Odyssey of the Mind

Hearing our team (along with the others) won!

Tommy showing off his gold medal

Waiting for the awards ceremony to start

The performance, Tommy is an old Grandpa Paleontologist

He LOVED his costume!

Tommy participated in the Odyssey of the Mind Tournament for his grade and I volunteered to be their coach. From the beginning of November our team has met weekly to prepare. Our "problem" was for the team to create and perform a Suprise Party for something you don't usually celebrate. They were to do it all on their own and as the "coach" my job was to oversee, but I could not tell them what to do or how to do it (a very difficult task for me). They built their sets, wrote their own scripts, and practiced...practiced...practiced. We also had to prepare for a "spontaneous problem" which was to see just how creative in response the kids can be. It was a wonderful experience! Its so fun to see how kids minds work and to see what they come up with. Our performance was about finding a rare fossil in a cave and everyone celebrating in a museum. Like I said...it's fun to see what kids come up with. Tournament Day was fun! It was so difficult for the judges to decide which (primary grade) team had the best performance that ALL the teams doing the Surprise Party won! It was a tie all around!! Tommy was so excited to win a Gold Medal! His response...I can't wait to do it again next year!!!! My response..."No way am I coaching it again next year :)!!!!!" We'll see what happens...