Montana Destination Imagination

In this issue:

•  Tournament Registration Deadlines
•  Children Achieve More
•  Team Manager Dos and Don’ts
•  College Scholarships
• Rule of the Week
• Team Building Activity
• Instant Challenge

Tournament Registration Deadlines

Please register your teams and appraisers at the MTDI website as soon as possible.  (If you don’t already have one, you will need to set up an account to register your team.)  We need this information in order to know what challenges teams are solving so we will have enough appraisers, officials, and rooms for the tournaments.  Due to a problem with our website last week we have extended the Early Bird Deadline to December 22, 2011.  If you register your team AND appraiser by December 22, 2011 you will receive a coupon for 50% off your team’s challenge pins. All teams and appraisers must be registered by January 15, 2012.  To register your teams you will need the following information–

• Team number
• Team Name (this is not the same as the membership name), Challenge the team has chosen
• Team Manager names, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers
• Names and grades of team members

If they haven’t chosen their challenge yet still register your team(s) so that your team managers will also receive updates from the State and Regional Directors, the MTDI newsletter, and training information.

Children Achieve More, Perform Better With Critical Thinking and Creative Skills Learned with Destination ImagiNation     

Destination ImagiNation is in the final weeks now of enrolling youth throughout Montana in the 2011-2012 team challenge year. This unique after school program is easy and fun, helps end bullying, and gives young people an advantage in future job market with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Parents and teachers love Destination ImagiNation because it teaches kids creative problem solving, critical thinking, the arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills they need to excel in the classroom and in life in the 21st Century. Destination ImagiNation is the only extra-curricular program that ties directly back to the classroom. DI is curriculum compliant and does not create any more work for teachers -- in fact, teachers say it makes their work easier.

     Kids say this after school program  helps them improve their grades, and teachers report increased participation and better performance in class. In a survey, DI kids said they communicate better in school, and learn to be project managers and leaders. In the worldwide after school program, they can meet other kids from all over their area, region, state, nation and even the world as they advance in the competitive tournaments.

     DI kids interviewed in the survey said the competitive challenge program is fun, and helps improve their self-confidence. Because kids learn mutual respect, teamwork and communication, DI is an antidote to bullying, harassment and intimidation. 

     School systems can get grants that help them fight bullying, and DI can help schools qualify for anti-bullying grants because DI teaches collaboration, understanding, respect and teamwork. DI costs only pennies a day, and gives kids an advantage in getting into college and getting good jobs later on, studies show.

     With DI, parents know where their kids are after school: They are learning to be creative, and becoming world leaders of tomorrow.

     A major university study concluded that DI kids are better at creative problem solving, critical thinking and finding innovative solutions to challenges than kids who are not in DI.

Team Managing Do's and Don'ts

Do learn creative problem solving strategies and techniques.

Don't get disturbed when teams make mistakes along the way. This is part of the learning process.

College Scholarships

Montana DI Alumni who participated in Destination ImagiNation for two years or more qualify for three college Scholarships.  Check out the Montana DI Website to learn more about these scholarships and how to apply for them.  Montana Destination ImagiNation is expanding its scholarship to include students pursuing a post High School degree. MTDI will award one scholarship to a high school senior and one to a Montana High School graduate who is currently pursuing a post High School degree. Make sure your alumni know about these scholarships.  Deadlines: February 1 and February 15.  Please let qualified students and your local high school guidance counselors know about these scholarships.

RULE OF THE WEEK :

Team Budget

The Team Budget is the total value of all the materials the team uses in its presentation, not necessarily what the team spent to create the solution. The total value of the team’s solution may not be more than the Team Challenge budget/expense limit assigned by the challenge rules.

The team’s expense report should list ONLY the supplies, equipment, props, scenery, and costumes that are part of the team’s presentation that they bring into the presentation site.  It does not include the cost of any equipment or tools used to create the solution, nor does it include portions of materials that were left over or not used. 

Team Building Activity: 

SOUND OFF

Challenge:  Name and demonstrate sounds you might hear in the city or country. 

Your team is to present an audio concert.  During your presentation, one team member should name a sound you might hear in the city.  A second team member should then make that sound.  A third team member should then name a sound you might hear in the country, with a fourth team member making the sound.  Team members should continue alternating answers and sounds until time is finished.

Instant Challenge:

Gift Wrapped

Materials: Duct tape or string.

One very large box. large appliance box is ideal.  Stack of newspapers, tape, ribbon, string or twine long enough to be the ribbon on the package. One sheet of card stock, Markers

Tape or tie each team member’s dominant hand to his/her leg so that team members will have only one hand to complete this activity. Older team members might like to try using their non-dominant hands.

Using the materials provided, the team must completely decide what the gift in the box is and who the recipient will be. They must gift wrap the box with newspaper, tie it with a ribbon or string and provide a greeting card with a sentimental (nice/thoughtful) message.

Privately, time this activity and watch how the team members interact. 

Debrief: How do you feel you did?  How did you interact with each other to solve the challenge? How could you shave time off this activity? How could you be more creative as a team?