I'm fortunate to work alongside students in situations where they’re often afforded a large degree of self-direction and more meaningful opportunities to exercise creativity and create physical ‘things’. In working with them, I’ve grown to better appreciate the potential of physical objects to act as ‘tools for thinking’. Building with their hands, students will often talk more deeply and thoughtfully than in situations where they are tasked to talk or write. One of my favorite embodiments of this idea is Lego Serious Play. Developed by Lego in the mid 1990s to unlock innovation within the company, it works by encouraging participants to build in metaphors and offers a unique and powerful way to problem solve and communicate.