Frequently Asked Questions
What is Odyssey of the Mind?
This is perhaps the most common question we are asked by potential members, sponsors, parents and relatives.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international organization that is dedicated to overcoming the lack of creative problem-solving our world is facing. All too often, academic pursuits are about having the answer - not so much about finding it, and certainly not about finding it in unique and interesting places, or within a team framework.
Problem is, that is exactly what the world needs - we need scientists who are willing to see unusual uses for items that already exist, we need teachers who can find unique ways of sharing their knowledge, we need leaders who are capable of seeing multiple solutions to our most pressing issues.
Odyssey of the Mind seeks to help children learn creative thought in a variety of ways. All the efforts of the children and their coaches culminate in a series of annual competitions held on the regional, state and international levels.
For more information: http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/wf2014/learn_more.php
You can also watch videos of previous years' performances on our YouTube Playlist.
What Happens at a Meeting?
An Odyssey of the Mind meeting consists of teams working on long-term challenges as well as verbal or hands-on spontaneous problems - short challenges presented to the team that they must solve within a specified span of time. These sorts of problems are often used as part of team-building in large organizations - creating containers from seemingly useless items; naming objects that are related to a particular subject; using address labels and spaghetti to make weight-bearing towers... well, I'm sure you get the idea!
What about this Long-Term Problem?This is usually a skit put together about a particular subject. Long-term problems usually fall into one of 5 categories: Classics, Mechanical/Vehicle, Technical, Structure, and Performance. Primary teams get a single problem to complete - see below for details. Teams in grades 3-12 will choose to complete a problem from one of these categories:
Mechanical/Vehicle: Usually involves the team designing, building, and operating vehicles that meet a particular criteria. This might involve building a vehicle large enough to carry a team member, building a mousetrap car, building an aircraft. Often, these vehicles have to perform specific tasks and be integrated into a skit. These are great problems for the mechanically inclined, but a lot of effort should be put into the skit and props as well, so non-mechanical creative sorts are also needed.
Classics: Have themes based on the classical - that might be literature, art or architecture. A great problem for the avid reader and creative dreamer, these problems rely heavily on imagination, knowledge of the material, and creative skills. It is not unheard of for these to have some sort of mechanical component.
Performance: Teams present a performance that revolves around a particular theme. There are usually multiple required elements and the more outrageous the performance, the better the team tends to do.
Structure: Involves having the team design and build structures using only balsa wood and glue. These structures usually have to support weight. Often, a skit is a required part of the problem's solution.
Technical: Involves making innovative contraptions. Past problems have included Rube Goldberg devices, madly morphing vehicles and more. Teams may be asked to include any one of a number of creative components as well - skits, songs, musical instruments all may find themselves part of the fun!
How Are Teams Determined?
Teams are composed of 5-7 children within distinct age/grade ranges.
Division I: 3-5 grade
Division II: 6-8 grade
Division III: 9-12 grade
Primary (non-competitive, see note): K-2
We generally try to stick within these guidelines. Please understand that competing Odyssey of the Mind teams are usually made up of gifted and talented students within their grade range (most schools hand-pick candidates from the pool of recognized gifted and talented students within their ranks). Also realize that a team made up of 6-8 graders has, well, 8th graders on it! That means that regardless of how wonderfully bright and capable your 5th grader is, they are likely going to have a difficult time competing against a gifted and talented 8th grader who has possibly been doing OM for 5+ years.
Our experience has been that even a highly mature, gifted child of a lower grade has a challenging time dealing with the interpersonal, social and emotional parts of competing on a level that much above their own. In addition, let's face it - an 8th grader simply has more experiences on which to draw than your average 4th grader - regardless of how wonderful and bright they are.
On occasion, in order to ensure that all could participate, we have created hybrid teams. Since teams compete on the grade level of the oldest/highest grade member (for instance, a team made up of four 3rd graders and one 6th grader would have to compete on the middle school level), it has often forced the younger members of the team to stretch socially, emotionally and intellectually. Sometimes it's worked, often it didn't. So, if we place your child in a division with their age peers, it is not meant as a slight towards them - we are simply trying to keep the activity fun and age-appropriate. If your child possesses superior skills in some area, then they will be an asset to such a team.
*NOTE: As an FYI to parents, if your child(ren) is K-2, they can only work on the Primary problem. It is approached in a manner different from the rest - teams go to the Regional tournament, but all teams get trophies, and no one moves forward to the State level. There is only one trophy per team, so the coach and parents usually try to work out what makes the most sense - usually, the coach keeps the trophy. In addition, teams don't get to choose a problem - there is a single problem assigned to this age group.
