As schools around the world shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak, Microsoft is adding a new category of free educational worlds to the Minecraft Marketplace. This category is offered by Minecraft: Educational Edition, a version of the game designed for use in the classroom. [In a message to the community, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said, "I have said before that I believe games have the unique power to bring people together, entertain, inspire and connect us all." We are now seeing unprecedented demand for games from our customers, as many are turning to games to stay connected with friends while staying socially connected"

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Microsoft released this collection to help families "navigate the need to support their children's distance learning and balance that with time for fun. It's designed to help kids play while filling the gap left by school closures, and there are some pretty neat lessons in there that I have to admit, I'm a little envious of. My first computer in school was a BBC Micro, so I never got to go to the block version of the International Space Station.

In addition to learning about the ISS, kids will code with robots, explore Washington DC landmarks, create 3D fractal shapes, and learn what it's like to be a marine biologist. Microsoft is making the lessons available for free in the Marketplace starting today and will be available for download until June 30.

You can also learn more about using Minecraft as a distance learning tool.