Normally I don’t cover book reviews on my blog simply because of the time involved in reviewing them but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out the new Unofficial Minecraft Lab for Kids! Especially when I heard that it was a hands on interactive book that branched both ONLINE AND OFFLINE in the Minecraft world with activities to keep the kids busy all summer! Even if you have no clue WHAT Minecraft is chances are you’ve definitely heard of it!

So this book is really unique in that it attempts to branch both the digital and real world which I really liked because it’s crossing over the best of both. It’s no secret that education is enhanced with technology and it can be a stellar tool for kids. This book by John Miller (a middle school teacher for 20+ years) is really genius and pulls in the whole family for labs and quests. Above you can see my son reading about setting a trap in his Minecraft world and then on the next page it teachers him how to make a finger trap. (other offline activities that pair up with activities in your Minecraft world are things like building a marshmallow catapult, a simple LED light circuit, shadow puppets, a matchbox guitar, etc.) It even includes a recipe of a stew to make!

There are also pages you can actually pull out of the back of the book like a Scavenger Hunt checklist, a page of sticker badges for your child to use as he/she completes the quests, foldable pixel papercraft and more. And it’s not just Minecraft – this lab book spreads out and teaches concepts of math, science, history, and even culture with it’s quests and projects.

There are so many things we like about this book even though we’re just getting started with it. Every Lab (or chapter) gives you a ton of online resources with the corresponding URL to watch a tutorial video, read of legends, find a kid friendly Minecraft YouTube channel, templates, hashtags to share your child’s work, and much much more. The book explains the basics of the Minecraft world for those who are new to the game allowing your child’s creativity to expand based on their knowledge of Minecraft.

This is a MUCH more flexible and affordable option than Minecraft “camps” online and it also gives your kids plenty of activities and projects offline to keep them busy. With 24 labs included in the book you could easily do 2-3 labs EVERY week in the summer and be kept pretty busy and Minecraft involved.