Mandylubug Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 You know, my kids can be quite addicted. However, I never thought it would help my kids spell. My girls are addicted to building new buildings but in this addiction, they feel they must put door labels and label every area. I have helped them spell so many words. Last night, my daughter comes running in to ask me how to spell kitchen and then says "Oh, wait! I know how, nevermind!" and goes running back. These are the same gals that have been struggling reading.. Wonder if I can tuck a chapter book into that game somehow?! Not to mention how many times we are driving to town, or shopping, etc. and I hear "wow, that reminds me of minecraft" or "when I get home, I am totally building that in minecraft" lol The girls had an orthodontist consult this week and was asked by our new doctor what grade they were in. They promptly answered they were homeschooled but in 2nd AND 3rd grade. And then when asked what they liked to do they answer MINECRAFT!... That's right. they forgot to mention the co-op we attend or gymnastics they take, church activities... They only mention they are homeschooled and play video games all day. I just laughed. It is laugh or cry, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Oh! My son LOVES minecraft too! One of the benefits here is how computer savvy he has become! He is creating his own server for minecraft & figuring out this stuff on his own. He will ask for my help (and Lord knows I try!) but I mainly just watch him do everything. He also has become interested in Scratch programming now, thanks to Minecraft!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My oldest ds just completed a science project using Minecraft to explain macromolecules. It was awesome. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My son is a Minecraft addict too, but the best 'spelling program' I ever bought was Super Scribblenauts. If they spell it, it appears. Amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Quiet. That's the benefit I see in my house. But I will freely admit that I hate all things video games. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We are studying chemistry (MrQ) this year. Doodle was already familiar with a lot of the periodic table as well as a few alloys due to playing Minecraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My ds7 loves it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 DS tells me they are getting a new biome in a coming upgrade. Hey- he learned the word biome. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Playing in drainage ditches looks better to me every second. Pull the plug! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 How much time do you allow? My boys have 15 minutes every day, but it seems to be on their mind all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 15 minutes wouldn't be enough time to really explore or build a cool structure on Minecraft. I limit ditch time to daylight hours. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My oldest has gotten into architecture and design as a result of playing around with Minecraft. He's taking a digital design class right now. He designed me an amazing library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Mine probably play about an hour a day. They don't watch tv, though. They read tons of books and play with other toys, and complete their school work happily and without rushing through. I don't allow any electronics until after 5pm, no matter when they finish their work. They play outside, they go to gymnastics, etc. So, I don't feel guilty about their Minecraft addiction :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 My oldest has gotten into architecture and design as a result of playing around with Minecraft. He's taking a digital design class right now. He designed me an amazing library. My girls built me "Belle's Library" from Beauty and the Beast. They were soooo excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 my son lives and breathes MINECRAFT....... I agree-on a good day it does bring QUIET to the house...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2pandc Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 We pulled the plug. My normally creative and energetic son became so obsessed that even with time limits, having to ask permission before playing, etc didn't help. Every word out of his mouth seems to lead to Minecraft in some way. I finally pulled the plug when he told me he was playing club penguin when I could clearly see he was not. I deleted it off his computer and blocked him from watching the YouTube videos for a while. In a matter of days he regained interest in a variety of things again. And he no longer looks so unhappy like he did when he WAS playing Minecraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm another that doesn't get it. My kids play occasionally, but when I see the people talking about all the "educational benefits" they always seem like things that could have been attributed to any number of other kid obsessions. I mean, if a kid is into something, it's cool that you find ways to make it benefit the learning or cool that it inspires them to be interested in other real world things to research, but any obsession could lead to those things. I have seen all the various Minecraft in education suggestions and most of them are pretty mild IMO. I mean, Minecraft fanfic is one I've seen several times. Great, I love when kids write fanfic. But they can write fanfic about anything. Minecraft isn't special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Minecraft has been wonderful for my littlest, who has multiple learning disabilities. His primary strength is visual-spatial stuff, so the Minecraft gets him using that which helps sort of "turn on" his brain for other stuff, and it has helped him learn to spell & type a few things (he has severe dyslexia and all things written language are a chore. Except in the context of Minecraft). For my other boys, though, yes it is just a video game. A creative one, sure, and the cooperative play has been good, but no more so than other activities. As my oldest said -- it's Legos, on the computer. We can just play real legos. And they do, along with a number of other activities that aren't screen based, so I don't mind the Minecraft time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Playing in drainage ditches looks better to me every second. Pull the plug! Bill I don't know what your experience had been with minecraft but it doesn't seem to have been good. That's fair but it's not universal. Honest it isn't.:) OP, it's led to modding for my kids. My daughter has learned a lot about what goes on under the hood with video games and my son is starting to explore creating his own content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm another that doesn't get it. My kids play occasionally, but when I see the people talking about all the "educational benefits" they always seem like things that could have been attributed to any number of other kid obsessions. I mean, if a kid is into something, it's cool that you find ways to make it benefit the learning or cool that it inspires them to be interested in other real world things to research, but any obsession could lead to those things. I have seen all the various Minecraft in education suggestions and most of them are pretty mild IMO. I