Where did October go?

Seems I lost a few weeks here.  Happens every year to me with DI starting, Halloween and Meghan and Ryan’s birthdays right after Halloween.

All of the DI teams have started now and their challenges for the most part are picked.  The 7th graders…”The Pants”  have hit a rough patch and are not sure how to proceed…  they want to change challenges, but I think they are selling themselves short.  SO we gave them a week off to regroup and I look forward to our meeting on Sunday to get things back on track.

The 6th graders – the Perpendicular Rainbows are busy researching theatrical lighting and solar energy…  they have a storyline…  whether that will work or not is another story but we will continue to push forward.

The 5th graders – The Ducttape DI-asters – are busy learning how to become an improv team.  There is a lot of energy and creativiness in this team and they are learning how to harness that.  I just picked up a great IMprov book at Barnes and Noble this week and I look forward to using it for both Improv teams.

And the RS team – there are 6 of them including Aaron and wow…  it’s funny how going back to a RS team changes how you run meetings.  Thankfully they are only an hour long.  I am zapped of all energy once they are done meeting.  They are still working on a team name but man this team is SMART!

We all went to DI team manager/team training last Saturday at Centennial.  There were over 70 kids there including 35 from Fargo and 30 from Enderlin.  The Linebenders provided some great activities for the kids in the morning and we are hoping they learned a lot from the workshops they attended after that!  What a fun and exhausting day that was.

SO that’s it for my DI update!  I have a feeling this year will go fast and State tournament will be here before we know it.  Yikes!

DI-namic Duo!

Chris and I have been team managers for DI teams now for 5 years!  Well this is the beginning of our 5th year if you want to really get picky.  Chris started by helping out Kelsi with Meghan’s DI team and I took Katie’s RS team because there wasn’t a team manager to be had.  AT that point I am pretty sure we didn’t know what we were signing up for.

Over the years though we have become a DI-Namic duo.  Last year we co-managed 4 teams together, with all placing first at State and going on to compete at Global Finals andChris also co-managed Ryan’s RS team with Sheri.  This year we are on deck to co-manage 3 competitive teams together and we each will be co-managing a RS team.  Don’t tell Chris but I am pushing for a 3rd grade team which I will pick up as well.

Our house has become DI central as well.  We have rummage sale stuff in the garage, four shelving units full of IC stuff in the basement, weights, a structure tester, an impact tester, 3 toilets in the garage earmarked for some DI fundraiser and plenty of other stuff.  Thankfully we can lock the basement door as it is a DI-aster down there for the better part of every year.

We love having the kids and parents come over…they have all been instructed to just walk in when it is a DI day, cause we know you’re coming.   If the doors locked… go away  hahaha~!

WE love that our kids love DI and their friends love DI.  It doesn’t matter to me if you’re my kids or not because eventually all the DI kids become “my KIDS”  and they know it.

We have a couple of nicknames we like to throw around as well.  Chris tries to personalize their nicknames but I just call them DIK’s! – DI Kids!  The parents are the DIP’s – DI Parents and the team manaager’s are the DIM’s.  It’s all in love.

I am happy to say that my DI family is growing and that thrills me.  And it truly does become a family once you’ve traveled 20+ hours by bus, van or plane with all of the kids and parents.  I rely on my parents to help out and they have never failed me.  LaDonna always jokes that I have “staff” instead of parents.  I say tomato, toMAHto!

 

The Perpendicular Rainbows – A Scientifical DI-Namic!

My last competitive team started DI yesterday!  Yeah!  They are Katie, Marissa, Hajira, Katelynn, Nidhi and Pooja otherwise known as the Perpendicular Rainbows.  Fitting name since the Challenge they have chosen deals with the sun and solar energy and they have to incorporate theatrical lighting.  I bet a rainbow gets thrown in there somewhere.

Some of these girls I had last year and some of them are new.  It’s always fun to watch the new dynamics come into play.I think it will be a great year.  Marissa has been telling people they have chosen the SCIENTIFICAL  Challenge.  What a goof!  haha!

A great DI story!

SO I was working at the FCC last Thursday night and I went in to help with the Retired Physician’s dinner.  There I stopped and talk to a couple of my favorite retired physicians and Dr. O asked me if I had finished my pharmacy degree.  I have a degree in Public Relations (big shocker I know) and communication from NDSU and I had gone back to school about 8 years ago to get a degree in Pharmacy.  Before I could enter Pharmacy school, Chris and I decided to have another child and I got pregnant with Ryan.  At that point I decided I really just wanted to be a mom and wasn’t really a 40 hr a week kind of gal.  Plus I was having trouble being a Straight A mom AND a Straight A student.  I wasn’t willing to let either slide.

SO I explained to Dr. O and his table that I decided being a mom was more important and that I was raising 4 kids.  He asked what I was doing now then.  I said ” I run a non-profit organization for kids K-College.”  to which they all busted out laughing!  Not giggles but full out laughing.  At that point I realized they thought my non-profit organiztion that I was running was raising my kids, which is true but not what I was getting at.  So I expained to them what DI was all about and they thought that was grand as well.

I guess I am now running two non-profits for kids when I thought I just had DI to deal with.  I feel twice as important now.  Thanks Dr.O for helping me figure that out!

“The Pants” – DI Style!

Tonight the 7th grade Improv team met and in two hours the only thing they really accomplished  was deciding on their team name and what they are going to wear to tournament.  These girls kill me some days.

