For Anna Shternshis, a University of Toronto professor, the Daniels Minecraft Camp was a way to give her youngest son, eight-year-old Avi, some badly needed intellectual stimulation. "Avi spent a lot of April and May on his devices, playing different games," she says. "He got interested in Minecraft. It seemed like a good game, but I was thinking: he should be doing something useful with his brain." The camp helped turn Minecraft into an intellectual exercise. "They came up with a story," Anna says, "and they directed kids in thinking creatively about things they were building. They actually put thought into a curriculum. As an educator myself, I appreciated that very much. ... Read More

Milena Kako, a behavioural therapist from Toronto, enrolled her two sons, 11-year-old Julian and 13-year-old Tristan, in the camp for four weeks. "I was working, and my husband works as well," she says. "We wanted the kids to be involved in something that would be fun, but also beneficial for them. We thought this camp would give them opportunities to interact with their peers. At the same time, they would be doing something that they enjoy a lot. Both of them love Minecraft." She noticed immediate benefits. "I found that they were able to connect with their peers quite well," she says. "The camp was set up in a way where interaction was stimulated and encouraged. There were a lot of collaborative games that were built into the different activities." For the kids, the camp was a welcome relief from the monotony of isolation. "The games and the building were really fun," Tristan says. "But one of my favourite parts was finally getting to interact with other kids after the long pandemic." The two brothers received expert Minecraft instruction from their councillors. After learning about different architectural styles, they began building a series of ancient-Greek-style temples that became more and more elaborate with each passing week. Now, with camp finished for the year, Tristan and Julian are continuing to experiment with Minecraft builds on their own. And they have remained friends with some of their fellow campers ... Read More