So, we’ve become a Minecraft household.
Once homework is done, there is at least one child playing Minecraft at any given time, and the majority of the time, there are usually three.
I was introduced to Minecraft a few years ago, by a woman who worked in our district and was an advocate of using Minecraft in the educational setting as a tool to teach problem solving, as well as a variety of other topics.
At the time, I tried to get Monkey Girl to test it out, but she wasn’t really too into it.
Of course, the power of peers is fierce, and this year, one of her friends in the school musical was playing Minecraft on her iPad, showed it to Monkey Girl and a Minecraft addict was born.
Monkey Girl showed it to the boys, and the addiction swept through our home faster than the stomach bug that knocked us all down for the count last weekend.
I’ve read more than my share of articles about Minecraft and it’s uses in education and I actually love the idea of gaming in the classroom.
I tried to broker a deal to teach my students about the development of a civilization by actually having them play the game Civilization, however, it turned out to be too expensive for our school to afford.
The idea was supported, but there just wasn’t the money for it.
I’m still working on that one, because I think it would be an excellent way for them to experience everything that goes into the building of a civilization, and it would hook them in much more strongly than just hearing it from me.
But, I digress.
So, as I said, I’m a proponent of Minecraft, and yet, I can certainly see the downside to the addiction.
The downside being inherent in the word “addiction,” of course.
So, we’re setting rules and boundaries and making sure toys get played with and conversations are being held and kids are still running around and doing all the things that kids are supposed to do.
I loved this article I found, because it outlined the exact things I was concerned with, and it sounds like she’s finding ways to cope with it as well.
At the end of the day, I’d rather they be playing Minecraft than Grand Theft Auto (which will never make its way into my house), and it’s still really cold outside.
I have a feeling that when things warm up, bikes and scooters will, once again, rule the roost, but for now, I’m okay with overhearing them chatter about whether it’s smarter to create a building that is rectangular or a square-based pyramid.
