Destination Imagination spurs learning in Delano
DELANO, Minn. -- Jeff Harris got his first taste of Destination Imagination when his oldest daughter was in second grade.
"We received a piece of paper she brought home from school and said, 'I want to do D-I.' My wife handed it to me and said, 'I don't have time,'" said Harris, who soon himself coaching the team.
Ten years later, Harris has a hand in coaching five Destination Imagination teams in the Delano School District.
"It's one of the most difficult things to explain," said Harris as fifth grade girls from Harris' team "Boom" swirl around him working with power tools, props and a computer.
"It's like a program that replicates the real working world that we adults live in everyday," said Harris.
Each year, teams are given a choice of various challenges they must solve using science, engineering, performing arts skills and teamwork.
The team we observed is involved in building a three-part story that centers around an energy cycle. It has to include a prop that changes in every part of the story, but is the same at the end of the story as it is in the beginning. Here's the kicker: The story parts have to be able to go together in any order, and the order won't be given to the team until the girls reach the competiton.
"If they can do that, and display that in the most creative way, and have a performance that's entertaining as well, they could possibly move on to another level, which would be the state tournament after the regionals," explained Harris.
The very top teams move on to a global competition, which features teams from as many as 30 different nations.
As a parent, Harris says Destination Imagination helped his daughters grow.
Marietta Cady's daughter was never one to feel comfortable in a roomful of people. But Cady says that's changed after her daughter started Destination Imagination.
"All of a sudden, she started, not only being comfortable around people, but performing in front of them and doing a good job, and it's been good for her."
Harris finds it's truly a program for any child. "I would say in Destination Imagination, there's always something for every kid."
RELATED LINKS:
www.mndi.org
612-221-1282
(Copyright 2010 by KARE. All rights reserved.)
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