Minecrafter, Lego Master and Other Cool Skills with DIY

I discovered DIY.org in May 2014. My son, who has 9-years-old then, was heavily into Minecraft. I wanted to find a way to use his interest to encourage creativity and self-motivation. I stumbled upon DIY.org and it seemed like a fun way for my son to set his own goals, work toward them, get rewarded (with patches similar to Boy Scout or Girl Scout badges) and maybe meet some new friends in the process.

My son signed up for his own account and, not surprisingly, chose to first work on the Minecrafter skill. I signed up as an adult/parent member so I could supervise his activities on the website. I helped him document his work by taking videos and photos of his physical challenges. He did the screen recording for his online challenges. After submitting projects for two challenges (you need to have at least 3 projects approved to earn a skill), we both put it in the background and eventually forgot about it.

DIY Athlete patch earnedA few weeks ago, I was into the thick of planning for another year of homeschooling. As usual, I am always looking for what’s new, what’s exciting, what’s working well and what isn’t. Thankfully, this brought me back to DIY.org. I talked to my son about it. After looking at the website again, he was not only keen to pick up where he left off but also excited about earning more skills. I also promised to buy him the embroidered patches so he can keep them as souvenirs, or wear them on a cap, jacket or bag as badges.

He started working on DIY again last week, and just a few days ago, he earned his first two patches! On my son’s DIY portfolio, he is officially a Minecrafter and an Athlete! So cool! (I was just as excited as he was to see the notification!) He is looking forward to earning the Gamer patch, and maybe the Animator patch.

What I Like About DIY

  • easy-to-use, child-friendly interface
  • free membership
  • quick response time on email and Twitter
  • colorful, well-designed patches
  • list of skills and language used are appealing to kids
  • embroidered patches are affordable and can be shipped internationally
  • adult/parent dashboard shows insights on child’s interests and strengths, monitors child’s social interaction within site

What My Son Likes About DIY

  • cool list of skills to choose from
  • cool-looking patches
  • can give and receive favorites and follows and make comments on other kids’ projects

I’m glad my son and I rediscovered DIY. It gives him a fun and safe place to earn skills, level up, show his work and appreciate other children’s work, and as DIY says, be awesome. For him, more fun challenges and cool skills ahead. For us, hopefully, a DIY club or network here in Metro Manila.

 

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