Science, Nature and Tech, Toys and Games

Why DO Kids Want to Play Minecraft?

Sitting back, ready for another interesting and rather aggressive night on COD (Call of Duty), I launch my dashboard to see the usual suspects all gathered playing the latest shoot ’em ups.

Except one.  Looking again, I notice my 13-year-old brother Jimbob is playing a game I’ve never seen – MINECRAFT.

After much persuasion and explanation “COME ON BRO, BUY IT PLEASE, YOU BUILD STUFF”,  I decide to purchase it, in order to support him in our mum’s campaign to play online more responsibly.

The game launches and all I see is blocks. Have I got the right game? Where are the graphics?

Wandering mindlessly around, past trees, rivers and spiders, until Harvey Jimbob asks me to come to his house. Here’s the strangest part: he built it.

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Poetry By You, Written By You

A Poem – Sadness is a Storm

This poem was sent to us by one of our talented young readers, 14 year old Rebekah.

Sadness is a storm.

A clap of thunder,

As you howl and wail,

Yet through it all,

You still prevail.

Nothing withstands

The heart of the tempest.

Ominous clouds loom,

Lightning flashes.

Light still gets through.

It gives you a glimpse,

Of hope pure and true

All’s well once more,

With the subsiding of the storm.

.

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Science, Nature and Tech

Real Life Minecraft – What is Quartz?

In Minecraft, Quartz blocks are used as decoration, and can be mined using any pick axe, but have you ever wondered about the real life stone, and asked yourself, ‘What is quartz, and what is it used for?’ Time to find out!
Nether Quartz is abundant in Minecraft, but did you know that the real life quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s continental crust? Beaten only by feldspur!

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Travel

Exploring Australian Alone

Sally-Anne was out and about in Australian, and took us along on a virtual trip. She shared her first impressions of the country, and then her love of the city of  Melbourne.
In this report, she explains why she went to Australia alone, and what it is like to travel without companions.

 

If you’ve been reading some of my reports from Australia, you’d be forgiven for wondering why I haven’t mentioned any of the people I’m travelling with. That’s because there isn’t anyone, I’m on this trip all by myself. I wasn’t too worried before I came because I’m quite used to doing things alone. I live in my own flat, I went to a different high school to everyone I knew from primary school and I quite often go and visit places by myself, but I’d never travelled alone. In fact, I’d never been outside of Europe at all, even with other people, so the whole trip was a bit nerve-wracking, if exciting.

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Home, Health & Style

Tomboys and Girly Girls

The mother of eight year old Isabella wrote about buying toys without glitter, and searching for ‘girl’ clothes in colours other than pink, which got us thinking about the term ‘tomboy’.
What do you call a girl who isn’t a girly-girl? Some people would say, ‘a tomboy’, but does that imply that the girl isn’t a real girl, and do we need a label for this anyway?
Perhaps we should let toys be toys, as this campaign demands, and sell clothes without ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ labels. What do you think?

 

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