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The following article is from the Secular Humanist Bulletin, Volume 24, Number 3 (Fall 2008).
In July, twenty-seven children and teens from across the nation convened for Camp Inquiry 2008, where they embarked upon a week of exploration, imagination, and critical thinking. Sponsored annually by the Institute at the Center for Inquiry and located on the sprawling and picturesque Camp Seven Hills in Holland, New York, Camp Inquiry promotes the tenets of secular humanism through collaborative engagement in science, skepticism, and the creative arts.
The universal ethical principles of respect, integrity, and responsibility constitute Camp Inquiry’s philosophical foundation and underpin camp activities and curricula. To kick off the week, campers articulated and crystallized these moral ideals when they collectively authored and signed their camp constitution, which served as a guideline for participants during their week together. “We decided that we should show respect for ourselves, our fellow campers, camp counselors, the camp site, and others’ property,” they wrote, after a group discussion about values.
On the first full day of camp, kids and counselors considered the intersection of scientific inquiry, imagination, and the narratives that chronicle our perceptions of the world. After examining journal entries of preeminent thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci and Charles Darwin, campers began creating and collecting artifacts of their own, which they compiled into “inquirer’s notebooks” at the week’s end. For example, campers constructed working pinhole cameras using black-painted oatmeal containers, golf tees, and photo paper on which to capture and develop their own images of nature.
Between team sporting activities, water-balloon tosses, and shared meals in the rustic lodge, a number of special guests visited to facilitate an array of activities and interactive presentations. The week began with a focus on the elements of observation and the diversity of individual perspectives. Artist and educator Bruce Adams conducted a photographic art activity that focused kids’ imaginations on the pairing of evocative images and text, illustrating the power of our minds to make sense of the world and our place in it. Then, campers were treated to a talk by scientist Allison Hopper, who delivered a graphically rich presentation about spirals in nature, followed by a human reenactment of the Big Bang that, as the participant “particles” began spinning in unison, naturally resulted in the formation of a spiral of campers across the lawn. Adams and Hopper highlighted the human capacity for observation as the basis for scientific discovery and an appreciation for the aesthetic beauty and wonder of the natural world.
With a focus on collaborative relationships, campers engaged with Musicians United for Superior Education in an introduction to the art of African drum and dance. Over the span of several days, campers learned and rehearsed a choreographed drum and dance number, which they performed for parents and guests during the closing ceremonies. In another teamwork-themed activity, campers were challenged to create an insulated “vehicle” that would protect a raw egg from cracking when dropped from a nearby bridge. Working within the constraints of a budget, kids selected from a variety of materials to create their landing modules and, as the project progressed, concluded that their best chance at success—and the candy bar prizes for intact eggs—was to collaborate, relying on the collective ingenuity of their teammates.
Campers dabbled in scientific discovery throughout the week, prompting discussions about the value of science as a method for understanding the universe and improving the human condition on our planet. A visit from the Buffalo Astronomical Association, complete with high-powered telescopes and demonstrations by astrophotographer Alan Friedman, sparked wonder and amazement, as well as contemplation of the origins of the universe and how humanists construct meaning without reliance on religious narratives.
Continuing the focus on scientific inquiry, campers embarked on an outdoor hunt for the scattered bones of a small mammal. Teams then gathered to assemble the bones and postulate guesses about which animal they had discovered. Through careful examination of skeletal diagrams and protracted discussions with their teammates about the characteristics of various mammalian structures, campers concluded correctly: they had pieced together a rat. Other scientific explorations at camp included a fossil dig, a live-animal presentation by Nickel City Reptiles, and a spectacular physics show with visiting scientist David Willey.
Camp Inquiry devoted a day to understanding skepticism. It began with an appearance by paranormal investigator Joe Nickell, who fascinated campers with an array of photos and stories of monsters, ghosts, aliens, and mind reading, along with other pseudoscientific claims that he has examined throughout his career. Later, while the younger campers enjoyed the tales of storyteller Karima Amin, teens gathered in the pavilion for an open discussion of skepticism with D.J. Grothe, illusionist and host of the Point of Inquiry podcast. Campers examined the nature of skepticism as a kind of “intellectual self-defense,” as Grothe calls it, against the bombardment of specious claims in our society. To conclude the evening, Grothe performed a magic show that left campers and counselors transfixed. Eager to learn his slight-of-hand secrets, the audience paid close attention as Grothe revealed his method for making coins dramatically disappear and again materialize. Tricks that had seemed to onlookers as physical impossibilities were, by the end of the demonstration, easily explainable by the basic principles of psychology and physics. Grothe and Nickell emphasized the humanist notion that a healthy dose of skepticism should be applied to knowledge and physical claims that conflict with natural laws; however, as both speakers demonstrated, the humanist is open to new ideas and evidence uncovered by disciplined inquiry.
Camp Inquiry integrates the elements of a memorable camp experience for kids—roasted marshmallows, pillow fights, and new friendships—with the tenets of secular humanism, including ethical choice-making, taking naturalistic approaches to garnering knowledge, tapping into our boundless imaginations, and applying science and reason to human quests and dilemmas. It’s a place for children to think, question, and grow.
Angie McQuaig is a public school administrator and a Camp Inquiry teacher/ counselor. Learn more about Camp Inquiry at http://www.campinquiry.org.
CFI SUMMIT
OCTOBER 24-27 2013
TACOMA, WASHINGTON
Joint Conference of the Council for Secular Humanism, Center for Inquiry, and Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
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