We participated this year in the
Odyssey of the Mind
competition. Ethan's group's task was to design and build a
vehicle that could be propelled across a gym's floor and into home
base. They also had to design and build a tagging system and
tags that would somehow land on the moving vehicle. The boys
decided that they would be mutant bananas hanging on a tree in the
jungle who get fed up with the monkeys who always eat the bananas so
they take revenge and gather all the monkeys and then sling shot
them into the zookeeper's truck.
Their performance was FABULOUS and
VERY CREATIVE! Way to go boys!!!!!
Odyssey of the Mind is an
international educational program that provides creative
problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through
college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range
from building mechanical devices to presenting their own
interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions
to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of
teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries
participate in the program.
What makes Odyssey different?
Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive program, but it's nothing like
your typical sporting event. The competitive element encourages kids
to be the best that they can be, but it's a friendly competition.
Kids learn from and even cheer on their competitors. Odyssey of the
Mind is not a college bowl or a competition about knowledge. It's
all about creativity, an often overlooked element in the growth and
development of many students. Kids are rewarded more for how they
apply their knowledge, skills and talents, and not for coming up
with the right answer. In fact, in Odyssey of the Mind problems,
there isn't one right answer. Ever.
To read more about he program, click
here
Destination Imagination
is a similar program that I may look into some day. Check it
out!