mean, Minecraft fanfic is one I've seen several times. Great, I love when kids write fanfic. But they can write fanfic about anything. Minecraft isn't special. I agree but I don't know if anyone is claiming there's anything inherently special about it though. I think we just sharing how it's led to different things because it's a bit of a touchstone right now, something a lot of us are familiar with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 DS tells me they are getting a new biome in a coming upgrade. Hey- he learned the word biome. :) A couple new biomes... savannas, mesa, taiga, birch forest... lots of new flowers that would be fun to look up too - oxeye daisies, roses, orchids, alliums, azure bluet... I've actually had a good time looking some of those up these last couple new days. I don't necessarily think that Minecraft's benefits are limited to Minecraft specifically, but I really do like it. It lets me be creative and experiment, and has led me to getting interested in architecture and interior design. However, like all games, there is too much, and I've had to limit myself as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Each kid is different. I have one who enjoys it, but does not obsess. His obsession is chess. The others like Minecraft, but don't actually play it daily even though they all have access. I have two kids who seem to go overboard if their screen time is not limited. I am constantly talking to them about prioritizing what's most important to you. For my oldest and youngest though, this is not the case. In fact my oldest, who was given his own laptop and no restrictions @ 13, just got hired as a programmer after self-teaching in computer code. He found that one person who would let him show what he could do and they hired him. It's a darn good job--one that many adults would love to have. Tuition reimbursement, benefits, corporate housing (He's not moving out YET.). He can afford (at nineteen!!) to put himself through college, buy a new car and pay for its insurance and still save about half his take home pay. The important thing though? He is loving what he's doing. I can honestly say that for THIS kid, limiting him to 15 minutes a day would have really limited him. I do realize that is not the usual result of giving free rein, but parents do need to consider each child's needs individually. If you know *your* child needs screen time limited, do it. You'll know this just by looking at them while they're on the computer and watching how it affects their behavior. Just don't do anything because it's considered to be general knowledge. It really does not affect everyone the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Eh. I see it as a thing they enjoy, the way I enjoy reading message boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I agree but I don't know if anyone is claiming there's anything inherently special about it though. I think we just sharing how it's led to different things because it's a bit of a touchstone right now, something a lot of us are familiar with. Clearly you have not met the Minecraft is an amazing and unique educational tool evangelists. ;) Some people are definitely claiming that. I'm not against it, but my boys aren't that into it and I don't feel like I should try to push them to be more into it for educational reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 We pulled the plug. My normally creative and energetic son became so obsessed that even with time limits, having to ask permission before playing, etc didn't help. Every word out of his mouth seems to lead to Minecraft in some way. I finally pulled the plug when he told me he was playing club penguin when I could clearly see he was not. I deleted it off his computer and blocked him from watching the YouTube videos for a while. In a matter of days he regained interest in a variety of things again. And he no longer looks so unhappy like he did when he WAS playing Minecraft. I totally get this but pulling the plug didn't help in our case, just made our lives miserable. dd13 expects to be entertained/engaged in a fun activity every waking second and not doing so leads to her trying to make our lives hell. I wish blocking it had the same effect on my child. Even after 3+ months of no internet/computer it was still all she talked about/drew pictures of ect. She has no outside interests really:( The only time she smiles is when she's got her face in that blasted game:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Clearly you have not met the Minecraft is an amazing and unique educational tool evangelists. ;) Some people are definitely claiming that. I'm not against it, but my boys aren't that into it and I don't feel like I should try to push them to be more into it for educational reasons.Ah! I suppose I'd see that as the flip side of Bill's opposition. :D "It was a fantastic tool for us so the same must be true for everyone!" It's been fun in our house and led to interesting things but no more so then Harry Potter or or chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 And he no longer looks so unhappy like he did when he WAS playing Minecraft. I only allow Pocket Edition in my house so far, and we mostly play with the difficulty set way down so there are no monsters. The one time he accidentally turned the difficulty up and encountered spiders, his heart was racing and he was a little anxious the rest of the day. That freaked me out a bit, to be honest. I don't think he needs that. I'm a little intrigued by http://minecrafthomeschool.com/ and visiting it lead to increased interest in designing worlds and programming mods which is kind of fun! Also we had a discussion about what rusts and about the development of metalcraft in human history, based on interest in iron smelting from the game, so that was cool too. :) We are successful in limiting his play to 15-20 minutes at a time, every couple of days. Folks have said you need more time to complete extensive projects, but DS has no trouble returning to the project where he left off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2pandc Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I totally get this but pulling the plug didn't help in our case, just made our lives miserable. dd13 expects to be entertained/engaged in a fun activity every waking second and not doing so leads to her trying to make our lives hell. I wish blocking it had the same effect on my child. Even after 3+ months of no internet/computer it was still all she talked about/drew pictures of ect. She has no outside interests really:( The only time she smiles is when she's got her face in that blasted game:( I humbly return. Not even a few hours after I wrote this we went to Target and I found him staring at the Minecraft toys on an end cap. I told him we weren't going backward, and he got upset and was crying on the way out. He asked why he can't at least watch the YouTube videos. Well, son, maybe because you are crying over a game. I know he still wants to play, but he knows the line has been set hard and fast. I am actively trying to get him into using gamesalad to design his own things. I've sat and worked on some of the tutorial design with him even though it doesn't really light my own fire :). I just couldn't take him hunched over it like an angry crab any longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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