We finally had our Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Tournament last weekend. It was the culmination of all of the kids hard work. They did a great job, but had a little bit of a let down. They built a great tower. They learned from their prototype and made some improvements. One of their observations of the prototype was that it looked "messy" because some kids used "too much glue" (can you see the foreshadowing yet?).
The kids got all checked in and then had to wait an extra 15 minutes because the previous teams had gone through so quickly. It was good that we waited as some parents barely made it there in time. They got set up and started their skit (Oh yeah there is a creative part of the score, not just how much you tower can hold). They decided to put the big weight on first. So the 45 lb weight went on. Almost as soon as it was set, the tower buckled. The kids kept their composure and finished the performance, but we clearly disappointed. In their quest to be "neat" they did not put enough glue at the intersections and it failed at them rapidly.
Although I was concerned about this, the rule prevented me from telling them. I asked them questions to try and get them to figure it out, but they went with what they had. It is all part of the learning process.
Overall OM was a great experience for me. The parents all told me that they kids enjoyed it and that they appreciated it. Some of them wanted to know if I was coaching next year. Even the friends that I talked into judging enjoyed it.
I highly encourage it for kids of all ages.
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