Destination ImagiNation fosters creative thinking and problem-solving skills among participating students from kindergarten through college. It features an annual competition component at local through inte rnational levels. Students solve problems in a variety of areas--from building mechanical devices to giving their own interpretation of literary classics. Through solving problems, students learn life-long skills such as working with others as a team, eva luating ideas, making decisions, and creating solutions while also developing self-confidence from their experiences. DI also develops activities and curriculum guides to integrate these skills into regular classroom .

Destination ImagiNation Inc. is a private, not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Glassboro, New Jersey. Mr. Robert T. Purifico is DI's Executive Director. Under the direction of Destination ImagiNatio n Inc., chartered affiliates are authorized to run local, regional, and state/provincial competitions. They receive logistical support, training material, and financial aid from Destination ImagiNation Inc.

All schools in New York are included within Destination ImagiNation of New York. All schools, public, private, and parochial are eligible to compete in our program.

DI encourages the development of cooperation, self-respect, and the appreciation and understanding of others through a cooperative team-learning mode. DI appreciates diversity, interaction, and cultural sensiti vity. DI provides experiences that develop essential life/survival skills.

Creative Emphases of Challenge

Presentation and Improv: 40%

Technical & Scientific: 40%

Other: 20%

Imagine the possibilities as your team will create a mystery story filled with suspense and intrigue. Flush out the facts; uncover the evidence, and perform your own scientific in vestigation to solve your own team-created mystery. Your team will also design and construct a communication device that will communicate important information over a distance-information that will help lead you to the solution of the mystery. Grab your m agnifying glass, flip open your notebook and let the in vestigation begin!

Challenge Requirements: This is only a partial list of the specific requirements of Mystery Loves Company

TEAMS CANNOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THIS CHALLENGE WITHOUT READING THE FULL MULTI-PAGE CHALLENGE.

 

• Craft a mystery story that includes characters important to the plot, and features a sudden change of events, a surprise, or an unexpected ending.

 

• Create a mechanical or technical communication device that will relay information that leads to the solution of the mystery.

 

• Conduct a scientific experiment that impacts the mystery's story line and demonstrates a scientific principle.

 

• Incorporate at least two additional creative clues into the story.

 

• Integrate the use of an Improv Item and three Side Trips into the performance.

Creative Emphases of Challenge:

Three-part Structure: 50%

Presentation and Improv: 25%

Other: 25%

Would you like an opportunity to travel? Does your adventurous spirit have you thinking about packing up and heading for new horizons? Have you wondered about how much you would n eed to take with you, and the most efficient way to pack ? Many travelers have faced the dilemma of how to safely transport their precious cargo. Travel containers need to be efficient, strong, lightweight, compact and versatile. Today, many items travel a s modular components or as items that are "ready to ass emble" on site.

Challenge Requirements: This is only a partial list of the specific requirements of Triplicity. TEAMS CANNOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THE CHALLENGE WITHOUT READING THE FULL MULTI-PAGE CHALLENGE.

 

• Create, build and test a three-part weight-bearing structure constructed from balsa wood, paper, and glue. The structure will be scored by comparing how much weight the structure s upports to how much the structure wei ghs. The maximum weight the structure may "officially" support is limited to 300 pounds for all levels.

 

• Tell a story of a journey to a destination of the team's choosing.

 

• Design and build three separate travel containers for special cargo to bring on the journey depicted in your presentation.

 

1. Structure Container: One travel container will transport and protect a three-part, weight-bearing structure made of balsa wood, paper and glue.

 

2. Spare Parts Container: A second team-designed travel container will transport a complete supply of pre-cut balsa wood, paper and glue necessary to build an exact replica of the team's three-part structure.

 

3. Cargo Container: The third required travel container will transport the components necessary to build one item that the team determines will be needed on their journey or at their destination.

 

• Integrate the use of an Improv Item and three Side Trips into the performance.

Creative Emphases of Challenge:

Presentation and Improv: 50%

Research and Artwork: 30%

Technical Element: 20%

Dear Friend,

Today I leave you a work from my heart. Although we may never meet, you will know me through my work of art. As you explore my life and world, much about me will be revealed. I am pleased you have found my treasure, for now it will live on. Please know that although I leave you this memento to cherish and enjoy, alas I must remain...

Anonymously yours...

