How old do you think this construction set is?

The set is about 60 years old. It was made in the 1960s.

Who might have played with this toy?
  • Your grannies and grandads might have played with this toy when they were children.
  • You can see a picture of two children from the 1960s on the front of the box
Can you think of a toy that’s a bit like this that you might play with today?

Betta Builder was very similar to Lego.

What can you imagine?

What sort of things might you be able to build with this construction set – buildings, animals, vehicles?

Explore through play

Encourage children to explore ways of using different construction sets.

How do the different parts fit together?

Can they build a house, a car, a person, a dog?

Who can build the tallest tower? (Careful if it falls over!)

Activities

Construction exploration

How many different types of construction sets can children think of?

They could look in their classroom, research online and in magazines.

Make a class list.

Which ones are the best for making buildings, vehicles, animals, people, furniture, robots..?

Which ones are best for building the tallest towers or the strongest walls?

Why?

Construction challenges

1) Can children use a construction set to build something for another toy, like:

  • A garage for a toy car
  • A wheelchair for a doll
  • A home for a toy rabbit
  • A sandwich for a teddy bears picnic.

2) Can children use a construction set to build something from their local area, like:

  • Your school
  • A local shop – what is it called?
  • The train station
  • A local bus – where is it going?
  • The famous Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough. Take a look at a picture of it here.
  • The Brick train in Darlington. Take a look at a picture of it
  • Can they create a whole scene with different buildings, people and other features?

3) Use a construction set to build something in just 90 seconds. Who can build:

  • The tallest tower
  • The fastest vehicle
  • The smallest house

Links

  • Click on the ‘Playing in the past’ tab to find old pictures of children playing with toys and games.
  • Who invented Lego? Find out in this BBC Newsround video.
  • Take a look at 5 of the biggest Lego builds ever made.