Montana Destination Imagination

It's not too late to purchase a DI membership.  There are 4 months left until your Regional Tournaments and they will go by quickly.  In order to get started, your teams need a complete set of the challenges, rulebook and guides ass soon as possible.  Therefore, it is important that you do not delay in purchasing your membership from Destination ImagiNation at www.shopdi.org.  If you need help finding funding to purchase your membership please contact Montana Destination at montanacq@msn.com or 406-285-3777.  If your school is considering the program for the first time you can pick up the prior issues at www.mt-di.org to learn more about how to get started.  It's not too late!

In the last issue of DIcussions we introduced the concept of team ownership of their solutions.  As far as solving challenges for competition are concerned, it's the team's ball and no one else is invited to play.  All the ideas, scripts, costumes, scenery, backdrops, presentations, inventions ... of you get the idea ... are the team's.  This insures team ownership and encourages trial and error experimentation and risk taking.

When someone other than a team member offers input to the solution, it is called Interference. In competition, points are deducted for any Interference if it has taken place.  There are rules of interference for both the Team Challenge and for the Instant Challenge portion of the competition.

Once the team begins discussing their chosen Team Challenge, the rules of Interference will apply.  It is important for the team, Team Manager and Parents to understand that any suggestions that directly contribute to the Team Challenge Solution by non-team members cannot be used.  This is a saying within the Destination ImagiNation Team Manager community that states, "If the solution looks anything like you envisioned, there was probably interference."  Your team will most assuredly solve the Team Challenge in a way you never imagined!  This is the kind of solution that the Appraisers are looking for and want to reward with creativity points. 

At the competition your team will be scheduled to solve a challenge that they have never seen before.  This part of the competition is called Instant Challenge.  Your team will not see their competitive Instant Challenge until the day of the tournament.  Your tem will be given the same Instant Challenge that every other team in your Team Challenge at your level.  For this reason the Instant Challenge is kept secret and there are spectators.  Your team should practice Instant Challenge at every team meeting.  The rules of Interference for Instant Challenge only apply at the competition since you can hardly interfere with a solution to a challenge that has not been presented.  We will talk more about Instant Challenges in the coming weeks.  For now, relax, have fun and practice, practice, practice those Instant Challenges.

If you are like most new Team Managers, the thought of teams of children working together to solve complex challenges all on their own send cold shivers down your spine.  Team Manager Training can put most of your worries to rest as you realize that as Team Manager you have the power to set limits with your team.  Most importantly, Team Manager Training gives in depth instructions on how you, Team Manager, can facilitate your team to success without worry of Interference.  In fact Destination ImagiNation offers tools for almost any scenario that can take place during the team's journey to a solution.  Team Managers learn how to help the team generate ideas and then focus the best ideas into a solution.  Training also covers team building exercises to help your group of students become a solid super team!

If you are not able to attend the Team Manager Training in your region you may call your regional director to get assistance.  You are also invited to attend any other regional Team Manager Training if you just happen to be in the neighborhood.  Team Manager trainings will be posted in the left side panel in the coming weeks.

1) Pringle Tower:  Your task is to build a tower that is as high as possible around the outside of a Pringles potato chip can. (Possible supplies: straws, mailing labels, paperclips, paper, pencils, index cards, foil, etc.)

2) Pantomime Menu: On slips of paper or cards, write the names of foods that can be acted out with gestures and no words.  Have the kids each draw out a food and have them pantomime the food until someone correctly identifies the food.

For more Instant Challenge Ideas order Cream of the Crop from Montana DI or check out the Instant Challenge CDs and Books available at www.shopdi.org.