As part of their colonization unit, fifth graders visited the innovation lab to experience the hardships of settling in a new land. In a Minecraft world, students were assigned teams and roles, provided with a limited set of tools and resources, and presented with similar survival challenges to the 1607 Jamestown settlers. Finding food, building shelters, and sharing tools and skills were all experienced by the students within the virtual world. Some groups struggled, others thrived, but all were highly engaged as the topic of colonization was brought to life!