DI

Ben's Destination Imagination tournament was today. I'm one of the team managers, so we've both been engrossed with DI stuff since November. Before I give you the results of the tournament, let me tell you a little bit about DI.

*I was skeptical of Ben participating..just didn't know anything about it. I couldn't have been more wrong. He LOVES it!

*There are teams in all 50 states and worldwide

*The focus is on KID-CENTERED creative problem solving, teamwork, thinking on your feet, etc... Only the kids can come up with their solutions. Team managers can guide them, but we're not suppose to give outright answers or ideas to them. This can be tough when you're watching them work on something that you just know is going to flop!

*Kids who participate in DI are often very independent-minded, strong-willed, strong personality kids. Putting 6 of them together in one room can be difficult at times.

*Of the 6 challenges to choose from, Ben's team chose one that required them to build a structure using only newspaper and glue. It had to weigh less than 75 grams, be between 7-9 inches tall, and hold as much weight as possible. In addition to the structure, they had to find an international news article and present a skit about their article, and incorporate their newspaper structure into the skit.

*Ben's team found a news article about some British brothers who started their own ice-cream truck business in Dubai. Fun, interesting article.

*Ben played the part of one of the British brothers and even spoke with a British accent

*The team's newspaper structure held 110 pounds today!




*The team earned a 1st place ribbon and is advancing to the state tournament in a month! I'm excited for the team, but was ready to put the glue bottles away. I guess not quite yet...