If you have a child between the ages of 8 and 15, chances are you have heard about the game Minecraft. And of those that have heard about it, there is a good chance they have played it. Minecraft is a virtual world game, played on a computer or other device, that is about “placing blocks and going on adventures.” Those who play the game, love it. Did you know there is a virtual camp that your Minecraft-addicted kids can attend that not only can help develop campers’ Minecraft skills but also teaches varying levels of in-game coding to kids? It’s Connected Camps “Online Summer of Minecraft” camps which run from June 27 – August 12, 2016. (This is a sponsored post, by the way, and I have a discount code later on in this article so read on to learn more!)
Parents often face a struggle of what to do with their children during the summer. Camps and other organized activities are a great way for kids to spend time with their peers, away from their moms and dads, and doing something they hopefully truly enjoy. I remember going to a week-long, overnight camp where I was exposed to archery, fishing, canoeing, riflery, horseback riding and other activities. These are memories that last and skills that can be learned and grown.
But maybe you don’t want your kids away from you or perhaps there isn’t a camp near your area. And let’s not forget the expense of day or over-night camps. It can get expensive. Connected Camps is a week-long, online course, all moderated by counselors remotely via servers. That means your child can attend from the comfort of home.
Connected Camps “Online Summer of Minecraft”
These week-long courses start at $49. If you find a course that you or your child likes, you can get a 30% discount using the promo code: HTD30. And if you buy one camp, you get additional camps at 50% off as well.
I took a look at the different virtual camps which offer a “mastery of Minecraft”. There are three types of camps offered in the Online Summer of Minecraft camps. Specifically:
- Mastering Minecraft – with these camps, you become a better builder and learn how to conquer “survival mode”. Camps available are: Architecture, Game Design, and Survival Camp.
- Tech Academy – these camps go to the next level of working with Minecraft as they offer engineering, coding and game design. Available camps are: Beginning Coding, Intermediate Coding, and Engineering with Redstone.
- Just for Girls – Minecraft isn’t just for boys and with the push for girls in STEM, Connected Camps appropriately has a section geared towards girls increasing their STEM skills in coding, game design and survival mode.
Each of the Connected Camps courses has details on what a child will learn, any prerequisites (remember, you need to have a Minecraft account which is purchased separately as well as a PC/Mac version of the game), and the skills and advanced concepts that are developed.
For example, I took a look at the Girls Intermediate Coding in Minecraft camp. For starters (and probably pretty obviously) this is an all-girl class environment with a maximum class size of 12 campers. With this course, there are two counselors who are experienced in Minecraft, so that is a 6:1 ratio of campers:counselors. This camp is 2 hours long each day and it runs for five days. Some of the geeky stuff that campers learn here is a pretty good intro to coding:
- Program to allow a character to dynamically navigate an environment,
- Understand, use and code loops, variables and randomness to create new behaviors,
- Track and store information and use this info to complete tasks, all programmatically, and,
- Use functions and variables to create a variety of programs.
In the video below, you can see a camper in action and understand how the Connected Camps “Online Summer of Minecraft” works:
There are only a few weeks left in the summer of 2016 to enroll your child in one of these Connected Camps for the “Online Summer of Minecraft” sessions. Camps run from 6/27/16 – 10/12/16 – there are just a few camp sessions left and that is part of the reason why Connected Camps is offering HighTechDad readers a 30% discount – use promo code: HTD30.
So, if you are looking for something for your Minecraft-addicted child to do that won’t break the home budget and that even allows your child to participate in a week-long camp without having to leave the comfort of home, take a look at the Connected Camps solution.
Disclosure Text : This is a sponsored post and I have received compensation to prepare to write it as well as write it. All opinions within this article, unless otherwise noted, are my own and are not subject to the editorial review from any 3rd party. More information can be found in my About page.
HTD says: Give your kids some educational fun over the summer, let them play computer games (specifically Minecraft) and enable them to learn to code at Connected Camps.
