Odyssey of the Mind - Expanding young minds through challenge

It was an hour before daybreak and snowing hard. Our Moravia Odyssey of the Mind teams loaded a school bus, armed with pillows, snacks and excitement as we made our way to the state competition in Binghamton. I was too wired to snooze on the bus, so instead put pen to paper to reflect on the moment.

“Going to states” is an honor. My team placed 1st out of six teams at the regional competition in Auburn on March 14. Although we had been working as a team for two years and had been working to resolve this year’s chosen problem “Teach Yer Creature” for six months – which come to think of it – represents over 250 hours of work, the team was surprised and delighted that the judges liked their performance best.

The “Teach Yer Creature” problem challenged the kids to build a mechanical animal creature that learned behaviors and had to be reprimanded for a behavior. Then they had to create a humorous skit to demonstrate the abilities of the creature. My team decided early on to make their creature a bird and then explored birds at the Lab of Ornithology and puppet making at the Open Hand Puppet Theater in Syracuse. Their heads were full of possibilities. As they discussed birds that would be funny they argued the benefits of the tufted titmouse over the hairy woodpecker (what a funny coversation that was!). Eventually the hairy woodpecker won out. Although they all had ideas on how to make him – the process was slow – with lots of paper mache, drying time, trial and error, feathers, glue, duct tape and so on. Start to finish the making of “Hairy” took about a month of production time and he ended up as a 3 foot tall hairy woodpecker with a zit the size of mars – all adding to the humorous performance.

One of the unique things that Odyssey of the Mind has to offer is that the whole solution to the long term problem belongs to the kids – no adult help is allowed. The kids have to sign off on paper attesting to the fact that they have had no outside assistance prior to each competition. I find that this environment creates a safe space for kids to try unique approaches and make and learn from mistakes. Most often the result is not “perfection” by adult standards, but the process that the kids go through to make decisions, and make things work is far more valuable. Early on this year my team came up with a unique way to hold up our background scenes. They made a 5 foot cubic frame out of ½” pvc pipe and connectors. They designed it to be easily taken apart for travel. And, they could turn the cube for a new scene – it was brilliant. Except they spray painted it while it was together, then it didn’t come apart and couldn’t be moved out the door. Getting it apart meant breaking the connectors - and it was back to the drawing board. In the end they cut the cube apart – reused the parts and made a self standing square. It wasn’t as pretty – but it worked, and most importantly - it stayed together and could be maneuvered out the door. Beyond learning that spray paint can be an adhesive – the team also learned that there are many ways to solve a problem.

Over the last two years my team has really grown together. The kids annoy each other sometimes, but they also know each other’s strengths – a necessary skill for working as a team. And, while we didn’t end up placing high at the state competition – they did a marvelous job and had a great experience.

Hats off to enriching opportunities, families that jump into “one more thing” in the schedule, and to school districts, like Moravia, that offer youth the chance to expand their learning beyond the classroom.

'Tis the Season

Today was the annual Christmas in Moravia event - chock full of all of the festivities of a Skaneateles Dickens Christmas, without it being, well...Skaneateles. Lots of fun, but I needed to write myself a schedule to keep up.

Our 4-H club does a cookie decorating event every year during Christmas in Moravia at Coffee 'n Cream, my friend Sarah's cafe/gallery - where kids can come and decorate (and eat of course) sugar cookies. So we were there helping to set up at 9am, Anna and her friend Hailey were Mary and Joseph respectfully (hey...they were short on boy recruits) for the living nativity scene on main street (the baby, by the way, was a very old cabbage patch kid...hysterical!). Cara, Jeffy and I rang bells for the Salvation Army at 11am, Cara's 5th grade chorus sang at 12:30pm - she was really excited to have a solo this year - so had to be there. Then we were on cookie decorating helper duty 1-2:30pm.

Jeff was away this weekend helping his folks move to their winter retreat...so I was flying solo (now you know why I needed the schedule). And Jeffy during all of this, was a trooper...although no one really knows how many cookies he ate :).

