By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
The LEGO Group and Sesame Workshop have launched three educational videos featuring Sesame Street characters that encourage children to explore nature through play.
Funded by the LEGO Foundation, the videos are designed for children ages 4 to 6 and focus on bats, butterflies, and worms. Each three-minute video introduces a creature and its habitat, explaining the role it plays in the ecosystem before inviting children to build habitats using LEGO bricks and everyday craft materials.
“Children look after what they love, and we want to help them fall in love with nature,” said Lauren von Stackelberg, vice president and head of social responsibility at the LEGO Group. “Through play, something as simple as building a habitat can turn curiosity into care, and care into action. Together with Sesame Workshop, we’re helping children connect with nature and feel empowered to protect it.”
The initiative extends the partnership between the toy company and the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street into nature education. The videos are accompanied by free activity guides and printables intended to help families and educators turn the viewing experience into hands-on learning at home and in community settings.
In the bat video, Cookie Monster is startled by a bat before learning from The Count how bats help pollinate plants and protect crops, including cacao trees, which produce the raw material used to make chocolate.
In the butterfly video, Elmo and Grover learn how butterflies can indicate a healthy garden before creating butterfly-friendly spaces through building and crafting activities. The worm video features Oscar the Grouch showing Elmo how worms help maintain healthy soil and support plant growth.
The videos are part of a broader nature-learning initiative under the LEGO Group’s Build the Change social impact program. The program encourages children to use creativity to explore real-world challenges and develop their own ideas for addressing them.
The accompanying activities encourage children to build habitats that provide creatures with food, water, and shelter. The resources are intended for use not only at home but also in museums, libraries, and community groups.
Samantha Kennedy, vice president of marketing and brand strategy at Sesame Workshop, said the initiative builds on Sesame Street’s longstanding role in helping children understand the world around them.
“For generations, families have trusted Sesame Street to help children explore the world with curiosity, kindness, and joy,” Kennedy said. “Through engaging stories and beloved characters, we’re helping children discover that their actions, no matter how small, can make a meaningful difference in caring for nature.”
The three videos and accompanying activities are available free of charge through the LEGO Group’s Build the Change webpage, with the videos also rolling out on Sesame Street’s YouTube channel.
The initiative does not include a commercial LEGO set or product. Instead, it provides free educational resources for families and educators.
Build the Change is a LEGO Group social impact program supported by the LEGO Foundation. Its Build the Change for Little Ones initiative adapts the program for children ages 4 to 6.