Moving back to Illinois from Colorado, Yorkville parent Chris Bennett searched for a local Destination Imagination team for her daughter London.
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Popular in Colorado and other parts of the country, the program sets challenges for students to solve using creativity, critical thinking skills, and collaboration often as part of a school’s curriculum. According to the nonprofit Destination Imagination website, its goal is “to engage students to learn 21st century and higher-order thinking skills.”
After reaching out to local parents, Bennett’s daughter London, joined Team raDIoactive, a group of Yorkville kids who won both regional and state tournaments last year and earned themselves a trip to the Destination Imagination Global Challenge in Knoxville finishing 22nd out of approximately 200 teams.
“It was an experience of a lifetime for these kids to see the different interpretations of the same challenge,” parent and team manager Kristin O’Connor said.
London is back this year along with a crew of Yorkville elementary and middle school kids who competed in three challenges areas — improv, technical, and structural. Other challenges include early learning, math, service, and visual arts.
All three teams recently placed in a regional tournament and are gearing up for the Illinois state finals in April.
One of the unique aspects of Destination Imagination is the strict no interference policy from parents, family and friends. “Kids have to figure out solutions themselves,” Jeff Berry, a parent team manager said.
“Each parent signs a contract stating that they will not interfere,” Dana Wood, parent team manager said.
“One of the best aspects of the program is to see children listen to their teammates, appreciate others’ ideas and work together,” she added. “It is one of the best skills we are giving our kids.”
By being hands-off, O’Connor said her children have become thinkers.
In completing the challenges, students present projects in eight-minute long skits that must include very specific, detailed components, she added.
Working up to five hours each week since September to create a presentation that includes building props, writing dialogue and music, and choreographing a dance, member Loren Wood said her team of middle schoolers completed a structural challenge which presented the effects of pesticides on a bee colony.
As part of the challenge, team members had to build a prop with removable pieces whose weight was calculated and factored into the team’s score.
“It was like a Jenga challenge,” Berry said of the team who won 1st place in their challenge and earned the DaVinci Award for “taking a risk in presenting their project.”
The DIabolical Bubbles team of Grande Reserve Elementary school children took apart DVD players, televisions, and old appliances bought at Goodwill to create a moving creature that won 2nd place in the technical challenge.
Catie O’Connor’s middle school all-girls improv team, “The Perks of Being Awkward, Ouch That Kinda Hurts” placed third in the regional tournament.
Meeting every Wednesday, the team prepared for the tournament by playing improv games at do-over.me/ the Geneva based nonprofit organization that provides support for adults in transition.
The organization’s first experience working with kids, do-over.me founder Cynthia Wade said, “Kids don’t have the same hang ups as adults. They aren’t afraid of making a mistake.”
Improv teams are given elements to act out in advance, and two elements are given during the competition and participants must create a cohesive story.
While Destination Imagination has been popular in other parts of the country, it hasn’t taken off yet in Illinois.
Only a few school districts support the program. However, any parent can start their own team, Wood said. “It has been such a positive experience.”
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Despite all the long hours of preparation, O’Connor said, “The kids always leave smiling and happy. It is time well spent, for sure.”