Odyssey of the Mind

About five years ago, my youngest son told me he wanted to be on a Creativity Challenge team. He was in third grade, and they were accepting third through fifth graders... preference to the older grades. But then the teacher said the magic words... but if you are willing to coach, younger students will probably have a lock for getting on one of the teams.

I'm big and snarky and like to growl... but when my kid looks at me and says please...

So a coach I became.

And in fourth, fifth, sixth and now seventh grades.

That first year was rough. I hadn't even heard of Odyssey of the Mind, and now I was a coach. I went to trainings and watched some videos. I asked questions and read the rules.

Here is the thing... in addition to have a budget ($125 for the problem we work on) EVERYTHING has to be done by the kids. They develop the script and deliver it. They design costumes, props and backgrounds and then build them. Parents or others can teach them skills... but THEY have to create everything they use.

There are often two sides to the same story. In this problem, characters don’t always agree as they recount the classic story where they appeared. The team will select a classic from a list and present different characters in a humorous documentary-style performance where details are added, denied, exaggerated, and disputed. There will be interviews, behind-the-scenes “clips,” and voice-overs that take the audience through the story and help present the events as they “really” took place. Whose side will you be on?

My second year team did a challenge revolving around Gulliver's Travels. In creating the diminutive world of Lilliput, they decided that the best way to present the Lilliputians was through the use of handmade sock puppets. Aside from Gulliver, all of the characters were sock puppets. Designed and created by fourth graders.

The Queen was my favorite. The girl that was playing the her and creating her puppets (yes, two puppets) was amazing. A generally shy and quiet girl, she blossomed into the role of the brash Queen, stomping around unseen in the castle.

For those that may have missed it, in one scene the castle is on fire, and Gulliver is called to help. Having overindulged a touch on wine, Gulliver puts out the castle fire with the tool at hand...

For the Queen, we had one puppet that was "normal" and the other that had been peed upon as Gulliver saved the castle. He makeup was running and she was furious that she'd been defiled... ignoring that her life had been saved.

And just to be clear, that is a girl playing the role of Gulliver. She "channeled her brothers" and found it in herself to "play the role" when she peed on the castle... bringing tears to the eyes of several judges. It was a spectacular performance.

But back to the crafts...

The kids, who stayed together several years as a team, learned to cut, sew and construct costumes, buildings, props and set pieces. Parents and grandparents, as well as teachers and others offered to help the kids learn new skills.

Imagine how inspiring Leonardo DaVinci’s (LDV) workshop must have been. Teams will portray his workplace in an original, creative performance that includes LDV, a patron, and a naysayer. The team will recreate a DaVinci painting, make a three-dimensional representation of one of his works, and recreate another LDV work in any form the team wishes. There will also be an original “debunked” creation that LDV “invented” but discarded because it was mocked. Ironically, the item will be shown as something commonly used in modern times.

The following year, the team tackled a problem that involved building skateboards. The girl that had played Gulliver, and the Queen from the previous year designed and were tasked with making the wooden boards. Neither had touched a power tool before they found themselves in my garage with saws, sanders and drills making decks for the presentation.

As the girls were using power tools for the first time, my son designed and built a DaVinci catapult. they actually fired a ball of aluminum foil from it and another team member would catch the projectile as they stepped onto the set.

Yes, it was that accurate and repeatable.

The photo above shows some of the pieces they designed in the storage area before the performance. The collection of boxes served as a commercial video camera for a TV production.

Not seen in the picture was a "Mona Lisa" that was recreated by cutting apart paint chip samples and building a mosaic to recreate the famous painting. It scored well with the judges.

The first year, we totally shocked the school by qualifying for the State Tournament. We landed fifth place in Regional competition... of more than a dozen teams.

The second year, with a mostly new group of kids (the mostly fifth graders from the first year had moved on to a new division and school), we placed second in the region, and again qualified for state, narrowly missing qualifying for World Finals with our Gulliver inspired presentation.

The third year was the charm. Our Leonardo DaVinci presentation landed us First in Regional and State competition, sending the team of fifth graders to World Finals. They finished proudly in the top third against VERY strong competition that was truly global.

Last year was affected by the pandemic, but this year we are once again bound for World Finals with a fable that spans Kansas to Storybook land.

The kids have learned a lot of things, and one of the most valuable is that the tools of the trade make a difference. We have several types of duct tape of differing strengths, and the team have become connoisseurs of hot glue, comparing the hold of various brands and types.

They also have their favorite tools to get the jobs done. Exacto blades for slicing through the foam insulation (cheap in large panels), paint brushes and different types of spray paint nozzles, too. But among their most used tools are their scissors. They use straight blades, pinking shears and sometimes pattern bladed scissors.

Luckily, the tools are counted in the budget, so the kids always choose a top brand like Fiskars to make better cuts and not have to worry about the tool giving out before they are done with their projects. And there is always another project.