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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)
A Modified Egg Drop Contest For Science And Reason: How To Add Interest And Value To An Educational Event
Earlier this month, 400 schoolchildren, their parents and shoppers gathered at a mall in Ithaca, NY for the 24th annual Egg Drop Contest. Hosted by the local Sciencenter and narrated by a professor of physics at nearby Cornell University, the event was designed for both entertainment and education. (See Liz Lawyer, "Egg Drop Contest Draws Another Big Crowd," The Ithaca Journal, April 6, 2009.)
The event consisted of kids dropping eggs from an upper balcony. The contest's biggest winners were those who successfully constructed safeguards that protected the fragile (i.e., no hard-boiled) eggs from smashing on impact with the first floor. Considerations were also given for creativity of appearance of the entry, as well as structure and design features. There were 187 entries. Needless to say, splattered eggs were big crowd pleasers, if not winning entries. Kids devised all manner of protections for their eggs, including "compact cardboard boxes packed with mystery cushioning, a yard-long balloon animal in the shape of a phoenix," and assorted "balloons, feathers, aluminum foil, marshmallows, paper bags, string, sawdust, packing foam, sponges and liter bottles." Naturally, hard-boiled eggs were strictly forbidden.
There were almost as many prizes as entrants, since special consideration was given for such categories as most earth-friendly, best engineering design, best free fall, best parachute or slow descent, best unsuccessful effort for drops that resulted in a spectacular splat and best overall in each age group. The latter won memberships to the Sciencenter. It was free to enter, thanks to corporate sponsorship. No word on whether contestants had to provide their own eggs. I suspect not.
"The purpose of the event is for entertainment, but it's also about making science, especially physics, fun for kids," one supervisor explained to the Ithaca reporter. "You never know what kids are going to do in life," she said. "You don't know what small piece of something will stick with them."
Just so. Next year, I suggest that the Sciencenter invite religious leaders to participate in the contest. Give them a separate prize category—the power of prayer division. Be sure to send invitations to prominent representatives of the faith-based community. I have Rick Warren, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, Rob Parsley and Richard Roberts in mind. However, all local religious leaders should also be invited. The idea is to give these prayer warriors an opportunity to enter the contest in order to demonstrate the extent to which God hears our prayers.
All of the above-named Christian leaders have weekly television shows. On their shows, God is said to heal cancers, repair diseased hearts, restore sight, render the lame agile and so on. These supernatural interventions are channeled by the preachers in response to prayers, though they do suggest that it never hurts to help things along with "love offerings" to the preachers.
The ministers can drop their eggs sans parachutes or any other cushioning aides. If prayer can heal the sick (and do the wondrous other things that most Americans seem to believe occurs on a regular basis), prayers to protect falling eggs should not be much of a challenge for an all-powerful Deity. The project will serve to demonstrate to all the little children the power of prayer.
Not that the teachers of science would want to suggest such a thing, but if the eggs dropped by Rick Warren and the other pastors splatter despite the prayers for their safe landing, well, won't that in itself offer a learning opportunity? It won't prove anything, but it will encourage young and old alike to think about science and faith. It certainly could lead to many good questions—and isn't that a valued purpose of a science experiment? You never know "what small piece of something will stick with them."
I talked to Hester Vermaak, Public Relations Manager of the Sciencenter for this story. After reviewing a few basics about the nature of the REAL wellness concept and summarizing my interests in the wellness implications of issues related to politics, sex and religion, I read the above paragraphs regarding my suggestion for next year's event. There was a bit of a pause when I finished, so I asked, "What do you think? Would you like to comment for the record?"
Ms. Vermaak declined to do so on behalf of the Sciencenter, noting that their focus is on hands-on science exploration and that my idea might be "slightly off mission."
If you think my suggestion might be "on mission" for YOUR organization or church group, well, give me a call.
The website for the Sciencenter is http://www.sciencenter.org/whatsnew/eventscalendar.asp
Domain: mentalSubdomain: factual knowledge
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