2007-2008 Program Guide

"Odyssey of the Mind" is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. View 2007-2008 LONG-TERM PROBLEM SYNOPSES (All problems have an 8-minute time limit.)

COG Board Member Jana Flaherty has made it her personal mission to involve as many Citrus County students in Odyssey of the Mind as possible. This year COG will be sponsoring several teams. Contact us if you would like to participate.

Students work in teams so they learn cooperation and respect for the ideas of others. They evaluate ideas and make decisions on theri own, gaining greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem along the way. They work within a budget, so they learn to manage their money. The children see that there’s often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result.

By working in small groups on activities that require creative thinking the children have an opportunity to apply their creative problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The more these skills are put to use the more natural they become. Children learn to readily examine alternative approaches to solving problems rather than settling for the most obvious answer.

They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program." In fact, Odyssey of the Mind was a rousing success in its inaugural year in Citrus County in 2006, resulting in one of the teams sponsored by COG going to the World Finals and placing 11th of 47 teams!

Several schools have purchased Odyssey memberships for this year and are forming teams right now, contact your school principal to find out if your school is sponsoring a team. If not, contact us... COG also sponsors teams for students who would like to participate but do not have a team at their school.

Odyssey of the Mind Summer Camp

To help prepare students for the yearly Odyssey of the Mind competition, Citrus Organization for the Gifted (COG) and Citrus County Schools Gifted Education Program offer a summer enrichment program for elementary students, consisting of (2) 1 week programs. This summer camp program is based on Odyssey of the Mind and will be held at Inverness Primary School.

All students participate in spontaneous problem solving daily. These brain testers are really brain builders! They will be used in 10- to 30-minute sessions. Some spontaneous problems build verbal skills, some build mechanical skills, and some build both, but all will improve their creative problem-solving talents.

They also participate in particular problem challenge, for example - one of last year’s challenges was Balsa Wood Basics - Teams design and build a structure out of only balsa wood and glue. It would first have to withstand the "crusher board", and then additional weight increments. The structure had to be built using 15 grams or less of balsa wood and glue. It had to be 8 inches high and no narrower than 5 inches. The winning structure at camp withstood 50 pounds. The record for Odyssey of the Mind is over 900 pounds -- with balsa wood!

The State of Florida Department of Education is no longer funding summer programs for enrichment as it has done in the past, therefore, there will be a cost to participate in the Summer Camp program. The tuition will cover staff salaries, materials, supplies and administrative costs.

COG makes every effort to ensure that any child who wants to attend this program is able to by offering scholarships. However funds are limited. So they will be distributed on a first-come basis. A committee reviews all applications and determines what portion of the fee can or will be covered. (All request are kept confidential.)

YOU CAN SUPPORT ODYSSEY OF THE MIND!

Each team of five to seven kids requires a coach, a judge, and a volunteer. Want to do something positive for your children? This is a great opportunity, one neither of you are likely to forget! Contact us!

You can also support Odyssey of the Mind by supporting COG. Donate to the scholarship fund or become a member of COG. Your membership dues go to just this sort of activity.

About the Citrus Organization for the Gifted
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