Wacky Problems, Creative Solutions

At Graland, our oldest Lower School students in Grades 3 and 4 join OM teams with five to seven of their classmates. Led by fearless parent volunteer coaches, these teams spend almost six months together working to solve their OM problem. 

Starting in November, teams meet for practices once a week, where their first team challenge is choosing the problem they’re going to solve. There are five problem categories that remain the same from year to year. However, the national Odyssey HQ writes new specific problem parameters each season. No two years are ever the same!

Problem 1- Vehicle: In this problem, team-made vehicles must travel through a course to solve the problem. 

Problem 2- Technical: Teams create technology ranging from basic engineering to advanced robotics to solve the problem. 

Problem 3- Classics: Using historical events or mythology as the backdrop, students write and perform an original theatrical performance. 

Problem 4- Structure: Using just balsa wood, students build a structure and test its strength with weights (sometimes over 1,000 lbs!) while performing a skit complete with sets and costumes. 

Problem 5- Performance: Using set changes, lighting, and costume changes, students solve problems in a theatrical way!

Once the problem is selected, teams must work together to build sets, design costumes, and solve their problems, all without adult assistance. OM pushes students to think creatively by limiting teams to a small budget and encouraging the use of recycled and thrifted materials. Teams have made backdrops with shower curtains, costumes out of cardboard, and vehicles out of laundry baskets! At the competition, teams are judged on how well they solved the problem, as well as their style, creativity, and performance. 

On competition day, teams must also solve a “spontaneous problem.” This requires students to think on their feet and work as a team to solve problems in a short amount of time. Spontaneous problems range from “naming things that are green,” to building the tallest structure out of toothpicks and straws. This challenge is designed to judge how well a team can work together under pressure and come up with a creative, quick solution!

As an educator, Odyssey of the Mind is one of my favorite ways to see student creativity and innovation in action. I have had the privilege of judging the competition for the last two years, and I am always blown away by the student performances. The independent nature of the program allows students to come up with unique solutions to problems that showcase their creativity and innovative thinking. It teaches students responsibility, how to work as a team, and perseverance. Odyssey of the Mind is a great stepping stone into the Gates Invention and Innovation Program in Middle School and directly aligns with our innovation skills of creativity, critical thinking, perseverance, experimentation, and collaboration. I am excited to continue to work with the students participating in Odyssey of the Mind as the faculty liaison, and I can’t wait to see the results of all of the hard work and creativity at the competitions this spring.