We attempt to place children in groups where everyone gets along. However, there are no guarantees that best buddies will end up on the same team, or even in the same division. Depending on the composition of interested children, your child may end up on a team full of potential new friends. Please explain this to your child. We have determined that while we will take teammate requests under consideration, we cannot and will not undergo the game of Tetris that ensues when we attempt to make everyone happy!
Parental Assistance
As parents, it is supremely difficult for us to watch our children run into a wall - whether it be social, academic or otherwise. Odyssey of the Mind is all about teaching children to overcome these obstacles on their own. On competition day, when a team walks away with a trophy, or sits in disappointment without one, it is the direct result of the work THEY did.
As the adults involved, our job is to help with social issues, try to keep children on task (the only consequence for not doing so is not being prepared - sort of like real life!), drive to stores, help with brainstorming (not the actual generation of ideas, but the organization of thoughts and processes), provide training or resources in particular skills (note: training in a skill is not the same as showing them what to do for their problem. To clarify - if a team approaches a coach and asks for acting instruction, we can provide acting instruction. Conversely, if a team wants to use a stick as their background, we can ask if that is the best choice, suggest they make certain that's the route they want to go, but we cannot tell them to use a drop cloth and PVC instead!) We also try to make sure they have answered all parts of the problem, completed and assembled their paperwork, and know where they have to be.
Teams are actually penalized for outside assistance (the children will be asked by the judges, and will have to sign a form stating that they have not received outside assistance), so be careful of what advice you offer your child. If the help you are offering can't be presented in the form of a question, then it may be outside assistance.
So, what CAN you do? You can make certain your child knows what they are expected to do, have or know by the following meeting. You can ask how their task fits into the grand picture - not so that you can offer advice, but so they can think about their part in the solution. You can take them places to purchase supplies (please keep it cheap!), help them place ads on Freecycle and the like. You can ask them if there are other ways of accomplishing what they need to get done. Not because you know of a way and really want them to choose it, but because while 2x4s, canvas and impeccable painting might work, so can a series of pop tabs from soda, shoe laces, origami birds, etc. And duct tape. Miles and miles and miles of duct tape. Go ahead, ask your child how they would accomplish some small part of any of these problems - their answer might surprise you!
Have a question? Email us and we will try to answer it as soon as possible!
This is perhaps the most common question we are asked by potential members, sponsors, parents and relatives.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international organization that is dedicated to overcoming the lack of creative problem-solving our world is facing. All too often, academic pursuits are about having the answer - not so much about finding it, and certainly not about finding it in unique and interesting places, or within a team framework.
Problem is, that is exactly what the world needs - we need scientists who are willing to see unusual uses for items that already exist, we need teachers who can find unique ways of sharing their knowledge, we need leaders who are capable of seeing multiple solutions to our most pressing issues.
Odyssey of the Mind seeks to help children learn creative thought in a variety of ways. All the efforts of the children and their coaches culminate in a series of annual competitions held on the regional, state and international levels.
For more information: http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/wf2014/learn_more.php
You can also watch videos of previous years' performances on our YouTube Playlist.
What Happens at a Meeting?
An Odyssey of the Mind meeting consists of teams working on long-term challenges as well as verbal or hands-on spontaneous problems - short challenges presented to the team that they must solve within a specified span of time. These sorts of problems are often used as part of team-building in large organizations - creating containers from seemingly useless items; naming objects that are related to a particular subject; using address labels and spaghetti to make weight-bearing towers... well, I'm sure you get the idea!
What about this Long-Term Problem?This is usually a skit put together about a particular subject. Long-term problems usually fall into one of 5 categories: Classics, Mechanical/Vehicle, Technical, Structure, and Performance. Primary teams get a single problem to complete - see below for details. Teams in grades 3-12 will choose to complete a problem from one of these categories:
Mechanical/Vehicle: Usually involves the team designing, building, and operating vehicles that meet a particular criteria. This might involve building a vehicle large enough to carry a team member, building a mousetrap car, building an aircraft. Often, these vehicles have to perform specific tasks and be integrated into a skit. These are great problems for the mechanically inclined, but a lot of effort should be put into the skit and props as well, so non-mechanical creative sorts are also needed.
Classics: Have themes based on the classical - that might be literature, art or architecture. A great problem for the avid reader and creative dreamer, these problems rely heavily on imagination, knowledge of the material, and creative skills. It is not unheard of for these to have some sort of mechanical component.
Performance: Teams present a performance that revolves around a particular theme. There are usually multiple required elements and the more outrageous the performance, the better the team tends to do.