Your team will select a real work of art whose creator is 'unknown', or 'anonymous'. This work might be: a colorful piece of pottery, a poem, a saying, a tune or lullaby, a folk tale, a piece of carefully crafted jewelry, a folk dance, a painting, an unsigned sculpture, or any work of art. You will then create an original performance that tells the Story of the unknown artist, "Anonymous," and the creation of the work of art you chose. "Anonymous" must live or have lived in a cou ntry and culture other than where your team lives. Your team will learn about another culture and era as you discover what life was like during the time and in the place in which the work of art you select was most likely created. In addition to the perf o rmance, your team will develop a Technical Element that uses only the technology available in the time and place where "Anonymous" lived.

Challenge Requirements: This is only a partial list of the specific requirements of Anonymously Yours. TEAMS CANNOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THE CHALLENGE WITHOUT READING THE FULL MULTI-PAGE CHALL ENGE.

 

• Select an anonymous work of art from another culture

 

• Research the culture and time period in which the anonymous work of art was created

 

• Create a performance that tells the story of "Anonymous," the work of art you chose, and the culture you researched, and incorporates the Technical Element.

 

• Develop a Technical Element that uses technology available in that culture and time

 

• Integrate the use of an Improv Item and three Side Trips into the performance.

Creative Emphases of Challenge:

Integration of Required Elements: 73%

Performance: 17%

Teamwork: 10%

What would happen if Steven Spielberg were at a pet show at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, where a Sumo wrestler was showing off his flea circus, and suddenly the fleas picked up t he wrestler and carried him off? YOU tell US, as you create DInamic Improv! In this Challenge, teams experience the fun of true Improvisation as they create a performance in a very short period of time. The goal of this Improvisational Chall enge is to think and act in the moment, with little or no rehearsal and no pre-planned scripts.

Challenge Requirements: This is only a partial list of the specific requirements of DInamic Improv. TEAMS CANNOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THE CHALLENGE WITHOUT READING THE FULL MULTI-PAGE CHAL LENGE.

 

• Prior to the Tournament, teams prepare research on items in each of three cat egories: Famous Innovators, Cultural Performers, and Important World Landmarks. The team will not know which items they will develop into a performance un til the Tournament.

 

• The team members will bring nine items from a specific list to be used as their only props.

 

• On Tournament day, the team will randomly select items from each category, as well as an unknown Scenario.

 

• Within a period of thirty minutes, the team will prepare an Improvisational Performance by blending research, props, and its Scenario.

 

• Two minutes prior to Show Time, the team will receive one or more additional unknown elements (depending on the Competition Level) which must be incorporated into the performance.

Creative Emphases of Challenge:

Technical Aspects: 80%

Performance and Improv: 20%

Every culture's folklore has tales of unexplained events, fantasy, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. In today's world of entertainment, technical special effects ha ve turned ordinary tales and ideas into extraordinary block busters and attractions. Technology such as simple machines, electronics, mechanics, optics, or other complex systems is used to create Special Effects in movies, on stage, and at amusement parks. Special Effects make the unbelievable seem real and give t he audience the illusion of the incredible actually happening. Now it's YOUR turn to create your own phenomenal story, filled with the IncreDIble TechEffects, to dazzle and surprise viewers of all ages!

Challenge Requirements: This is only a partial list of the specific requirements of IncreDIble TechEffects. TEAMS CANNOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THE CHALLENGE WITHOUT READING THE FULL MULTI-P AGE CHALLENGE.

 

• Research and investigate the technology of Special Effects and create an original tale that implements these effects.

 

• Design and incorporate four Special TechEffects, plus a DIrect TechEffect that will be sensed by the Inspector Detector, a member of the Appraisal Team.

 

• The tale must also include a team-made TechDIvice (a character or prop) capable of responding to or reacting to the required four Special TechEffects.

 

• Integrate the use of an Improv Item and three Side Trips into the performance.

Note: A special simplified version of this Challenge is available for Primary Level teams.

Newsletters are a great source of information. They will usually be monthly September through December and then March, April and June. Newsletters will be sent to the school's membership coordinator and should be copied for each Team Ma nager in the school. Our NY Website (www.bfn.org/~nyom) is updated almost daily, as is the National Website at:

In order to get a membership packet, including the 2000-2001 Team Challenges, Rulebook and Team Managers Guide all you need do is log on to the National website and print these materials. In order to compet e, and attend trainings you must join Destination ImagiNation (National). I have included a copy of the 2000-01 Membership Application for your use.

To compete in New York State you must also become a member of Destination ImagiNation of New York. A membership application is included with this newsletter. Your NY State membership entitles you to participate in our activities includi ng Team Manager Training, Instant Challenge Training, Improv Workshop, borrowing from books and videos from our Lending Library, presentations for faculty, staff, boards, parents and students, along with demonstration lessons using the DI curricula in the regular classroom.

