Maine Summer Camp Kids Using Minecraft To Learn About The Planets

If your kids are between the age of 7 and 15, there is a good chance they are big fans of Minecraft.  That's the low resolution (it looks like something we would have played on Nintendo back in the early 1990s) building game.

You may have watched them play and seen that there was something sort of educational about the game, but you probably never thought your children would learn about the solar system using Minecraft.

That is exactly what one science oriented summer camp program is going to do.

According to WABI TV, the Versant Power Astronomy Center at UMO is hosting a free camp for students ages ten through fourteen during the first week of August.

During the camp, the kids will use Minecraft to simulate "what if" scenarios.  According to the news station's report one of proposed scenarios will be about what would happen if the Earth was the moon of a larger planetary body.  Kind of like Pandora from the Avatar movies.

The TV station's article said that Neil Comins, astronomy professor at the University of Maine, said:

It’s incredibly important for young people to learn the power of science and what science is doing for them. And that they can contribute to science

Get more details about the program HERE

We're curious!  What are your planning to do to keep your kids and teens occupied this summer?  Message us through our app or on Facebook.