Imagination Station inspiring children and adults alike
Imagination Station inspiring children and adults alike
The sky is the limit when it comes to using your imagination for children and adults alike, at Christchurch’s Imagination Station.
After the quakes social enterprise Imagination Station is a social enterprise which started up in a bid to attract people back to the central city.
It allows kids and parents to build to their heart’s content with endless amounts of LEGO.
“A lot of people, especially in today’s generation, know LEGO – it’s very familiar, it’s tactile, it’s simple, and the opportunities are endless. Imagination is the limit,” Managing Director Sam Butcher says.
“Parents love the opportunity to come and play with their kids.. Imagination Station gives parents a space to spend quality time with their children, and have a bit of fun at the same time.”
Imagination Station offers a space to play with LEGO, as well as school holidays programmes, workshops and team building sessions.
It first opened its doors in 2015 in Cathedral Junction as a six-month project, but its popularity has seen it become a stalwart in the city.
Throughout 2016 and 2017, Imagination Station was one of the founding members of the CHCHSTEAM Network – a group of educational groups collaborating to being STEM Education to Christchurch and make it more accessible.
A move to Christchurch Central Library Tūranga in 2018 saw visitors to the station increase by 140 per cent, with about 55 per cent of people going to the library just to play with LEGO.
Mr Butcher says the initiative has received a flood of positive feedback since it re-opened.
“Kids love it, they get to build whatever they want. It’s a shame sometimes when they have to take their creation apart they’re not too happy, and you often find they try to hide it, which is cool.”
Imagination Station is supported by Rātā Foundation under the Participate funding priority area: https://www.ratafoundation.org.nz/funding/what-we-fund/participate
For more information, visit their website: https://imagination-station.org.nz/