As for the picture! Anna's friend Haley's mom has a fairly new photography business...and we thought we'd reach out to her for some help on Christmas pics. She spent part of the afternoon with us last Sunday - and caught some fun family time (thanks Tracy!) One of the options is above.

Workbench Adventures—with Jeff and Company.

Well, project momentum has slowed from the last newsletter report. I do not have nearly the successes to report. Part of the reason is time constraints and the other is that I injured my knee in September and have not felt up to doing much. But those are just excuses.

I did make some improvements to the chicken coup; the old dog house that has been converted to a 4-star Poultry Bed and Breakfast (when the chickens get big enough, we’ll have them for breakfast - ha ha ha). Actually, once you name the chickens, it is likely they will have a long life (assuming they can outrun the coyotes). I installed a door on the coup and also hung shingles on the roof. Maybe next year we will install siding and indoor plumbing. Still have not built the other Adirondack chair, I think I am waiting to get an air compressor and pneumatic hammer for Christmas (hint, hint). We have cleared out the garage and are now parking cars out of the rain and snow. The shed is now packed full again, definitely one of our better investments. Speaking of snow, we have gotten quite a bit so far. We had some in October before Halloween and for the last week it has looked liked Christmas .

Wood-burning season has started and it is nice to have two strong girls to bring wood over to the window, even Jeff Jr. contributes. Still haven’t covered the wood though, waiting for the snow to melt so that my friend Todd can bring over an old pool cover that he has promised.

Cara and I have been taking voice lessons this fall on Saturday mornings. I wear a flannel shirt and my Carhart to the lesson so the real men of Moravia think I am actually going hunting instead of singing. I think the gun rack in Toyota Echo has them fooled. I have also been taking classes at SUNY Cortland through the Educational Leadership program. I feel that I am not educated enough and need more degrees.

As far as the knee injury, Shelley and I had been running this summer and fall (well, running may be too strong a word, but how about a fast walk without all the hip swinging). Anyway we sprinted at the end of one of our runs in Sept., she started it and I had to demonstrate that I still had the legs of a gazelle (if it was fat and 40). I won, but my knee didn’t...

Cost of an unforgetable Halloween? Priceless!

Some of you may know that I was one of those kids that went trick or treating until I was...17?! I realize how insane that sounds...but the costumes and candy were so much fun!

Now that I’m a mom...in Moravia, I’m motivated by other factors—namely—the Moravia Halloween parade and costume contest. It isn’t the prize (a big $5) just the inspiration of it all. We have a good time dreaming up costumes—often times with friends—and creating something strange or magical.

Although we didn’t win any prizes this year—we had fun. Jeffy was a knight and his gal pal Taryn was a princess. The first half of the parade they walked hand in hand—very sweet. Then something happened. The princess dropped the knight and ran for Han Solo. Jeffy of course didn’t care...he was pretty enamored with the sword, and his friend Spiderman walking on his other side.

Anna was Little Bo Peep. Truth be told, her costume started out as Raggedy Ann. She made an awesome red rag wig—that looked a little freaky when she put it on. Then we thought maybe she would just go sans wig, until Jeff noticed that she looked uncannily like Little Bo Peep. So we added the shepherds crook and a stuffed sheep and whala!

Then there was Cara. Cara and her friend Ellie wanted to be I dream of Jeannie girls. The pattern and the materials stretched my sewing skills—but Cara enjoyed the sparkles and glitter...and the girls looked beautiful.

You can see Cara her here with our friend Jordan Crossgrove who was a prize winning “green thing with a beak”.

We ended our Halloween with the annual candy swap and dinner at our friend’s the Crossgroves. A good time was had by all!

Incidentally...just want to point out all of the re-use of materials for the costumes this year. See all of the muslin? It is from discarded (never used) bed covers from the NYS Fair! And Jeffy’s hat and sleeves? Old curtains! Cost of an unforgetable Halloween? Priceless!

Indianapolis Adventures

I'm still here in Indianapolis - at the Extension Galaxy Conference. In case you are wondering what the "galaxy" stands for - it refers to the fact that all of the Extension professional organizations are involved. So this conference serves ag educators, consumer family science educators, 4-H educators, natural resource educators...and there are even more. I think I heard that there are 2,400 people at this conference. Wow!