Your region may have an additional fee to cover the costs of regional training and of course, the regional Tournament.

The "fundamental principal" of DI is that the kids are the SOLE force behind the ideas and construction of everything associated with the Team Challenge.  In some ways, this makes the Team Manager's job easier:

You don't have to be able to solve the Challenge. (Some would say not knowing how to

solve the Challenge actually makes one MORE suitable to be a manage a team.).

You don't have to be skilled at anything the kids need to know to solve the challenge.  Again, since you CAN'T tell the kids how things should be done, it is often preferable to bring in outsiders (who don't know what challenge the kids are trying to solve) to help develop any skills the kids might need. You don't even have to like the solution the kids come up with. However, in many ways the DI Team Manager job is unique and especially challenging:

Kids, especially young kids, will naturally turn to an adult to give them direction and advice when they are having a bit of trouble solving a difficult problem.  One of the biggest challenges of a DI Team Manager is to help the ki ds learn to depend on each other for this kind of support.

Praising and encouraging the kids is natural, but a TM must be careful they don't use "selective praise" as a kind of indirect control of the direction the kids take in developing their solutions. If you praise everything, the kids will have to decide for themselves which direction to go.

There will be times when the kids will appear to flounder -- or their progress will seem painfully slow and you will want to step in and help get them back on "the Right Track".  One of the great benefits of DI is for kids to learn methods to evaluate what is getting them stuck and find ways around it.  Teaching them the process of brainstorming, matrix methods of evaluating alternatives, etc. is a general skill that a TM can reasonably share.  Moreover, acting as the "fa cilitator" for these sessions is entirely appropriate.

Your job as manager is to help the kids determine their goals for the DI season.

1.  Help them to take the time to think about which Challenge would be the most fun to work on.  There can be a tendency to make this decision quickly.  Allowing enough discussion and "acceptance time" before the final decision is made will help the kids to feel comfortable with the decision.  This is an excellent time to introduce systematic approaches to decision making.  Be sure the kids determine what is drawing them to each of the challenges.

2.  Have them spend the time to discuss and agree to the level of effort they are willing to commit to.  It is often a good idea to involve parents in this decision.  This should include a discussion as to what will happen when other activi ties (like sports) begin.

3.  DI is about the process of preparing the solution -- not the result of a competition.  Consequently, it is generally counter-productive to try to set goals like "winning the Regional Competition".  Instead,  verify that the kids ar e interested in solving all the scored elements well -- and get them to set goals for solving each scored element with a high degree of creativity, style and competence.  This way, the kids can feel they have met their objectives for the year regardl ess of the outcome of the competition.

4.  It is often useful for an adult to over-see each group to keep them focused on the task at hand and supplied with materials.  Everyone who works with an DI team must understand the goals of DI and Interference rule.  Getting Parents inv olved by setting up Instant Challenges, providing snacks, doing skills workshops, taking the kids on Field Trips, etc. -  helps to spread the workload and will make the Parents more appreciative of what DI is accomplishing for their kids.  With some additional adult to help out with younger teams.  With young kids, it is often useful to break them into groups working on small enough elements of the over-all Challenge that decisions can be made and implemented in a single meeting.  7 yo ung kids will almost never agree on anything. It is a good idea to find aspects of the over-all problem that interest each of kids and allow them to focus on that aspect.  Having a "prop committee", "script committee", "costume committee", etc. allow s smaller groups of kids to "own" elements of the solution and to push the solution as far as they can without the need for constant discussion parents, it will be important to define the limits of their role -- namely that the TM has the final word on ho w the Team should be run.

5.  Set up a regular meeting schedule and give a written copy to all the parents.  Personally, I find a fixed, weekly schedule to work the best once the season is in full swing.  We often supplement these with "committee meetings" of less t han the full team who are working on aspects of the solution that don't require the whole team to be there.

6.  Team building is important.  It is difficult to be creative "on schedule".  Sometimes, just letting the kids have some fun together will allow them to develop better communication and respect -- which will lead to smoother progress when work resumes.

7.  Respect for Teammates is important.  It is a good idea to create Team Rules such as "Team members can disagree with a proposed idea, but should never call each other names".  The process of creating these rules can be a nice "team build ing" exercise.

