THE LABORATORIO LÚDICO FOUNDATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ragnar Behncke

Laboratorio Lúdico

Founder of Laboratorio Lúdico. He trained in Cultural Biology with Humberto Maturana and studied play and laughter among bonobos in the Congo. His work, applied in public education in Chile and Mexico, explores the evolution of bonds, learning and cooperation. See more

Roberto Araya

CIAE, Universidad de Chile

Principal investigator at the Center for Advanced Research in Education (CIAE), Universidad de Chile, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. His research addresses how we learn mathematics and science, and explores the potential of digital tools and games to transform teaching and learning. See more

Alejandro Zambra

Writer

Chilean writer, author of novels, short stories and essays translated into numerous languages. His work explores memory, family ties and childhood. His books include “Bonsai”, “Literatura infantil” and “Chilean Poet”. In 2023 he received the Manuel Rojas Ibero-American Narrative Award. See more

Carolina Arce

Kavanta

Chilean entrepreneur and founder of Kavanta, where she supports leaders of small and medium-sized organizations in adopting artificial intelligence. She co-founded uPlanner and Impactus Ventures, where she launched the ChildTech Challenge, a project that promotes a critical and creative use of technology among schoolchildren. She has worked with more than 160 organizations in 15 countries. See more

Verónica Abud

Fundación La Fuente

Teacher and founder of Fundación La Fuente, which she has led since 2000. She has driven the creation of more than 100 school, public and mobile libraries, bringing reading to children and communities in many different regions. In 2009 she received the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award. See more

Who are we?

Laboratorio Lúdico was born in Chile in 2017 as a space for exploration across biology, evolution, learning and play. We started from a question: what powers allowed us to become the human beings we are, and how can that knowledge help us innovate in education?

Learning, exploring, playing, imagining and collaborating are not activities separate from life: they are capacities we have developed over millions of years.

As we approach our tenth year, we are taking a new step: we are becoming the Laboratorio Lúdico Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to broaden, across Latin America, the understanding of play as a right that stays with us throughout our lives.

OUR PURPOSE

Laboratorio Lúdico seeks to foster collective creation through art, play and science, building a bridge between evolutionary biology and innovation in learning. We believe that understanding how we evolved opens up new possibilities for learning, relating to one another and building community.

Play is one of our oldest and most powerful capacities: it allows us to explore the unknown through enjoyment, rehearse possibilities, build trust and collaborate. That is why we place it at the heart of collective processes that strengthen lasting bonds, mental health and a sense of meaning in life.

We mainly support and train adults (teachers, teams, caregivers, professionals and leaders), and we also design experiences for all ages, because we never stop learning or playing.

How do we do it?

Our work unfolds in four areas that feed each other:

Stories and publications: books, illustrations and materials that bring knowledge about evolution, play and learning to people, communities and organizations.
Training and playful experiences: workshops, training programs, certifications, Biomapa and experiences that develop playful skills and new ways of learning.
Consulting and support: we work with schools, organizations and teams to explore new forms of leadership, collaboration, coexistence and well-being from an evolutionary perspective.
Community and alliances: we foster gatherings, research, knowledge exchange and collaboration networks to build a Latin American play ecosystem that nurtures creative communities.

WE COLLABORATE WITH