The workshops have been good, and there have been a fair number of activies that have just been plain fun (those are the things that I have shared in pictures here). Kim and I have been running every day - it's allowed us to see the fun stuff around town. We

ran along the canal today (it reminds me of the riverwalk in SanAntonio) - it was gorgeous. We've shared some good meals with friends, and done a little sight seeing. You'll see the skyline here...it is quite a nice one.

The odd thing has been the smell. Apparently the barametric pressure change here has released some sewage gases. Yep. It stinks - throughout the whole city...just in occasional sudden whiffs. The funny thing is the the acronym for the university here (you see the acronym everywhere) - it is IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University at Indiana). The way the signage is done it looks like this IUPUI. Ha! PU is right :).

Here in Indianapolis

I am here in Indianapolis at the NAE4-HA Conference. Indianapolis is a really pretty city...not that I have had much time to play :). Lots of meetings and sitting during the day but the nights have been fun. Last night we went to the State Museum for a reception - where there was an Imax movie of racing and the Mario and Michael Andretti, tonight we saw a screening of Secret Life of Bees with Dakota Fanning. You would like that book Anna. It is a good one...and a good movie. I did drag Kim out this morning for a run - she loved it :). Note the picture here of Kim looking up at the skyline under one of the skyways (they seem to connect everything downtown).

Choosin' Health

Last summer our office began an educational campaign called Choose Health as an effort to promote childhood obesity prevention. I did a lot of the work developing the logo, taglines and promotional pieces...and I guess the messages began to slowly sink in. I started wearing a pedometer around (and realized that chasing a then 3 year old around isn’t really “active”), we began using sandwich plates for dinner plates, bought a treadmill and I started checking serving sizes on everything (drives my girls crazy I’m sure).
My new year’s resolution this year was to run a 5K. Although you may be thinking “no problem”, my 40 year old lungs thought differently. But after several months of training...I ran (along with Jeff, Anna and Cara) in the Tompkins County 4-H Duck Race in April. My goal was to finish the race—and I did it! We ran again in the Millard Fillmore 5K in July. And, Anna is running with the Cross Country middle school team this fall. I’m still trying to get 3 runs in a week...and enjoy running with my dog (sometimes I drag her, sometimes she drags me), and with Jeff on weekends. If you want to feel good about yourself, go ahead and challenge me to a race (5’2” doesn’t equate to “built for speed”)...I don’t mind.

Growing Stuff

This year’s garden, thanks to the plentiful rain, was incredible! I don’t think that I’ve ever had such luck or such beautiful tomatoes. It was touch and go for a while—a sheer battle between me and the cucumber beetles, but in the in the end we both got to eat a lot.
And recently I bought a neat little gadget called a Foley Mill that is allowing me no excuses for using up all of the nearly perfect tomatoes that are being produced this year. With the Foley Mill you cook tomatoes (or whatever you’d like) with skins, seeds and all...and then run the cooked product through the hand-cranked mill to squeeze out the good stuff and leave the skins and seeds behind. Come to think of it—I think my grandmother did the same thing with a cone shaped ricer and a wooden spoon, but it didn’t look like fun. My kids are fighting over whose turn it is to turn the Foley.
More on growing…Mr. Haight, one of Anna’s teachers, assigned the class to make a “project box” where they built a simple kit, and wrote directions for someone else to follow. There was much deliberation in our house about what kind of kit would be fun to do, and simple enough to explain. In the end Anna decided to build a kit for home-made chia pets—something that is always done as a hands-on project in the youth building at State Fair. She took lots of time to create her kit, label the contents, neatly write the directions and try it out. She was so excited to bring the project box in to school.
Well, when it came time to trade her box with someone else who was going to try it out, and grade her...she ended up with one of the boys...who doesn’t like projects. “This is stupid” he said as he added half of the soil. Anna tried to point out that he was supposed to decorate it. “I’m not going to do that, you can bring it home” he said. “Boys!” was her comment. She brought home his discarded, half-headed, chia pet and we got a chuckle as it began to grow.

