Destination Imagination

Destination Imagination (henceforth referred to as DI).  You don’t know what it is?  I didn’t either 12 weeks ago.  I just knew that my two older girls wanted to do it.  DI encourages team work amongst the kids and problem solving by the kids with out parental, or adult interference.  But in order for the team to participate they have to have 2 willing volunteers per team.  One manager and one appraiser.  I got to be the appraiser which involved a half day of training and a full day of actual judging/appraising on the day of the competition.  Plus the picking up and dropping off at practices which were after school or on the weekend, sometimes both.  I had both of my older girls doing this DI.  The point of the whole competition was to get the kids to solve these competitions with no parental involvement.

Sounds easy right?  I shouldn’t have to do a whole lot, right?  It is so hard.  I Let me tell you why.  I would  of taken a different approach to the challenges than they did.  My Sass (7 years old) was involved in the Animal-Mish-Mash.  Take two animals combine them, come  up with a story of how it happened, a mock up of it’s habitat, and an explanation of it’s behavior.  Sass’s group, 6 kindergarteners thru second graders came up with the Chamster.  A Chamster is made when a hamster and a cheeta that was being chased by the police  ran into one another and fused together.  He usually lives in his cage, but some times he gets out and enjoys steak as a snack as well as carrots.  Not what I would have chosen, but it was their doing, and they did a great job.  The best thing of all was this group of kids got up to preform in front of a room full of strangers to act out their skit.

Sultana’s group of 6 fourth-grader girls was involved in the improve.  Think “Who’s Line Is It Anyways?”  They walk in not knowing what they are going to have to act out.  One of her challenges was (she had 3) Tell a story, the situation is you are stuck in the mud, the setting is in a goldfish bowl, and someone has to be caroling.  Crazy right?  But funny!  They did it!  They made it work.  They got up in front of a room full of spectators and 5 appraisers and did their skit.  It was amazing.

I am so proud of them.  I suffer from stage fright.  I avoid social situations like the plague.  Often time I come off as stuck up or snobby when meeting new people.  That’s not really how I am.  I am just afraid of talking to new people.  My palms sweat, and my mouth goes dry and I just get nervous.  I have been that way since I was a kid. They don’t even know how courageous they are to me.  I was always worried I would pass on my quirks to them, and to be honest it is a bad one.  Think job interviews, college class presentations and even PTA meetings, all awkward for me.  I am so proud of my girls.