8.  Time management, dividing tasks between team members, prioritizing tasks and allowing time for practicing, problem solving and integration of all the elements into a consistent whole are all areas kids will likely over-look.  It is entirely appropriate for a coach to assist in high-level time management and task prioritization.  Kids can become caught-up in one element of a problem to the exclusion of all others.  Helping the kids to create a plan that will allow all the elements t o be completed to a level they can feel proud is an important part of the TM's job.

9.  While it is appropriate for the TM to act as the facilitator in brainstorming sessions, they must be VERY CAREFUL to not take control of the creative process.

10. Risk assessment is critical.  Some scoring elements don't have to function perfectly to receive a score (i.e. those scored on creativity or artistry).  However, other scoring elements are purely a measure of whether a task is completed.  ; For the task-oriented aspects of a problem, the Team should spend a fair amount of time considering what might go wrong, how they can guard against these events and what they might do to recover from them.  One of the most empowering feelings a Tea m can have is to overcome some minor catastrophe.  One of the most deflating can be to have something pop up that leaves them "dead in the water" in the middle of their presentation.  Even if nothing goes wrong, having contingency plans to allow the "show to go on" in spite of equipment failures will help a Team to feel that much more confident.

If the Team is drawn to a solution that solves the problem particularly well (when it works) -- or solves it with a unique style they enjoy -- the Team can choose to go with that solution KNOWING that it might not work! DI encourages kids to take risks an d generally tries to reward sensible risk taking.  Be sure the team lets the Judges know (through the team data form, talking to the Prep Area Judge and in post-presentation discussions with the Judges) when the Team has elected to go with an elegant solution in spite of the risk.  For many Teams, the pride of creating an elegant solution is more important than whether it is guaranteed to work at a specific competition.  Encourage them to make these decisions explicitly and help them to fee l proud of what they've done BEFORE they go into the competition.

As a general rule, the Team should start by looking at the criterion the Judges will use to measure a given aspect of the problem. They should then balance how likely a solution is to work, how well it will work and it's "Wow factor" wh en choosing between alternative approaches.  Sensible risk taking includes assessing risk vs. reward.

11. Thoroughly understand the objectives, rules and scoring criterion for the Team Challenge.  Help the kids to understand the Challenge as thoroughly as you do.  It will generally take several readings (and occasionally clarification requests) before the problem can be completely understood.

12. Be sure kids get all published clarifications.  Otherwise, the problem they solve might be different than the one the judges measure at the competition!

13. Help the kids to feel comfortable sending in clarifications. Encourage them to send in for a clarification whenever there is any doubt about whether their solution conforms to the rules. Some of the "best" solutions will sit on the edge of what is leg al and what is not.   A formal clarification is the ONLY method to be sure that a given solution is considered acceptably within the perameters of the Challenge. Clarifications will generally be answered within a week.  Encourage the kids t o specify all their assumptions, give plenty of details and phrase the questions to accommodate simple answers.

14. Recognize that all rules, deadlines, etc. that are specified by DI  are inflexible.  A limit of 8 inches does not mean that 8.1 inches will probably be OK.  In some cases, missing a critical dimension can mean that the kids will either have to modify the offending item or not be able to use it in the competition.  This can be VERY stressful for the kids if they discover it at the competition.

The focus of Brain Storming is to generate as many potential solution as possible before trying to select the best ones:

1.  Clearly state the problem to be solved.  For complex problems, it is best to try to break them down into smaller, independent problems and solve them separately.

2.  Generate as many potential solutions as possible WITHOUT judging whether they are good, bad or meet all known constraints.  It is VERY important that ideas NOT be judged during this idea generation phase as that will tend to stifle additional ideas.

3.  Test generated ideas to determine if they are possible.  Prune (or modify) ideas that do not meet known constraints.  Critical constraints include the resources of available time, finances and skills.

4.  Evaluate the ideas to determine which are the most promising.

5.  Conduct experiments or "feasibility studies" to validate assumptions of analysis.

6.  Focus energy on "best few" approaches, refining to "best one" with time.

Be sure to spend plenty of time practicing as many different kinds of, Instant Challenges as you can find.  It is entirely appropriate to show kids alternative methods to approach spontaneous problems.

The most important thing in practicing Instant Challege is that the kids are successful.  It is MUCH preferable to stop the team while they are in the middle of a IC practice and help to stabilize how they go about assigning roles, setting priorities , etc -- than it is to try to do this after they've failed to solve the challenge.

-- Have the kids write down all their ideas for solving an IC -- and then discuss ways to broaden the responses, organize them and remember them.

-- Have them practice "piggy backing" answers.  This technique is a terrific way to come up with responses when their own well has run a bit dry.

