Undugu Playground as designed in Minecraft and the real-life Playground created from the Minecraft schematic.
More information on Block by Block current projects can be found here: http://blockbyblock.org/current-projects
Who says Minecraft is just a game? In my previous post, I introduced a cool program, Block by Block, that illustrates how video games can be used for good and can be more than just a way to kill time.
In our house we always use “teachable moments” to explain world-things to our boys and many times Minecraft is the vehicle we use to deliver messages or illustrate things a little better. I thought I’d share a recent moment that merges Minecraft-life with real-world life.
For the first time, we signed up to work at a local soup kitchen where we brought food and then helped organize, serve & clean. We felt it was important to involve our 9 yr old boys in the event. We talked to them before we started, explaining the people arriving are “guests” and asking for help with your meals is very humbling (sometimes bad things happen to good people & they have no choice but to ask for help).
They worked the serving line serving desserts (who doesn’t like dessert?) and did a terrific job. At the end of the day, and unprompted from us, they both said they had fun & wanted to do it again. Yay!
Then the questions came . . .
~ Why didn’t the people have food at home? (maybe no job or lower pay)
~ Were they homeless? (Probably not. Just not much money right now)
~ Where do they eat the other days? (Probably at home. They may not have money for all meals)
~ Why did the lady take extra food home? (She took it for another lady who can’t get here)
This was followed up by the Minecraft Teachable Moment . . . It’s just like on a server when someone needs food, you gladly give food right? Or you might help them build a house. Then the boys said “sometimes players ask all the time for free things, which is annoying.” We agreed and said that it’s probably better to help them understand how to build a house or get food by hunting or farming. Then they can take care of themselves and in turn help other newbies or players.
Communities need people to help each other, whether it’s a Minecraft Community or a real-life Community 🙂
Minecraft Mom2Miners 