Structure: Involves having the team design and build structures using only balsa wood and glue. These structures usually have to support weight. Often, a skit is a required part of the problem's solution.
Technical: Involves making innovative contraptions. Past problems have included Rube Goldberg devices, madly morphing vehicles and more. Teams may be asked to include any one of a number of creative components as well - skits, songs, musical instruments all may find themselves part of the fun!
How Are Teams Determined?
Teams are composed of 5-7 children within distinct age/grade ranges.
Division I: 3-5 grade
Division II: 6-8 grade
Division III: 9-12 grade
Primary (non-competitive, see note): K-2
We generally try to stick within these guidelines. Please understand that competing Odyssey of the Mind teams are usually made up of gifted and talented students within their grade range (most schools hand-pick candidates from the pool of recognized gifted and talented students within their ranks). Also realize that a team made up of 6-8 graders has, well, 8th graders on it! That means that regardless of how wonderfully bright and capable your 5th grader is, they are likely going to have a difficult time competing against a gifted and talented 8th grader who has possibly been doing OM for 5+ years.
Our experience has been that even a highly mature, gifted child of a lower grade has a challenging time dealing with the interpersonal, social and emotional parts of competing on a level that much above their own. In addition, let's face it - an 8th grader simply has more experiences on which to draw than your average 4th grader - regardless of how wonderful and bright they are.
On occasion, in order to ensure that all could participate, we have created hybrid teams. Since teams compete on the grade level of the oldest/highest grade member (for instance, a team made up of four 3rd graders and one 6th grader would have to compete on the middle school level), it has often forced the younger members of the team to stretch socially, emotionally and intellectually. Sometimes it's worked, often it didn't. So, if we place your child in a division with their age peers, it is not meant as a slight towards them - we are simply trying to keep the activity fun and age-appropriate. If your child possesses superior skills in some area, then they will be an asset to such a team.
*NOTE: As an FYI to parents, if your child(ren) is K-2, they can only work on the Primary problem. It is approached in a manner different from the rest - teams go to the Regional tournament, but all teams get trophies, and no one moves forward to the State level. There is only one trophy per team, so the coach and parents usually try to work out what makes the most sense - usually, the coach keeps the trophy. In addition, teams don't get to choose a problem - there is a single problem assigned to this age group.
We attempt to place children in groups where everyone gets along. However, there are no guarantees that best buddies will end up on the same team, or even in the same division. Depending on the composition of interested children, your child may end up on a team full of potential new friends. Please explain this to your child. We have determined that while we will take teammate requests under consideration, we cannot and will not undergo the game of Tetris that ensues when we attempt to make everyone happy!
Parental Assistance
As parents, it is supremely difficult for us to watch our children run into a wall - whether it be social, academic or otherwise. Odyssey of the Mind is all about teaching children to overcome these obstacles on their own. On competition day, when a team walks away with a trophy, or sits in disappointment without one, it is the direct result of the work THEY did.
As the adults involved, our job is to help with social issues, try to keep children on task (the only consequence for not doing so is not being prepared - sort of like real life!), drive to stores, help with brainstorming (not the actual generation of ideas, but the organization of thoughts and processes), provide training or resources in particular skills (note: training in a skill is not the same as showing them what to do for their problem. To clarify - if a team approaches a coach and asks for acting instruction, we can provide acting instruction. Conversely, if a team wants to use a stick as their background, we can ask if that is the best choice, suggest they make certain that's the route they want to go, but we cannot tell them to use a drop cloth and PVC instead!) We also try to make sure they have answered all parts of the problem, completed and assembled their paperwork, and know where they have to be.
Teams are actually penalized for outside assistance (the children will be asked by the judges, and will have to sign a form stating that they have not received outside assistance), so be careful of what advice you offer your child. If the help you are offering can't be presented in the form of a question, then it may be outside assistance.
So, what CAN you do? You can make certain your child knows what they are expected to do, have or know by the following meeting. You can ask how their task fits into the grand picture - not so that you can offer advice, but so they can think about their part in the solution. You can take them places to purchase supplies (please keep it cheap!), help them place ads on Freecycle and the like. You can ask them if there are other ways of accomplishing what they need to get done. Not because you know of a way and really want them to choose it, but because while 2x4s, canvas and impeccable painting might work, so can a series of pop tabs from soda, shoe laces, origami birds, etc. And duct tape. Miles and miles and miles of duct tape. Go ahead, ask your child how they would accomplish some small part of any of these problems - their answer might surprise you!
Have a question? Email us and we will try to answer it as soon as possible!