Minecraft Coding in Space

Description: In this immersive camp, students use Minecraft Education and MakeCode to automate construction projects in space on the Moon and Mars. Through coding loops, conditionals, and agent commands, they’ll create sustainable bases, farms, and launch sites, just like real engineers planning for space exploration. Campers practice problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration while learning practical coding and automation skills. (led by Dr. Wes Fryer - updated 14 June 2026)

Note the activities included here are a guideline and subject to change! This information is provided for parent and student use during and after our camp, as well as for other teachers who may want to use / copy / remix these lessons! (Shared under a CC-BY license!)

In addition to the video links included below, feel free to explore additional videos about space exploration and moon / Mars habitation, as well as videos about robotic farming!

🗓 Daily Camp Schedule

1:00 Brain Teaser Warm-Up (Day 2 onward: Share-Back from Yesterday comes first)

1:15 Spark Video and Discussion

1:30 Mini Lesson: One New Skill

1:50 Challenge Launch and Create Time

2:00 Snack Break

2:30 Play, Explore, and Extend

3:10 Mission Report Share and Reflect

4:00 Camp ends

Camp Goals

I can navigate and build in Minecraft on a PC.
I can open MakeCode and run a code.
I can load a pre-written script and change something in it.
I can combine hand-building and code to make something of my own.
I am a responsible space explorer: I build with care, respect others' work, and treat our shared Mars Outpost and take responsibility for protecting the resources of our universe.

Code of Conduct

No Griefing or PVP (Player versus Player) attacks.
Build in your own area. Do not change or destroy what others have made.
If something goes wrong, ask Dr. Fryer for help.
Choose great moments for Dr. Fryer to photograph. Your work is your mission record.
If you cannot follow the Code of Conduct, you will need build in your own world instead of a SHARED world.

4 Day Overview

Day 1 - Moon Base: Navigate and Build

Theme: Students arrive at Moon Base One for orientation. They learn the PC controls, explore a professional Minecraft Education world, and build moon outpost structures by hand. They review the Mars Outpost Code of Conduct together before anyone starts building.

Spark Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HavXsaMnxNM

World Link: https://education.minecraft.net/world/434260fa-5b4a-458d-baff-69aea44ddbe6

Less

Lesson Plan Link: https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/lessons/moon-base-one

1:00 Brain Teaser Warm-Up (15 min)

Pair activity. Show a photo of the Moon surface or Apollo landing site. Ask: 'Astronauts are landing on the Moon for the first time. What are the three most important things to build first to survive? Rank them with your partner.'

Pairs share out. Write ideas on the board. Plant the stewardship question: 'Who owns the resources under the ice of Antarctica? Who should own the resources of the moon? How do we work with our partners now on the International Space Station?'

1:15 Spark Video and Discussion (10 min)

Watch the Moon Base One intro video (link above).

Discussion questions: What do you notice about how this base is designed? What would it feel like to live there? What would you add or change?

1:25 Mars Outpost Code of Conduct (10 min)

Before anyone opens a computer, build the shared world agreement together. Ask: 'What rules would real astronauts need to follow in a shared base so everyone stays safe and gets their work done?'

Let students make suggestions. Share the .

Frame the individual world option positively: 'We are trusting you to be mission-ready from Day 1.'

1:35 Mini Lesson: PC Navigation (15 min)

Whole-group demo at the projector before anyone touches Minecraft. Model each control while students watch:

W A S D to move
Mouse to look around
Left click to break a block
Right click to place a block
E to open inventory
T to open chat
F2 or the in-game camera for screenshots
How to pick a block from the hotbar

Keep it short and visual. Tell them: 'You will forget some of this. That is fine. Ask a neighbor before asking me.'

1:50 Challenge Launch: Open Moon Base One and Build (35 min)

Open the shared world using the Moon Base One link above.

Challenge prompt (low floor, high ceiling, wide walls):

'You have just arrived at Moon Base One. Explore the base, then find a spot and add ONE thing that would make life better here. It can be a room, a garden patch, a storage area, a sign, anything you think the base is missing. Make it yours.'

Circulate constantly. Celebrate small wins out loud. Connect students who are solving similar problems. For students struggling with controls: pair them so one gives directions while the other builds, then swap.

2:00 Snack Break (30 min)

Genuine pause. Let students talk about what they found in the world.

2:30 Play, Explore, and Extend (40 min)

Continue building. Prompt students who finish their first idea: 'What is the second thing the base needs? What would make your area even better? Can you add a sign that explains what your space is for?'

Introduce the in-game camera. Have students choose their best moment and call Dr. Fryer over for a photo. Ask them: 'What do you most want people to see from today?'

3:10 Mission Report Share and Reflect (20 min)

Each student points to their screen (or Dr. Fryer shows the photo) and completes this sentence out loud:

'I built a _______ because the base needed _______.'

