Global Finals Update 4: Day Before Departure

Posted on May 20, 2012 by homeschoolhappymess

Tomorrow, we will wake up at five in the morning and begin the LONG drive down to Tennessee for the Destination Imagination Global Finals.  Our bags are packed, our cds are burned, and the trailer, containing all the props the two teams have worked on for months, has been (laboriously) filled and hitched to the back of my Suburban.  I am driving five of the fourteen kids involved (four of my own and a nephew) as well as my youngest son, who is coming to cheer on his older siblings

 

Today, some team members helped to decorate the car.  This is a fun (and slightly messy) Destination Imagination tradition.  The kids made sure to include their team names, the state they will be representing (they will compete with teams from all over the country and the world) and their names.

 

 

 

Connecticut is traditionally a very small group at the Global Finals. Whereas states such as Texas or countries such as South Korea can send from 200-400 teams, this year only 4 teams will represent our humble state.  They are all homeschooled.  This is because news of this amazing competition has spread through the homeschooled community in Connecticut, not because the competition typically attracts homeschoolers; globally, homeschooled groups make up a minute portion of the teams competing, which are generally school sanctioned.  The teams representing Connecticut are:

Team I.C.E. (competing at the high school level in the fine arts and improvisational Challenges) (thats us)

SolarNauts (competing at the elementary school level in the science Challenge) (thats us too)

VisionQuest (competing at the middle school level in the fine arts Challenge)

Crazed Carrots (competing at the elementary school level in the community outreach Challenge)

We wish all teams the best of luck.

As for us, we’re ready to start our journey.

 

 

Filed under: Art, Contests, Humanities, Science, Science/Math, Theater, World Awareness | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Global Finals Update 3: 3 Days to Departure

Posted on May 19, 2012 by homeschoolhappymess

Today, the kids continued to prepare for Global Finals, which, almost unbelievably, is just a few more days away.

TEAM I.C.E.

Team I.C.E. had two skits (one planned and one improvisational) to rehearse for the two Challenges they will be competing in at Globals.  They worked through some improv scenarios and rehearsed their play a few times.  Because their strongest team member wasn’t there, they were unable to assemble their incredibly heavy backdrop, so they rehearsed without props.

SOLARNAUTS

The SolarNauts rehearsed their performance with props (no costumes) several times.  Parents and supporters watched to remind them how it feels to perform for a live audience.  Their teamwork was great; if anyone forgot a line, he could rely on his teammates to remind him.

You can see their work in various stages of development here  and here

Their rehearsal went great!  Everyone was proud of the hard work their kids put into this Challenge solution.

BOTH TEAMS

Time to assemble all their props…

…and pack the trailer!  I’ll have to drive 16 hours to the University of Tennessee with this enormous thing, which holds all the props both teams have worked so hard to create.

These boards, part of Team I.C.E.’s backdrop, are really heavy, so everyone works together.  If you’ve been following their progress, Team I.C.E. had a challenging (but fun) time making them.   If not, you can read about their experience here and  here

Finally, fifteen kids swim and play capture the flag.  Later on they’ll head to a friends’ house to enjoy an outdoor movie night, and then have a sleepover with both teammates and other friends.

After all that hard work, its good to enjoy a pizza dinner.

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Global Finals Update 2: 5 Days to Departure

Posted on May 17, 2012 by homeschoolhappymess

The kids are still busy polishing up their performances for the Destination Imagination Global Finals.  They’ve developed not only the acting, improvisational, prop and costume design and engineering skills that one would expect from a competition that centers on theater arts; the contest has also presented opportunities to develop teamwork and to learn to research effectively.

Team I.C.E.

This group of middle and high schoolers continued to research news articles.  They will need to know six team-chosen articles inside-out in order to succeed at the improvisational challenge, which requires not only on-the-spot thinking but also the ability to quickly develop a story based on previous knowledge of current events.  Choosing and learning about the articles is a team activity.

To help them assimilate the information, team I.C.E. identified major facts in each article and created flashcards for effective studying. Because they are pressed for time, the kids will study and rehearse as much as possible over the next few days, and will review their articles during the 16 hour car ride to Tennessee.

SolarNauts:

The SolarNauts also had to learn to research important topics.  This group of kids, all in elementary school, participated in the science challenge, which involved creating a skit about a possible future use of solar energy.  Their idea, the “Beam Machine” is a machine that can redirect solar energy from outer space directly to earth.  Today they worked on the Beam Machine.

Globals has everyone incredibly excited.  Our Team Connecticut tshirts and trading pins (each of the kids receives thirty to exchange for pins from other states and countries) arrived today. There’s a ton of planning, rehearsing, and packing left to do!  We will have 29 people in our group, including 14 team members, team managers, chaperones and supporters.

Filed under: Art, Contests, Current Events, Humanities, Science/Math, Theater, World Awareness | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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