The Chocolate Rule
How two rules are shaping a generation of creative thinking
“Looks like you need more duct tape. I’ll get it.”
“Mom, NO!.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
“The interference rule, remember?”
The furious last minute preparations combine with stress to produce a palpable tension in the air. I think a dinosaur carrying an Easter egg basket is probably one of the more normal things I have seen today. Other oddities include a small lightweight (38 grams) wooden object known as as structure that if all goes well will hold more than 700 pounds! Look over there, a group of kids is dressed as vikings, and they have an enormous viking ship with waves that move back and forth.
Welcome to the Illinois Destination ImagiNation competition. Competitions like this are happening all over the world. In nearly every state in the U.S and many countries, the next generation is building the world one duct tape roll at a time.
“Oops. Thanks for the reminder, close one. I’ll let you get the duct tape yourself.”
The Rule of Interference
Destination ImagiNation (DI) has two very interesting rules and they are nearly completely opposite in nature and intention yet go together like chocolate and peanut butter. First a quick understanding of DI, the world’s largest creative competition. For the average person the closest thing to compare it too is the Olympics of creativity.
Teams choose an event, from Improv to Scientific to Fine Arts to Engineering. Then the training and planning begins. Teams can advance from one competition to the next with the pinnacle being Global Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee. Only a few universities in the United States are large enough to host an event of this size, which happens the week before Memorial Day each year with 18,000 people.
“Do you think rainbow duct tape or tie-dye duct tape would be better here?”
The peanut butter rule is the biggest rule that all DI teams agree to before they even start. It states: Only team members will come up with their solutions. The solutions all involve some sort of presentation aspect. (For many it is an 8 minute skit.) That means parents, teachers, friends, family and even other teams can not help build props, brainstorm costumes, assemble a clock that delivers poison (in the story) or do anything that interferes with the solution the team comes up. That’s hard for people who are used to helping. It means that all the solutions are 100% the team’s ideas and execution. Peanut butter rule indeed.
Team Deerfield
In Deerfield, Illinois the strong DI program has been led by Deerfield Public Schools District 109’s Sheila Shifrin for many years. In her southern Texas drawl she cheers, consoles, and even sheds tears of happiness for the teams. “Y’all need to consider the audience. What do you think that means?” she asks.
“I should face the other way so they see my face.”
“You should talk louder,” one team mate says to another.
Like all good educators, letting the teams figure out the best course of action is the key. Ms. Shifrin has been helping DI teams from Deerfield reach the heights of Global Finals for many years. In 2016 she’s proud to be sending 10 teams Knoxville who were among the best in the state’s tournament.
Technical Challenge:
Elementary
Walden’s DInoaurs — 4th Place — Wild Card
Middle
Shepard’s Spontaneously Combusting Donuts — 2nd Place
Caruso’s Creativity in a Nutshell — 3rd Place
Scientific Challenge:
Elementary
Walden’s DIce Cream Squad — 2nd Place overall, 1st Place medal in Instant Challenge
Wilmot’s The Appraisers — 3rd Place
Middle
Shepard’s Arbitrary Tea Time — 1st place
Fine Arts Challenge
Middle
Caruso’s Lightbulb — 1st Place overall, 1st Place medal in Instant Challenge, DaVinci Award for extreme creativity
Shepard’s DI-llusional — 4th Place — Wild Card
Improvisational Challenge
Middle
Caruso’s DI-Licious — 4th Place — Wild Card
Structural Challenge
Elementary
Walden’s DI eye of the Tiger — 1st Place
If It Doesn’t Say You Can’t…
This is the chocolate rule. Each year DI publishes a large set of rules for each challenge. In the spirit of creativity the rule the teams like best is clearly, “If it doesn’t say you can’t, you can.” It gives the freedom to imagine a time traveling dentist who encounters a mouse with a proclivity for eating croissants on the beach of Ecuador. Anything goes.
“When the hero attacks the pineapple to find out the secret message from her evil howler monkey, tye-dye duct tape will make her sword come to life. I just know this stuff.”
During meetings and practices, team members will often repeat this rule to their team when someone is worried that an idea is too crazy or to out there. It frees the teams from thinking inside the box. This rule allows the crazy, embraces the weird, encourages the off-the-wall. It dares one team member to add on to another’s already fabulous creation, by rewarding the love of chocolate in true creators. It’s magical.
Deerfield Public Schools have embraced the spirit of DI, with 25 teams competing across the district this school year.
Technical Challenge
Elementary
South Park’s Just An Ordinary DI Team
Kipling’s Space Kitties
South Park’s BASKAN
Wilmot’s Wilmot Wonders
Wilmot’s Awesomenauts
Scientific Challenge
Elementary
South Park’s know iDIa
Walden’s More than D I can C
Middle
Caruso’s Text Evidence, Please?
Fine Arts Challenge
Elementary
Kipling’s Happy Hippos
Middle
Caruso’s Still Working On It
Improvisational Challenge
Middle
Shepard’s Happy Smash
Structural Challenge
Elementary
Wilmot’s CADEJ
Middle
Caruso’s DI’nied
Caruso’s Mandatory Fun
Community Service Challenge
Elementary
Wilmot’s DI Creators
DI involves hundreds of people who all believe in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineeering, Art and Math) education process. In the real world peanut butter and chocolate go together amazingly well, it takes a combined effort of STEAM to make you believe the magic too. The next time you encounter a challenge, try marrying the peanut butter and chocolate rules.
Dave Kaufman, is a writer and is co-manager of Team Lightbulb competing for the second time in Global Finals. Follow the team’s journey and cheer them on @dkworldwide on Twitter (Follow here → Dave Kaufman)