Close with a whole-group reflection: 'Tomorrow we travel to Mars. What should we do differently there than Europeans did when they arrived in the Americas?'

Photo Capture: Day 1

When you are proud of something you built, raise your hand and show Dr. Fryer. He will photograph your screen. Pick your best moment: 'What do you most want people to see from today?'

Day 2 - Mars Outpost: Code a Dome

Theme: We have arrived on Mars. Students open MakeCode for the first time, run the Flower Trail tutorial to see the agent respond to code, then load a dome script and watch their agent build a habitat structure. Hand-building continues inside the dome.

Spark Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSZYCGHMStw

Dome Script Link: [LINK TO BE ADDED]

1:00 Share-Back from Yesterday (10 min)

Three students show their Day 1 photos and say one sentence about what they built. Keep it quick and celebratory. Ask: 'Did anyone notice something in the Moon Base that surprised them?'

1:10 Brain Teaser (10 min)

Pair challenge: 'A robot can only follow exact instructions. Write three steps to make a peanut butter sandwich. Your partner will follow them exactly, with no guessing allowed.' Act it out. When it goes wrong (and it will), laugh together.

Name the lesson: 'This is what happens when code is not specific enough. Today we write code that has to be exact.'

1:20 Spark Video and Discussion (10 min)

Watch a short MakeCode intro or dome build video (search terms above).

Discussion: 'Why would a dome be a good shape for a Mars habitat? What does code do that building by hand cannot?'

1:30 Mini Lesson: Opening MakeCode and Running Flower Trail (20 min)

Demo at the projector:

How to open MakeCode inside Minecraft Education
What a block of code looks like and how to read it
Run Flower Trail together as a whole group

Name what just happened: 'You did not build that flower trail. The agent did. You wrote instructions and the computer followed them. That is coding.'

1:50 Challenge Launch: Run the Dome Script (35 min)

Provide the dome script link (above). Students load it, then you walk through the blocks briefly: 'What do you think this block does?' before running it.

Challenge prompt:

'Run the dome script and watch your agent build. Then pick a spot inside your dome and add at least one thing by hand. What does your habitat need on the inside?'

Low floor: get the dome to run. High ceiling: add interior features by hand, experiment with changing the dome size number in the script and running it again.

2:00 Snack Break (30 min)

Encourage students to visit a neighbor's dome before snack ends.

2:30 Play, Explore, and Extend (40 min)

Students continue adding to their dome interiors. Prompts: 'What does a real Mars habitat need to keep people alive? Can you build it?' Suggestions if students are stuck: airlock entrance, sleeping area, storage, lighting, a window.

Prompt deeper thinkers: 'Try changing one number in the dome script and run it again. What happened? Is that a bug or a feature?'

3:10 Mission Report Share and Reflect (20 min)

Each student (or Dr. Fryer shows the photo) answers:

'My dome has _______ inside it. I put it there because _______.'

Reflection: 'What was different about building with code versus building by hand yesterday?'

Photo Capture: Day 2

Choose one view of your dome from outside and one thing you built inside it. Point Dr. Fryer to your screen when you are ready. Think about what angle shows it best before you call him over.

Day 3 - Farm Day: Robots Plant the Crops

Theme: A Mars outpost cannot survive without food. Students load a pre-written farming script, run it inside or near their dome, read through the code to understand what it does, and then change one number to see what happens. The agent does the planting; students do the thinking.

Spark Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0miKj4UOiA

Farming Script Link: [PASTE MAKECODE FARMING SCRIPT SHARE LINK HERE]

1:00 Share-Back from Yesterday (10 min)

Three students show dome photos. Ask: 'Did anyone try changing a number in the dome script? What happened?' Celebrate anyone who experimented.

1:10 Brain Teaser (10 min)

Pair challenge: 'You are on Mars. Write four steps, in order, that a robot would need to follow to plant one row of crops. Be as specific as you can.'

Share out. Compare versions: 'Which set of steps is most specific? Which would actually work?' This is sketch-friendly pseudocode in disguise.

1:20 Spark Video and Discussion (10 min)

Watch a short farming video (search terms above).

Discussion: 'Why is farming the most important thing for a Mars outpost? What happens if the crops fail? What would you grow first?'

1:30 Mini Lesson: Reading a Farming Script (20 min)

Load the farming script on the projector. Walk through it block by block, asking students to predict what each section does before you reveal it. Focus on:

The repeat or loop block: 'Why do we repeat instead of writing the same thing ten times?'
The move and place blocks: 'What would happen if we changed this number from 5 to 10?'

Change one number live on the projector, run it, and show the result. Name it: 'Changing one thing and seeing what happens is exactly what engineers and scientists do. It is called testing.'

