1. Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School 2012- 2013 Anuradha Pajjur

2. What is Odyssey of the Mind? A creative problem-solving competition. Problem-Solving Teams are given short and long term problems to solve Creativity Problem solutions should be as creative and imaginative as possible Competition Tournament in which teams are judged and scored on their performance What types of problems? Two types – spontaneous (short) and long term problems Important to note: Problems do not have a single or absolute right answer. Team members will come up with many creative answers, none of which are wrong. Only answers that are inappropriate will be rejected.

3. Why OOTM? – Teaches creative problem solving & teamwork – Open ended problem solving – Students learn how to identify challenges and creatively solve – Supplements their current education Know the reason for participation – Are you in it to win? – Are you in it to have fun? – Both? What is the competition about? – Having fun – Life lessons: team work, time pressures, out of box thinking, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the team and leveraging

4. Who? Anyone in kindergarten and up! Teams are formed by age division and compete against teams in their age division. People compete from all over the world. We would be Division 1 which is grades K-5 Teams – Teams are formed of five to seven kids. No more than seven kids. – Must be committed to the team through spring. Only 7 kids can work on long term problem, so once work starts, if a kid drops, he/she cannot be replaced. – 1 st and 2 nd grade kids can perform in a non-competitive division. – 3-5 grade kids are in competitive division. (1 & 2 grade can also compete in this division if desired.) What’s the Cost? The PTO’s responsibility is the membership registration ($150 per team, payable at pay4schoolstuffonline.com) and providing information about Coaches training and tournaments. Online team registration and training registration needs to be completed by the coaches.

5. How do teams form? Parents are responsible for forming teams. Feel free to use the google groups set up by the PTO to post messages about joining a team or finding members for your team. Coaching and Judging – Every team must provide one coach and one judge – Judges training is required. Volunteering - Every team must provide a volunteer to work at the tournament for 2 hours. Parents and the OOTM Kids – “No Outside Assistance” - hardest for parents and siblings – Be supportive – There are NO bad answers. NO wrong answers. – Team work is the key. THEY CAN DO IT!

6. 5 long term problems to select from 1.Mechanical / Vehicle 2.Classics 3.Performance 4.Structure 5.Technical Primary problem for grades K-2 Spontaneous problems

7. Problem 1: Pet Project Divisions I, II, & III The problem is to design, build, and run three vehicles that will deliver parts to an Assembly Area. The team will create a signal that lets the audience know which vehicle is about to travel and deliver a part. The parts will be assembled into a pet animal. Once assembly is completed, the animal will perform a trick. The theme of the presentation must include the delivery of the parts, the assembly, and the pet animal. Cost limit: $145 USD.

8. Problem 2: The Email Must Go Through Divisions I, II, III, & IV The team's problem is to create and present an original performance that includes a technical representation of messages being sent by email. A Sender character will send three emails: one that requires a return receipt, one with a work of art as an attachment, and one that goes through a SPAM filter. Two of the emails will go to a Receiver character and another will go to an offbeat location. Each email will pass through a central server before reaching its final destination. Team members are not allowed to touch the emails while the server is processing the messages. Cost limit: $145 USD.

9. Problem 3: ARTchitecture: The Musical Divisions I, II, III & IV For this problem, teams will create and present an original performance that includes a replica of a documented architectural structure that was built between 1,000 AD and 1,600 AD. The performance will include three works of art that "disappear" and two characters that go on a quest to find them. When the works of art are found, they will be incorporated into the replica. The performance must also include two songs that are accompanied by some type of choreographed movement. Cost limit: $125 USD.

10. Problem 4: Tumble-wood Divisions I, II, III & IV Teams will design and build a structure made of only balsa wood and glue that will balance and support as much weight as possible. Before weight placement begins, the team will present a commercial that includes the structure rolling down a ramp. The structure will be scored for how far it rolls and for how much weight it holds. The team will integrate the placement of the weights into the performance. Cost limit: $145 USD.

11. Problem 5: It's How You Look at It Divisions I, II, III & IV The problem is to create and present an original humorous performance that includes two characters that act naturally -- to them -- but odd to those around them. One scene will establish the "normal" behavior of one character that, at some point in the performance, finds itself among others who react to the out-of-place behavior. The other character's behavior will stand out too, but this character will end up in a setting where its odd behavior is considered normal. The performance will also include a meter that indicates the degree of odd/normal behavior and a creative scene change. Cost limit: $125 USD. Sponsored by NASA.

12. Primary: Top Sea-cret Discoveries Grades K-2 The problem is to create and present a performance that includes exploring the ocean and making discoveries. Along the way, they will encounter three different types of sea life and a humorous Captain character. Teams will also create an original reason for the ocean's waves and make a silly discovery that they have to help keep secret. Cost limit: $125 USD.

13. Spontaneous Problems: Good to practice in each meeting There are books with suggested problems Really great for dinner time “games”

14. Training Coaches training is available – Formal training Oct. 27 th 2012 @ Park View HS – Masters Spontaneous Workshop Dec 1st 2012 at Park View HS – Judges Training Feb 9 th 2013 at Park View HS Resources and materials (books, etc) are available at the training and on line Web site – www.nwvoices.org for local andwww.nwvoices.org – www.odysseyofthemind.org for national and problem information www.odysseyofthemind.org Meetings How many is the right number? What do I do as a child or as a coach? Where do I hold the meetings? Structure of the meeting Competition preparation: Allow time for extra practice sessions, think about transporting the “problems”, assign roles and responsibilities early

15. My information Anuradha Pajjur Email: apajjur@gmail.comapajjur@gmail.com

16. Key Dates to Know Oct. 17th – Team information due to PTO on the PTO website Oct. 27 th - Coaches formal training Dec. 1st – Masters spontaneous Training Feb. 9 th 2013 – Judges training March 2nd 2013 – Regional Tournament for Dulles Voices R16 April 13 th, 2013 – Virginia State Finals May end – World Finals at Iowa State University

17. Thank You!