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Minecraft Madness in New Jersey

2/9/15 - By Erica Hartman

If you have kids in the 7-18 age range, I'll bet you've heard of Minecraft. When I asked my daughter to define it, she said, "Mom, it's basically a game about placing blocks to build anything your brain can imagine." I was not sold right off the bat, but as she played, I saw that there could be educational benefits--as long as parents set playing guidelines. Here are some great classes, clubs and camps that will get you revved up for Minecraft Madness in New Jersey.

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In case you're not acquainted with Minecraft,  here is a great video that explains it and here are some of the educational benefits a player might reap. My eight year old has been begging us to sign her up on X-Box, and we finally did, with limits about whom she can friend and how much time per day she can spend on Minecraft, of course. We learned about what we needed to purchase and how to get started at the Minecraft wiki. Below are some great NJ Minecraft resources, as well as a menu of Minecraft clubs and camps.

These camps and groups are great, but if you have your own server, you can create your own online clubs. Be sure not to "grief" anyone and have fun!

Originally published 2013