Questions:

1. What do the kids learn?

2. My child just signed up for Destination ImagiNation. What kind of commitment is required?

3. How much can I help my child with DI?

4. How can I get involved?

1. What do the kids learn?

In your everyday life, whether you work for a living or run a household, you are seldom given tasks with specific steps to a solution. More often, you find out what needs to be done, but few specifics about how to get it done. In addition, you must often coordinate your efforts with others. Its not rocket science, but these types of skills are usually learned after you finish your traditional "schooling". Its our belief that kids actually do very well learning how to do these things early. The Destination ImagiNation^® (DI) program gives them a structure for practicing group problem solving skills, following a budget, delegating tasks and managing their time toward an ultimate goal. Sound familiar? They work hard but they have a lot of fun along the way.

If you have never seen a Destination ImagiNation Tournament, you are in for a treat. It will amaze you how many completely different solutions they come up with for the exact same challenge specification. If your child is new to DI, they (and you) will not fully appreciate what they are doing until the first Regional Tournament. Once they have seen it in action, they'll be hooked.

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2. My child just signed up for Destination ImagiNation. What kind of commitment is required?

The commitment level required will depend on a number of things. Some Challenges require a lot more hands-on work, so more frequent teams meetings are in order. In general, teams will meet at least weekly in the fall, and frequency will increase as Tournament dates approach. The week or so leading up to a Tournament can often have daily meetings. If your child is involved with numerous school and sports programs, talk with your school's DI Coordinator for guidance as to what is an appropriate level of involvement and what is simply too much. Remember, this is a team competition; your child is an important part of a team and the success or failure of the entire team is affected by your child's commitment. If your child has made the commitment, help them stick to it and see it through. Until they have been to the competition, they will not fully appreciate what they have accomplished.

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3. How much can I help my child with DI?

Destination ImagiNation is all about what the kids can do!  Therefore, you will find out quickly that DI is quite against what we call "Interference". What that means is that your child's team's solution to the Challenge must be 100% the work of the kids. They are allowed to ask you questions, you are allowed to teach them needed skills, but all work and all ideas must come from the team. Lets discuss some examples:

If your team is making a backdrop by spray painting an old sheet, you may teach them to use spray paint properly and safely, but the sheet they use must be painted 100% by the kids. In fact, the idea to stray paint the sheet must be theirs. You can ask them "What kinds of things might you use as a backdrop?", and you can pose questions like "How would you go about holding it up?", but there is a fine line you cannot cross by suggesting "I have an old shower curtain rod you can use". Instead, you might offer to let them rummage through the basement or attic (or thrift store) in search of ideas.

If your team is building a wooden frame and they want to use power tools, you are allowed to teach them how to use them properly and safely. It is entirely appropriate for you to closely supervise the use as well, but the kids must do the entire operation with their own hands when building their frame. In general, if they cannot do it safely, the tool is not appropriate for the problem. Safety is always a top priority. Even with common equipment like hot-glue guns, adult supervision is always a good idea. Its never considered "interference" to stop a child to remind them to be careful!

We encourage you to read the informative Parent Guide, which can be found on the Destination ImagiNation website.

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4. How can I get involved?

We need help with many roles. Even if you do not have a child participating in DI, we can use your help. If your local school is not involved, consider getting a team started. If you have the time, becoming a Team Manager is a very rewarding experience (and the kids will love you forever). We can always use help setting up and running Regional and State Tournaments. This could involve anything from selling concessions to judging. Appraisers from all experiences are welcome. We will teach you what you need to know about DI, we need your expertise and experience to give our kids the information and feedback they need to be judged fairly and learn from the experience. And finally, we need your support. Come cheer on your school's teams, or help with the fundraising to send the Affiliate winners to Destination ImagiNation Global Finals.

For more information, see our Getting Involved section!

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