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It may be summer holidays, but Curtin University was filled with energy and smiles as children aged 5-14 took part in Constable Care Foundation’s inaugural Imagineers program.
Held over two weeks in January, Imagineers is a series of four-day school holiday programs designed to inspire creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication through playful learning activities. Participants are grouped by age, ensuring the activities are developmentally appropriate and inspiring.
On day two, activities struck a thoughtful balance between individual creativity and group collaboration, allowing every child to shine in their own unique way. While the ‘Role Playing Game On’ group, aged 11-14, was designing their own dice bag and characters for an epic Dungeons and Dragons quest, the 8-11-year-old group was creating portraits with chopped up vegetables and lollies as part of the culinary-themed ‘Food For Thought’ program.
Meanwhile, the third and youngest group were letting their imaginations run wild as they created underwater Minecraft houses with cardboard boxes and craft supplies. The results sparked plenty of laughter, imagination and interaction between the kids, and the facilitators were always warm and willing to support where needed.
Lead facilitator Dr Kaz Bland said children were encouraged to think critically while also learning to listen to others, “Kids are challenged to explore big ideas together, while also taking on the perspectives of others.”
“Imagineers is embedded in the idea that kids can do philosophy, and that when people do philosophy, they are learning how to think more clearly.”
Each day brings something new. Later in the week, the “Role Playing Game On” group will have the opportunity to take part in “larping” (Live Action Role Playing) around the Curtin campus, where the fictional characters and stories they have created are acted out in the real-world setting. These sessions will introduce complex moral choices and situational challenges for the kids to consider.
Led by Dr Bland, Imagineers was brought to life via a collaboration between CCF, Curtin University’s Centre for Applied Ethics, and non-profit organisation PEiPL Ltd (Philosophical Engagement in Public Life), which aims to make philosophy accessible and engaging for all, including children. The programs were adapted from the original Canadian Eurekamp, and more recent Eurekamp Oz!, both co-founded by University of WA Professor of Philosophy, Rob Wilson.