Early Learning STEM Lessons for Teachers
Early STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education provides a critical foundation for future learning. Children are natural STEM investigators who are eager to explore, observe and ask questions. By introducing them early on to STEM, they learn skills such as communication, problem solving, creativity, empathy, self-confidence, reasoning, analysis and teamwork. Destination Imagination offers a […]
Team Tips: Looking at Your TDF like an Appraiser
It’s that time of year again – teams are busy finishing their final details in preparation for their Regional or Affiliate Tournaments. Between adding those final lines and last costume stitches, you may have that nagging feeling that you forgot something important… Did you leave your Tournament Data Form (TDF) to the last minute? If […]
Keeping Teams on Task
By: Ruth Dargay, DI Volunteer Teams can have all kinds of wonderfully creative ideas, but if they get stuck at the idea-generating phase or when it’s time to push through the difficult sections of a Challenge, then no one will be able to witness their fantastic solutions. While we want our teams to stay focused, […]
Organizing Team Meetings
By Ruth Dargay Congratulations! You’ve got your team members and are ready to get started in your role as a Team Manager…but where to begin? If you’ve ever been a Girl Scout or Boy Scout leader, you know that meetings run more smoothly when you’ve done some prep work ahead of the meeting and this […]
Prototyping for Your DI Challenge Solution
By: Terry Branstetter, DI Volunteer Prototyping fits hand-in-glove with the Destination Imagination creative process, especially during imagination and assessment. Simply put, and stemming from the original Greek, a prototype is a primitive form—an early sample. Various prototyping techniques are used in many scientific fields, engineering, and computer programming. Prototyping seeks to validate ideas and concept […]
7 Team-Building Activities
By: Seila Saldivar, DI Volunteer Aside from practicing Instant Challenges, team-building exercises are a great way for teams to bond, learn more about each other, and learn to work as a team. The idea is not only to get your team to have as many experiences as possible, but to have different kinds of experiences. […]
Team Manager Tips: Introducing New Skills
By: Terry Branstetter I love when kids brainstorm. They really get it—not the least bit constrained by physics, costs, time, skills, or any well-established laws of nature—exactly as it should be. Your team’s ability to bring some of their awesome ideas into reality very much depends on their individual skills. Can the Team Manager help […]
5 Things to Do At Your Local Tournament
By: Andrew Whitmire, DI Alumnus So, your team has been working REALLY hard to complete your solution to your Team Challenge and practicing Instant Challenge in between. Your local tournament is coming up and you are getting super excited to not only present your solution but to also see all of the other teams that […]
3 Simple (But Important!) Instant Challenge Tournament Tips
By: Andrew Whitmire Growing up as a Destination Imagination participant, I always got psyched out at the thought of the Instant Challenge my team and I might face at the tournament. For many years, Instant Challenge was a big and scary unknown and I thought there was no way to prepare. However, that just isn’t […]
Not Ready for Your Tournament? Don’t Quit Now!
By: Dan Henderson, DI Volunteer You may be thinking, “Ugh. There’s no way my team will be ready for the tournament!” Well… you couldn’t be more wrong. I became a Team Manager in 1997. At the time, I was teaching at Cascade Elementary in Maryland and our school was doing Odyssey of the Mind. The principal was […]
How to Wow in the Central Challenge
By: Noam Eshed, DI Alumna It’s no secret that to get to Global Finals and succeed, your team needs to go above and beyond. You also know that’s much easier said than done. Here are some tips and suggestions to help improve your Challenge solution and unleash your creativity. Think Outside Your BoxYour Challenge box, […]
How to Evaluate Your Team’s Progress in Instant Challenge
By Marie Farley, Team Manager Every year, every team, in every level, in every Challenge has to compete in Instant Challenge (IC). It is the common denominator of all Destination Imagination (DI) Challenges. The skills IC teaches—leadership, time management, improvisational engineering, critical thinking, teamwork, and so many more—are too important for any team to pass […]
