FEE's new Economic Marvels lesson plan - "The Economics of Lego"
Several education organizations are starting up their new school year with brand new lessons. Today I'm featuring a favorite series - "Economic Marvels" - combining the resources of the Wall Street Journal and the Foundation for Economic Education. I'll also add a few links to other Lego resources for teachers and learners.
Jay LeBlanc
8/14/20252 min read
I know not everyone starts school as early as Colorado (my wife started teacher in-service early last week, and is getting ready for her 3rd day with students). Still, I am glad more nonprofit organizations realize not everyone starts at Labor Day weekend (we see you on vacation, Northeast U.S.!) and begin rolling out new lessons and resources in August.
Today I'm featuring the first 2025-2026 lesson from our friends at the Foundation for Economic Education's Learning Center, from their "Economic Marvels" series showcasing (in their words) "stories of innovation and entrepreneurship from popular brands." Their lessons usually start with a video from the Wall Street Journal's "The Economics Of" video series, then FEE supplements that basic introduction with a set of slides, Edpuzzle video, activities, and student worksheet. Just as a reminder, you need to register with FEE's Learning Center to access the resources - registration is FREE, and they don't flood your inbox with a ton of e-mails.
So here I will provide some previews of what FEE's new lesson has to offer, and some additional resource material on Legos in general . . .
Information on "Economic Marvels" and the "Economics of Lego" lesson:
Link to the Learning Center at FEE - https://teachers.fee.org/enrollments
Series Page for "Economic Marvels" (again, may require you be signed in to access) - https://teachers.fee.org/courses/economic-marvels
Sneak Peek (below) of what some elements of a lesson look like:
Link to the original WSJ "The Economics of Lego" video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOdcAdqGFnM
Related FEE article on "Brick by Brick: How Lego Became the Largest Toy Company in a Digital Era" - https://fee.org/articles/brick-by-brick-how-lego-became-the-largest-toy-company-in-a-digital-era/
Other Lego-related links you may be interested in:
Lego Group (information about the company, not the sales site) - https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus
Lego Education lesson plans - https://community.legoeducation.com/lessons
Elementary and Middle School STEM and STEAM lesson plans - https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons/
Brick Economy - The Economics of Lego (Insights into Lego collections and market values) - https://www.brickeconomy.com/
"How Lego Beat Barbie and Monopoly", Wall Street Journal, March 2023, https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/lego-q4-earnings-report-2022-26b5375e?
"Building Blocks: Lego's Next Move" (video), Financial Times, March 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jgsi0rAnqQ
