0dyssey of the Mind Students are encouraged to think creatively and imaginatively to solve problems. Students are free to express their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. Students learn to work together and develop team building skills. Team members work together at length to solve a predefined problem (the Long term problem); and present their solution to the problem at a competition. They must also generate spontaneous solutions to a problem they have not seen before; this is the spontaneous problem at the competition.

Divisions Primary Division for students in K-2. Primary teams do not actually compete against each other. They simply perform for the judges and participate in the program. Division I for students in grades 3-5. Division II for students grades 6-8. Division III for students grades Division IV for students for college level.

Long Term Problems Vehicle: involves building vehicles of different sizes that must perform specified tasks. Technical: involves building “innovative contraptions”. Classics: incorporates knowledge of architecture, art, and literature. Structure: requires the designing and building of a structure using only balsa wood and glue, and competing to see which structure can hold the most weight. Performance: requires the team to act, sing, and dance based on a given theme.

Long Term Problems For each Long-Term problem, every team can have a maximum of seven members. Every team gives a eight minute performance which includes set up and take down of the props. The total cost of all materials in a solution must either be under $125 or $145, depending on the problem. Each of these solutions to the problem requires participants to push their thinking capacities as they decide how best to utilize their skills, time, and money. A new problem for each category is presented every year.

Spontaneous Problems As the name suggests, teams do not know ahead of time the topic they are to compete in. Upon competition, individual teams will enter a room of judges and will be presented with one of three problem types: Verbal, Hands-on, or Mixed.

Verbal Spontaneous Problem In Verbal problems, teams are usually given a minute to think and then two to three minutes to respond to a theme such as “make a rhyme using a name or species of an animal". Teams will then be graded based on the creativity of their individual responses. For instance, “there is a dog on a log” is a common answer which would earn the team one point, while “I can step on an ant, but an uncle I can’t” involves word play, a creative response that is worth 3 or 5 points. Verbal problems encourage individuals to incorporate their knowledge of history, science, literature, and popular culture.

Hands On Spontaneous Problem Hands-on problems focus on teamwork and the ability to listen to complicated directions. Teams will usually be instructed to build something based on the limited materials given, such as a freestanding tower using a few sheets of paper, some paper clips, a pair of scissors, and a piece of tape. At the end of the day, the team with the tallest tower and the best teamwork would earn the most points. The directions often include a loophole that, if discovered, could place a team far ahead the others. It should be noted that in OM, if the rules do not say that something cannot be done, then it can; in other words, participants are encouraged to search for loopholes whenever possible.

Verbal Hands-on Spontaneous A mixed, or verbal hands-on problem is typically a hands-on problem, followed by verbal response. For example, tell a story about the tower that you built.

Style Style is a component of long-term problem where teams are judged on specific elements of their skit. The pre-specified elements are related to the problem in some way; they are typically something to do with the appearance of a vehicle, costume, or prop.

Time Commitment Teams usually meet once or twice a week either after school, in the early evenings or on Saturday or Sunday. Meeting will be 1 to 2 hours in length. Many coaches will work around your student’s schedule until December, but from January to March, your total commitment is required. Keep in mind, that this program can not run without coaches! All team members must have their parent volunteer to help their child’s OM team.

Fundraising and Costs