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At the world finals of Odyssey of the Mind, nine months of problem solving is distilled into eight minute-long creative outbursts.

Beginning around September, seven-member teams from schools as close as Arizona and as far as Hong Kong begin working on a problem in one of five categories: vehicle, technical, classics, structure and performance.

Their solution must be articulated in the form of an eight minute-long skit or performance.

In the Flyp Media video coverage of Odyssey of the Mine, a mechanized junkyard raccoon dances the robot. The myth of Heracles’s 12 labors gets a new spin. And a NASA-sponsored miniature cable car zips to four points across a makeshift stage.

These are some of the projects undertaken by elementary, middle and high school and college students participating in Odyssey of the Mind.

Self-sufficiency is also a crucial lesson. Although an adult coach supports each team as they progress through regional, state and world competitions, he or she is not allowed to help with the problem solving. They can only encourage students not to give up and assist in brainstorming by asking questions, like “Do you think there’s another way?” and “What other possibilities are there?”

The development of the soft skills of leadership and teamwork is also a critical piece of students’ day-to-day struggle to keep frustrations in check while structures fall apart and skits search for their voice. –FlypMedia

Flyp magazine Odyssey video coverage