1:50 Challenge Launch: Run the Farming Script and Grow Something (35 min)

Students load the farming script, run it inside or near their dome, and observe.

Challenge prompt:

'Get your agent to plant a farm. Then answer: what crop did you plant, and why would that crop matter on Mars? Can you change ONE number in the script to make the farm bigger or a different shape?'

Low floor: run the script as provided. High ceiling: change a number, re-run, compare the result, try to add a second crop row or add a fence by hand around the farm.

2:00 Snack Break (30 min)

Ask during snack: 'What would you name your crop variety if you were a real Mars farmer?'

2:30 Play, Explore, and Extend (40 min)

Students continue farming experiments. Prompt deeper thinkers: 'Can you add a fence around your farm by hand? What would the agent need to do next after planting? Can you describe that in plain English?'

Introduce the camera for action shots today: have students choose a moment of their agent mid-task, not just the finished farm.

3:10 Mission Report Share and Reflect (20 min)

Each student answers:

'My agent planted _______ and I changed _______ in the script. Here is what happened.'

Reflection: 'What surprised you about how the code worked? What do you wish you could change that you did not know how to yet?'

Photo Capture: Day 3

Pick the moment you are most proud of: your agent in action, your finished farm, or the number you changed and what it did. You can choose more than one if something surprised you.

Day 4 - Mining Day: Robots Dig for Resources

Theme: A Mars outpost needs raw materials from underground. Students load a mining script, send the agent to dig, collect what comes back, and add those resources to their outpost by hand. The day closes with the Final Mission Report share: each student presents their best photo from the week.

Spark Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tr6rJrv8hs

Mining Script Link: [PASTE MAKECODE MINING SCRIPT SHARE LINK HERE]

1:00 Share-Back from Yesterday (10 min)

Three students share farm photos and their one-sentence change log. Celebrate anyone who changed a number and got a surprising result.

1:10 Brain Teaser (10 min)

Pair challenge: 'A Mars outpost needs three resources: water ice (for drinking and fuel), iron ore (for tools and repairs), and regolith (the Mars soil, for building). Write the steps a robot would follow to dig for all three. What problem might the robot run into underground?'

Share out. This primes debugging thinking: what goes wrong when an agent hits an unexpected block?

1:20 Spark Video and Discussion (10 min)

Watch a short Mars mining or MOXIE video (search terms above).

Discussion: 'Real Mars missions are already planning to mine the surface for water ice and make oxygen from the atmosphere. How is that similar to what your agent does in Minecraft?'

1:30 Mini Lesson: Reading the Mining Script and Debugging (20 min)

Load the mining script on the projector. Walk through it together. Focus on:

How the agent moves and digs in a pattern
What happens when it hits something unexpected (introduce 'bug' and 'debugging')
How to collect what the agent mined and bring it back

Ask: 'What would you do with iron ore once the agent brings it back? What could you build with it?'

1:50 Challenge Launch: Mine and Build (35 min)

Students load the mining script, choose a location near their outpost to dig, and run it.

Challenge prompt:

'Send your agent underground to mine resources. Then bring at least one resource back and add it to your outpost by hand. What did your mining robot find, and what did you build with it?'

Low floor: run the script and collect what comes back. High ceiling: change the mining depth or pattern, build a resource storage room, connect the mine entrance to the dome with a tunnel by hand.

2:00 Snack Break (30 min)

This is the last snack of camp. Ask: 'What is the one thing you are most proud of building this week?'

2:30 Final Build and Mission Report Preparation (30 min)

Last build time of camp. Students put finishing touches on their outpost: dome, farm, mine entrance, any hand-built extras.

Prompt: 'If someone visited your outpost right now, what would you want them to see first? Make sure that thing looks its best.'

Ask students to pick their single best photo from across all four days and be ready to share it. Dr. Fryer will photograph any final scenes students choose.

3:00 Final Mission Reports (45 min)

Each student presents their best photo. They give their Mission Report:

'My name is ___. I built ___ on the Mars Outpost. The most interesting thing I learned to do was ___. If I came back to camp next week I would ___.'

After all reports: group reflection.

'We started on the Moon. We ended with a Mars outpost that has a dome, a farm, and a mine. We also talked about what it means to arrive somewhere new responsibly. What is one thing you will remember from this week?'

Close by acknowledging the Code of Conduct: 'Look at this outpost. Nobody destroyed what anyone else built. That is not a small thing. Real engineers have to trust each other the same way.'

Photo Capture: Day 4

Before the Mission Reports begin, each student picks their single best view of their outpost and holds it on screen while Dr. Fryer photographs it. That image becomes the centerpiece of the Final Mission Report.

More Inspiration

"Mars Colony in Minecraft (AI visualization)" flickr photo by Wesley Fryer https://flickr.com/photos/wfryer/53444527170 shared under a Creative Commons (BY 2.0) license

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