Is it possible to be a dedicated homeschooling mom while still making time for myself as an individual (a girlie girl who likes cute shoes)? I like to think so. Follow along, and I'll let you know for sure.

Trust me . . . it's not ALL about the shoes.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Back from OotM Madness

Yes, I realize I've been terrible about posting lately . . . mostly because our homeschooling has been very single-minded in nature the past month or so. Somehow, I'd forgotten how Odyssey of the Mind becomes all-consuming this time of year!

Noah just completed his second year of Odyssey, and Ava took part for the first time. Both loved it and are really excited that our team was selected to represent the region at the state tournament in April!

For those unfamiliar with Odyssey, it is a team-oriented problem solving competition. Teams of 5-7 students work all year to come up with an innovative solution to one of the long-term problems, then present their solution (usually in the form of an 8-minute skit) at the regional tournament. The team also solves a spontaneous problem at the tournament, for which they walk into a room of judges (no parents or coaches allowed) and are asked to solve a verbal or hands-on problem on the spot.

Our team competes in the Primary division (grades K-2), which was assigned the Money Maker problem. They had to create a humorous, 8-minute skit about a character who comes up with wild ideas to make money (three are unsuccessful and one successful). The skit had to include a character who encouraged the money maker's idea, a customer and a commercial.

The most challenging part of Odyssey (for a homeschooling parent, at least) is that the kids have to do everything - from coming up with the concept, characters and script to making costumes and props. In the end, it was awesome to see the kids pull together as a team and deliver a great presentation.

More to come soon, since they will be competing in the state tournament in April!

No comments:

Post a Comment