The Thinking Playground
ABBOTSFORD Summer Camps
THANK YOU to all those who joined the 2024 camps! We are already preparing for next year!
Registration will open in 2025. For questions: info@thinkingplayground.org
With fresh and exciting new curricula, we are looking forward to seeing you in the summer of 2025! For pictures click the yellow button below or visit our Facebook page.
Registration Procedure goes through the University
To register, please visit:
https://www.ufv.ca/centre-philosophy-children/thinking-playground-camps/
==> Experiencing problems? Please contact Dr. Sue at sgardner@capilanou.ca
“Dear Dr Sue,
Thank you so much for a wonderful 2-weeks of fun & enlightenment for our children. They enjoyed it so much! Everyday they look forward to coming with eagerness & wonder, and every afternoon I pick them up they’d have so much to excitedly tell me! I don’t think they can ever get enough…If you ask them they would say they wish it was longer than 2-weeks????.“
Philosophy at the Museum & Civic Space
Engaging children in philosophy at the museum fosters critical, creative, collaborative, or multidimensional thinking and cultivates essential skills for active citizenship and civic participation. By encouraging children to question, reflect, and engage in dialogue about philosophical concepts and ethical dilemmas, we empower them to become thoughtful and responsible members of society. With the museum as a CULTURAL HUB, it opens up a CIVIC SPACE.
Internship
Experience and learn about theory and practice that goes into the Abbotsford P4C Summer Camps
VIP4C P4C
CERTIFICATE
Become certified as a facilitator by the Vancouver Institute of Philosophy for Children and The Thinking Playground
The Thinking Playground On Academic Adventures Around the World
See Dr. Sue at the BC Social Studies Teachers' Association 2022 BCSSTA Conference
“Teaching for Inquiry: Philosophy, Pedagogy and Praxis”
See the introduction video to the left!
MEETING THE IGNOS
A new book by our director (Dr. Sue) and education director (Dr. Arthur) to practice philosophical inquiry with children!
Let Immanuel, the fox, and his “Igno” friends take you on an ignoble adventure. With a detailed parent/teacher guide and philosophical dictionary, adults can use this book to reason together with youngsters about how best to discover ways to overcome “igno” obstacles to good thinking and view such encounters as opportunities for learning and growth.
The ultimate goal of this book is to facilitate “reasoned dialogue” between children, and between children and adults, so that all who engage in this “ignoble adventure” will come to embrace “reasoning with others” as the best possible process whereby we can all become the best that we can be…
The Thinking Playground
INSPIRING REFLECTION & NURTURING IMAGINATION
WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THE THINKING TOOLS NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY MEET CHALLENGING OR CONFUSING EXPERIENCES
WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THE COMMUNICATION SKILLS NEEDED TO PREPARE THEM TO BE TOMORROW’S LEADERS
WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THE THINKING TOOLS NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY MEET CHALLENGING OR CONFUSING EXPERIENCES
WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THE COMMUNICATION SKILLS NEEDED TO PREPARE THEM TO BE TOMORROW’S LEADERS
Visit our FACEBOOK site for more pictures of the summer camps in Abbotsford!
With the wonderful support of the University of the Fraser Valley, its Philosophy Department and its College of Arts. Their contribution to making the summer camps in Abbotsford happen has been and continues to be amazing.
THANK YOU!
– The Thinking Playground Team
INQUIRY QUESTIONS
COMMUNITY BUILDING
COMMUNITIES OF PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
CARING COUNSELLORS
FUN
Learning Wise Decision-Making at the Summer Camps
A wise person is someone who is prepared to take responsibility for his or her actions, and, thus, in that sense, recognizes that what s/he thinks, how s/he acts, and what s/he says contributes to the person s/he is becoming. This sense of self-legislation or self-empowerment can powerfully contribute to a stable sense of personal well-being, and, hopefully, to the well-being of her/his community.
Community of Philosophical Inquiry
To develop a community a rich interpersonal environment is maintained throughout the summer camps in Abbotsford. Counsellors work hard to create real bonds with all the campers so that they feel cherished and safe. Inquirers learn the importance of being able to articulate their reasons for holding a given view, listening to the points of view of others, subjecting their own reasoning and that of others to potential counter-examples and, in so doing, learn the difference between better and worse reasoning, the power of being able to change one’s mind as a function of following reasons where they lead and building more sustainable positions with others.
Set up your own camps!
Learn about curriculum design, facilitation and the theory behind it.
Physical Theatre Directors
Exciting Activities Emphasizing EmbodimentWonderful experiences are created with these experts in the field!
“There are so many good things to say about camp this week. My children have never, I mean never, had this much fun. It is not a stretch to say that my husband and I think that they enjoyed the camp more than Disneyland!“
“I feel challenged and good. I feel challenged because of all the questions we had to answer (made me smarter). I discovered that it is OK to change! I feel good because I had fun.“
“This camp pushes me to be better, to be smarter, and to be an independent thinker!“
“I am thinking out of the box now because the camp really expanded my imagination level.“
“I really liked camp and I liked the day we talked about counter examples.“
“This is Maguire’s third year at camp. He looks forward to it every year. Maguire enjoys the variety of different fun activities, as well as the engaging counsellors. As parents, we enjoy him coming home happy, tired, filled with stories about the day…and always smiling. To be honest, as parents, we are so happy with this program. Maguire had quite a few struggles in school last year. It would be amazing if some of the philosophies that are used to put together this program would also be applied to the school curriculum.“
“My daughter absolutely loved her week (Transformers) at The Thinking Playground. I only wish I had put her in for both weeks. We will be back! The leaders, high energy, active learning and fun, kept her fully engaged. She was exhausted (a good thing) at the end of each day. She also loved that she was at university and her Mom worked there.“
“Very organized; professional; courteous; lots of fun; made the kids use their brain power.“
“Greyson had a great time this week. He said he had a lot more fun than he had at camps that I had him in last year. He stated that he had to think a lot and ask many questions about things. He loved the logo portion of the program, as well as the art projects. He also mentioned that the fear factor was scary but awesome. Overall fantastic!”
“This camp was the funnest one yet. This camp made me really really super duper happy.“
The Vancouver Institute of Philosophy for Children
The University of Fraser Valley
The Engaged Philosophical Inquiry Consortium
The North American Association for Community of Inquiry
The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children
The University of British Columbia
The International Council for Philosophical Inquiry with Children
BRILA Youth Projects
The ICPIC Conference at UBC
Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organisation