Minecraft Education
Do your kids play Minecraft? Do they ask to bombard your computer with such things as Mods, Skins, Lucky Blocks, Mad Packs.... and... whatever? Mine does, too. I got help though--Keep reading!
As many of you might know, in addition to running GetMeOils.com, I am a homeschool momma of a wonderful 2nd grader.
Well, he is partly a 3rd grader, because some subjects he just is better in than others, but he is of age to be a 2nd grader.
We do a reward system and learning curriculum based on his favorite activities and interests.
He LOVES Minecraft.
I do not.
I feel as though I might not be alone in this battle of momma's out there shouting, "ENOUGH OF MINECRAFT!"
However, I learned how to make it work for us and we have had some pretty educational events take place solely becuase of this block-building fantasy land.
Learning with Minecraft
"Hold on Mom, I gotta get more Lapis Lazouli" or "The other day I was smelting some iron to mod a ..."
What 2nd grade talks like this? All of them now! In my day, no one but the nerds knew what Lapis Lazouli was-- hanging out a the rock section of the smitsonian store in the mall. Not playing a computer game. There are benefits to this though.
Because he has learned to read and recognize these stones and mineral names, I'm able to teach him about the real world materials that he is mining for. We've seen and touched Birch wood, Lapis Lazouli, Diamond, Emerald, Iron, and discussed how they are rare in the real world as well. Seeing these materials in real life makes the game more real to him. Then when he is mining for something, he understands what is happening in real life as well and not just in a mouse-clicking reality.
Educents Make Sense
I don't spend a lot on the materials for my son's homeschool, basically because there is so much content available for free on the web or at the library.
However, I found Educents, and went a li'l crazy!
We got some of these awesome Minecraft Worksheets and puzzles. He was excited to learn some techniques and do scavenger hunts or guided missions in the biome he created.
And then I found the Learn to Mod program from Educents. This blew my son's mind.
I told him that this program would teach him how to create the skins and mods that he wants me to download.
We have yet to find awesome, safe, ways to make these downloads work... And as a busy mom, I don't have a lot of extra time to research this huge underworld of minecraft to get what he wants. We have tried. We got tons of virus issues and malware. So I said, Vanilla Minecraft or no minecraft! Guess he likes vanilla!
Then we found this program!
"I can create anything I want to now!" He is so excited! He loves the program, learning how to be free in the game and create what he wants. He is already thinking of what businesses he could start by making things for others.
** I'm squealing inside**
"Sure honey... yea, that seems fun." As a mom, I can't show too much enthusiasm, or he won't like it anymore.
Now he has started a YouTube channel for moms, teaching others like me the basics of Minecraft so that we can carry a conversation with our minecraft kids and understand what's going on. Thanks!
He is business-minded, educated, and homeschooled. And he loves it!
Thanks, Educents, for showing me Minecraft tools to get my son interested in learning.
Shop. Support. Save
If you'd like to try the Learn to Mod program for your child, click here. By doing so, you are supporting this blog and his homeschool education. Thank you for your support!
