National Geographic Kids and LEGO® City inspire children to explore and learn more about our Jungles

National Geographic Kids and LEGO® City inspire children to explore and learn more about our Jungles

National Geographic Kids and LEGO® City have collaborated on a special partnership to inspire our children to explore, discover and learn about jungles as well as the importance of their preservation. National Geographic Explorer Andres Ruzo, is heading this project and loves to share the importance of jungles with the future explorers. Through LEGO City Jungle bricks, vehicles, and mini-figures Ruzo has created a fun way to highlight what incredible habitats jungles are, helping children learn more about their diversity, incredible plant and animal species, as well the importance of conservation for the future.

Ruzo shares “Of all my expeditions to the Amazon Rainforest this was definitely the one my 9-year-old-self would have not wanted to miss! The mission: To explore the sacred and mysterious Boiling River of the Amazon, deep in the heart of the jungle. The Goal: To inspire kids to care about the jungle and the planet. The Tools: High-tech gear like drones, GPS´s, and thermal cameras - and the new LEGO® City Jungle sets of course! I want kids to love the jungle, and to want to protect and understand it as much as I do. Long before I was ever exploring the jungle, I was dreaming up my own jungle adventures as a boy. This is why I am so excited for the LEGO City Jungle range, I want playtime to inspire the next generation of jungle explorers.”

LEGO City designer Andrew Butler Coghill, who has been part of developing the new Jungle models, comments; “Children are our role models and we believe that inviting children on a LEGO jungle adventure is a great way to inspire them to learn more about the real jungles. It has been very motivating to meet the reactions from the children when testing the products and I am really pleased that National Geographic Kids have partnered with us to use our models to teach children about life in the jungle”.

Oliver was delighted to be sent a LEGO jungle set which he has given a 10/10 for being cool. He loves playing with the set and really enjoyed putting it together. He is a huge lego fan but it's often more ninjago, batman, star wars so it's lovely to get back to something that isn't a 'character' something that is 'real', just like our jungle. It's actually lovely to have a LEGO City set for the first time in a while. The instructions are easy to follow like all lego. Oliver happily built it himself very quickly, it amazes me how quickly he can put them together now!

He's really enjoyed this set and I would 100% be interested in more like this, it's his birthday soon so I'm going to have a little look at LEGO sets I probably otherwise wouldn't have looked at before this. I can't tell you how long he has played with this set without stopping, usually he gets bored of things but once I'd let him have a look around the website his mind was full of ideas for games to play.

This set encourages Oliver to think about the world around us, use his imagination just like LEGO does but use it in a way that is creating a love, a desire to learn more about the world around him and want to keep it safe. All of that from a 'toy' - must be good! Look at the concentration on his fac

As part of the initiative, LEGO® City & National Geographic Kids will launch an exciting new competition to win a National Geographic Family Expedition to the jungles of Costa Rica in Central America! The winning family will explore the treetops and volcanic canyon landscapes of Rio Blanco, go zip lining through tropical forests surrounded by astonishing wildlife, visit a wildcat rescue centre to meet orphaned ocelots and jaguars, dine in a tree house and get to experience the real-life jungle.

The competition is open to children between the ages of 6 and 16, and open to residents of US, UK, Benelux, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, Hungary, Czech, Romania & Russia. For a chance to win, candidates must imagine something they might discover deep in the jungle – and then draw it or build it with LEGO bricks. For further details, and to enter, please visit: www.LEGO.com/jungle.  - You know that Oliver will definitely be entering this don't you?

Make sure you head to the shops the week of 16th August to pick up a copy of a special jungle-themed issue of National Geographic Kids which is in Oliver's top 3 kids magazines. This issue will include exciting LEGO® content, including a pull-out jungle poster which children can use as a backdrop to their imaginative play.

In this issue you will find a LEGO City and National Geographic Kids ‘Explorer’s Handbook’ – a mini guide to everything you need to know about the jungle. From what to pack, to how to wrestle a caiman in an emergency, the Explorer’s Handbook is filled with fun facts and activities for children to delve into and I know that Oliver as well as his friends are going to love this.

Something else exciting - Let your children join the jungle expedition on LEGO.com/jungle and find funny facts, activities and videos and from 24th July, National Geographic Kids’ dedicated Jungle hub (www.natgeokids.com/jungle). The jungle hub will be bursting with jungle facts and fun activities for kids. You can also check out the jungle videos following Andrés Ruzo and his LEGO companions through the Amazon on an educational and immersive journey of adventure and discovery.  These can be viewed at www.LEGO.com/jungle from 1st July.

For more information visit www.LEGO.com/jungle live now, and www.natgeokids.com/jungle

* please note that we were sent a LEGO set in exchange for an honest review *