So their name is…drum roll please… “These Pants are Tearing our Friendship Apart.”  or “The Pants” for short.  This name comes from a sketch that Kaitlyn and Meghan did with the Linebenders during a class they took with them last Spring.  They were on a deserted island and fighting over a piece of gum in the pocket of these pants and out came this line “These pants are tearing our friendship apart.”  It was classic and J.J.  still laughs about it today.  He deems this line “Hilarious,insightful and wonderfully absurd.”

Now for their “outfits” – they want boxers.  Red and purple boxers with DI on the butt.  Guess I won’t be done sewing once Halloween is over.

These girls crack me up… now if they would concentrate on their challenge.  UGH!

Improv times two!

When I first took a competitive DI team it was Katie’s 3rd grade team.  What did they choose to do???  Improv!  OMG!  what was I going to do with that?  Their challenge had them make costumes and what not out of basically a box of stuff and they had 30 minutes to get it done.  They had to incorporate 3 different movie genres and God knows what else.  All I saw was DI-aster!  Well it kind of was in the end, but it was a great learning experience for all of us.  The State tournament was canceled that year and we were able to take the two teams we had to Global Finals in Knoxville, TN.  All I can say is about those third graders is this:  Not only did they compete in Improv for their first time as 3rd graders at the Global level, but they did a great job and didn’t finish last!  I think they finished 53/58, but at least it wasn’t LAST!  AND Katie ended up on the jumbo tron at closing ceremonies and that was icing on the cake.  It was also fun watching the 4th graders that year on the edge of their seats and crossing their fingers that the 3rd graders were going to finish in the top 10!  HAHA!

Well since then I have taken 4 more Improv teams and they have excelled greatly over the years, me too if you’re asking.  They have an idea how the challenge runs and I have an idea on how to run the challenge.  That always helps.  Last year our Improv teams finished 22/79 and 13/79 at the Global level.  OUTSTANDING!

Oh yeah where was I going with this?  Well I had my meeting with my 5th grade team yesterday and they looked at the challenges and it came down to them picking the fine arts challenge – Coming Attractions or the improv challenge – News to Me.  They voted twice and tied twice.  Third time is the charm I guess cause they chose to do IMPROV!  Yeah me!  I know this one!

This team is all new to me.  I have three returning kids Nishita, Amelia and Preeti, but I also have 4 new kids and get this of those new kids I have 2 boys!  OH I am so excited.  I have never had boys on an improv team and I am so excited to have them a part of this team!  My new kids are Hallie, Ceci, Dylan and Max!  Oh what fun we will have.  I find sometimes it’s more fun having a team where I don’t have a child of my own on there.  hahaa!  I can’t wait to see what this team comes up with!  Gonna be a fun year.

Apparently my veterans have warned my newbies:  I’m not nice, and I swear.  HAHAHA!  Don’t worry parents I’ll behave. 

DI Testimonial #1

Here is one of my favorite testimonials of how great Destination ImagiNation(R)  truly is. The majority of Meghan’s team has been together since 2009 and they are all great friends.  The majority of them are also all first born kids.  You know what that means.  They all have the best idea, they all like being the boss and in control for compromise isn’t in their voacbulary.  Those early meetings there were fights and tears and everyone’s ideas were the best and they couldn’t find a good way to compromise.  Well over the years DI has taught them that maybe their ideas might not be the best idea out there and listening to their teammates’ ideas wsa a good idea.  Meetings go much smoother now and they actually listen to each other.

On the other side of this tale is Katie’s team.  When I started taking their team in 2009 her team was made up of second born children.  Instead of fighting for center stage and knowing they had the best possible idea, they all sat around waiting for someone else to come up with an idea.  I got a lot of blank stares at those early meeting.  But now after figuring out that no one else is going to give them the right idea they speak up and tell me exactly what they are thinking!  And my daughter Katie no longer just sits there and smiles.  HAHAHA!

So DI teaching lots of things like compromise, and speaking up when you have an idea.  I love it!!!

This afternoon is my first meeting with my 5th grade team.  I cannot wait to see what fab ideas they come up with.  I have 3 returning team members and 4 new ones.  Should be crazy!!!

DI-scover more about DI!

Destination ImagiNation programming teaches the creative process.

In all of our programming, Destination ImagiNation stresses process above

outcome. We provide materials so every team can learn the Creative

Problem Solving process on its own timetable. Our teams learn to work

together in comfortable settings like their homes or schools, and they

present their Challenge solutions to live audiences in warm, encouraging

Tournaments, where our Appraisers are trained to award points to teams

for their achievements. Our focus on process allows our participants to see

the similarities between our Challenges and the problems they face in life.

They learn how to apply collaborative Creative Problem Solving skills to

solve those problems.

www.idodi.org

The start of a DI-lightful Season!

The teams are formed and I’ve had my first team meeting for the 7th grade team.  I am so excited to see these girls all together again.  I wonder if they’ve learned anything from last year?  We shall see.

The team consists of Meghan A., Kaitlyn A., Mikayla J., Sydney H., Alicia J., and Lauren L.  and of course they’ve chosen the Improv challenge “News to Me”.  I cannot wait to see what they do with this challenge.  I am also excited that hopefully by the end of this challenge they will have become regular newspaper readers as they need to bring an article to each meeting for each of six categories:  Sports, health, entertainment, travel, weather and lifestyle.

This team has no name yet but hopefully soon.  I did throw an IC (my favorite IC ever) at them that they have done many, many times and it seems they have learned something, but there is always room for improvement.

Next up is my 5th grade team on Friday!  Wahoo!