-- Even Instant Challenges designated as Verbal and Hands-on can be further broken down into sub-classes of challenges.  For example, "building something that supports weight" is one "class" of hands-on challenge, while "directing a team member witho ut verbal communication" is another.  Understanding these broad classes can help to develop generic approaches and can save a great deal of time during a competition.  Moreover, even if the challenge presented at a competition is different than anything  they've seen before, understanding how to interpret the "crux" of a challenge will help the Team to respond quickly and confidently.

-- Experiment with different techniques for creating and recalling responses.  It is VERY difficult to think of new ideas while listening to other Team Members responses.  Having some mechanism to generate ideas and retain them in spite of this distraction is critical to avoid "drawing a blank" when their turn comes

them in spite of this distraction is critical to avoid "drawing a blank" when their turn comes

A team effort is probably the strongest principle in the Destination ImagiNation competitions. All competitive activities are performed as a team - including the Team Challenge, Instant Challenge, and Side Trip categories. This is particularly evident in the Instant Challenge competition where, generally, each team member must participate. All DI challenges score for teamwork.

Judges are instructed to be on the alert for unusual ideas evidenced in all presentations. Adult intereference is prohibited.

Cost limits for Team Challenge solutions are low thereby putting all teams on even terms and eliminating the influence of extra funds. The most significant financial assistance needed is for the annual memb ership fee and for travel costs and entry fees for the competitions.

At every phase of competition students are encouraged to meet and interact with students from other teams. Students often share ideas and solutions and offer help to each other.

Everyone has some creative potential, but many do not see it in themselves. Participation in Destination ImagiNation provides an avenue to open the door to the potential in each student. This in turn can bu ild self-confidence and encourage student-initiated inquiry. Experimentation is encouraged and even negative results can become part of the learning process without embarrassment.

A DI event features an innovative teaching technique. It is said that creative problem solving is the wave of the future in teaching. It is no longer enough to teach solely content; we need to teach student s to think. Many of the Team Challegens foster a better understanding of subjects which might have seemed too academic in the classroom. Subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, history, literature, creative writing and foreign languages can easi ly be encountered in problem solving. Art, music, drama and costume design are also part of some problems and may be learned in seeking Side Trip points. Side Trips are based on the widely accepted Multiple Integlligences Theory. Positive reinforcement is stressed. Training of teams normally includes brainstorming exercises in which any idea is acceptable; nothing is criticized. All students who enter are treated as champions, which in fact, they are.

Your membership decides which critera works best for you! Sometimes a team of students all in 5th grade includes one child who has exceeded the age limit -- in DI this is no problem! You school simply makes level decisions based on grade instead of age allowing all 5th graders to be on one team regardless of their age!

It is natural for young people to exert their energies in some direction. DI provides complex Challenges that have no stereotypic answers; the field is wide open to whatever direction the students want to t ake, but the goal is constructive and their efforts are rewarded through community and peer recognition.

The predominant spirit in DI competitions is fun and humor. Finding new and different ways of doing things or looking at questions is an enjoyable experience.

With the generous support of the National Dairy Council, DI provides curriculum materials to our members around the world. The materials combine elements of competition and teamwork, theory and applicat ion, serious inquiry and fun. The activities encourage academic risk-taking, decision-making, goal setting, and, of course, divergent thinking. These are not intended to be Destination ImagiNation team-training materials, but are to introduce the enthusia sm and creativity of the DI program to the regular classroom. Each activity has a reference to one or more standard curriculum content areas. Inservice for classroom teachers, including demonstration lessons, can be arranged through the Stat e Affiliate Director

.

To contact the Affiliate Director:

Dee Urban

Telephone (716) 675-7566

Destination ImagiNation in New York is currently divided into three geographic regions - Eastern, Central and Western. It is the belief of those coordinating the program that Regional Tournaments, since they service the largest numbers of teams, should be a true celebration of every teams creativity. Requests to participate in a different region will be taken on a case by case basis.

The State Finals Tournament is smaller and therefore less expensive to operate.

As our membership grows more regions will be added for the convenience of our memberships.

Please contact your regional director for more information about the program in your area:

One state membership must be purchased for each national membership in order to compete at any level. National (and state) memberships are defined according to the following categories.

A. Individual Schools: Public, private, parochial or chartered school

B. Small School District or Multiple school campus: total enrollment of 500 students or less

D. Community Organization: Non-profit organizations or groups that sponsor education activities for youth.

Please check the National Membership Form for the definition of competitive levels.

============================================================================================

Complete one form for each membership copy this form as needed: