Is Mind Craft educational? That my friend is a very good question and I myself have asked that very same questions several times. The girls love playing mind craft on their IPads, they play the survival mode and the creative mode. I have no idea how it works, how you build anything or even why all the kids think it’s fun. I laugh because the game is basically blocks, like the games that I used to play when computer games first came out. I laugh because programmers and artists spend countless hours and money trying to make these awesome 3D realistic games and these kids want to play a box game with no special effect, no fancy gizmos and they love it.

So lets talk about the good, bad and ugly of this game and video games in general. Since I have been Unschooling I have taught myself to look at things in a different way, like Disney – ok don’t get me started but the general opinion is it’s just fun and there is nothing you could learn at that horrid place. They are wrong but that is an article for another day.

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Mind-craft is a blocky boring game where you have to use your imagination to even begin to enjoy the game. That statement right there is why I think it is very educational. The girls use their imagination in a huge way making homes, digging tunnels, making slides, rooms with kitchens, washers, homes for their chickens, making farms, green houses, and even a huge ice slide. I am amazed what their huge imaginations are seeing, they make mansions, roller coasters that work, make thick enough doors so the monsters can’t get them. They can text each other, go into each others land and help the other build something. It is amazing because really, all I see is blocks, cubes, bold color nothing fancy at all. So ask yourself should we let kids play mind craft or sleep in class while the teacher talks about something that so boring and they will forget as soon as they walk out the door.

We are also working on some more Khan academy math, Hugs did three and two digit multiplication without caring, and Munchy is working on simplifying fractions. They both read for 30 minutes and then we did more Mind-craft and tried to catch the animal eating out birdseed in the garage, I really hope it is not a big swamp rat, yuck!!