Travel through time with the new Minecraft hour of code

Harness the power of code to travel back in time and save the future in this year’s new Hour of Code lesson for Minecraft: Education Edition: TimeCraft! It doesn’t matter if you’re new to coding or have experience, anyone can do an Hour of Code. Begin learning computational thinking with block-based coding in MakeCode or code with text if you’re already ready to use Python! See code come to life in an exciting, immersive Minecraft world.

Students will travel back in time to solve 10 fun puzzles for some of history’s greatest innovators and inventions in science, architecture, music, and engineering. From a 1920s New York jazz club to the Great Wall of China, Computer Science is truly everywhere this year, and for everyone!

HOW TO RUN AN HOUR OF CODE

TimeCraft is available for free in Minecraft: Education Edition. You can download and access the lesson even if you don’t have a log in or official license from your school. Coders as young as seven can jump into this activity, but there is no age limit on learning to code! Facilitate an Hour of Code with your classroom, or at home with your family. For those who like to learn on their own, in-game hints will help self-directed coders through the lesson.

As you complete each activity, uncover clues to discover the mysterious time culprit responsible for these mishaps. There are ten activities total, but you’ll only need to complete three to uncover enough clues to identify the time culprit. However, your students can always continue playing to explore the rest of the activities or restart the game to go on another adventure! The tutorial is designed for multiple outcomes, so the time culprit will be different with each playthrough. Creativity and coding go hand in hand: students will be encouraged to come up with their own solutions – there is no single prescriptive answer for any of the coding puzzles.

Watch our educator walkthrough video for a step-by-step tutorial on the Hour of Code lesson:

PREPARE FOR CS EDUCATION WEEK

Aspiring coders across the US will be learning to code as we celebrate Computer Science Education Week, December 6-12, but this lesson will soon be available in 29 languages for those around the world. You can start preparing today by downloading Minecraft: Education Edition, and familiarizing yourself with the educator guide, lesson plan, and solutions guide. You can also get started by taking our one-hour Hour of Code Facilitator Training. Or, register to join classrooms around the world for live Hour of Code and computer science lessons taught by trained facilitators.

We’re also excited to announce that folks in the Kahoot! community will be able to find the Hour of Code lesson in Kahoot! Academy. Kahoot! Academy is a global knowledge platform, online community and marketplace, which allows anyone to access premium content that supports engaging and meaningful learning experiences. You can find additional learning questions and activities for each of the ten Hour of Code puzzles on Kahoot!

GO BEYOND AN HOUR WITH CS CURRICULUM

If you love Hour of Code as much as we do, you can play and teach with the tutorials we’ve released in the years past. A Tale of Two Villages, last year’s lesson on empathy and inclusion challenges learners to bring two villages together with the power of code. Minecraft: Education Edition offers over 200 hours of computer science curriculum if you’d like to continue your coding journey! This year, we’ve put together a special guide of Extension Activities based on the new Hour of Code tutorial, pairing follow-on curriculum with each TimeCraft activity so your students can continue learning.

We believe in the power of code to create a better future, and with Computer Science Education Week approaching, there’s never been a better time to get started. Start or continue your coding journey with an Hour of Code today!