Workbench Adventures—with Jeff and Company.

This summer saw a few projects completed around the house. I re-arranged the wood pile and made it much more attractive - no more pallet walls with big metal poles sticking out. Shelley and I finally painted the master bedroom; almost two years since we bought the paint for it. I kept waiting for my sister Beth to help me - but she moved to North Carolina. Also, got to add new parts to the John Deere lawn tractor, steering lever broke and battery went dead. While Shelley and the girls were at State Fair, Jeffy was my helper for a few projects. We had to paint the bedroom and closet doors in the bedroom, 6 doors in all. Jeffy helped with the power sander and the vacuuming of the doors after we sanded them. He really enjoyed the vacuum, especially when he saw a bug. He also liked to paint with the roller more than the brush, but he didn’t like getting paint on his hands. Good thing we still have baby wipes around. When he got bored, he rode around and around the garage with his bikes. Then, we had to patch the garage floor. There were numerous holes in the floor that needed fixed. I tried a new patching compound that worked really well. Now I can move the grill around without getting stuck in potholes. Finally, Cara and I (and Jeffy too) put together 1 of 2 Adirondack chairs that Shelley had gotten me for Christmas. (Hey, I was waiting for another piece and it just came in.) It is really comfortable and only one mistake (that you can’t really see). I should have taken some BOCES classes back in school instead of English or German. Come see for yourself :)

Owasco Lake “Staycation”

Some of you know that we found out this summer that Jeff’s dad was going to be busy undergoing chemotherapy for a soft tissue sarcoma (cancer) in his thigh. With this news and the outrageous price of gas...we thought this would be the year to stick closer to home.
While searching for a place to rent, we were asked to be guests at Ashland, a cottage owned by the Newhart family. What luck! We loved it, had such a nice time, enjoyed the company of friends and family the whole week, celebrated Anna’s and Jeffy’s b’days, fished, enjoyed the company of the Wells family—our friends who were renting just two doors up, kayaked, ate leisurely dinners as late as 8pm…
We spent most of the week wondering why we had never done this before. Owasco Lake is in our own little community, beautiful...and a destination for others. It may just be a destination for us again.
Special thanks to the Newharts for sharing their little slice of heaven with us! And to the Wells family for sharing in the fun and bringing the family out for some boating adventures. Did I mention that Anna got up on water skis?

Lookout Goober Ahead

Jeffy had a great summer, with lots of highlights including his wiggly eyes (see picture), and his millipede bracelet (see other picture).
His quote of the summer was, “I’m 4 and I don’t care!”. That sort of sums it all up anyway.
He is playing soccer this fall. If you are thinking—”wow, a four year old playing soccer!”. You are quite right. It is, as I see it, a strategy to keep him busy while Cara plays soccer (they play at the same field on the same nights) and to try to tire him out a bit.
He spent much of last Thursday with a cone on his head, sitting where one of the goal cones should have been, explaining to any other 4 year old trying to kick a goal that “he was a cone”.
So I guess we have a cone head.

Cara Meets the Jonas Boys

I often say that I’d like to skip to the end of the book of life to find out what happens with my children. Some things do seem predictable.
In Cara’s case, her pleasant persistence is what drives me crazy, but delights me at the same time.
When she heard that the Jonas Brothers were coming to the NYS Fair she started saving her money, writing letters to Jeff about why she should go, making lists of the things she would bring if she did go...the list goes on. But we held our ground as we didn’t really think she needed to go.
While at the State Fair I had a casual conversation with a friend who works for Ag and Markets, who had tickets for his daughter to go the concert. His comment was—I’d gladly give up my ticket for Cara to go.
Although I forgot about the conversation, he didn’t... in the end Cara did go with his daughter. The most amazing part were the seats in the meet and greet section. Good thing we had originally said no—eh?

What is NOT to like about September?

The end of the summer means State Fair for our clan. Shelley, and now the two girls, spent 13 days and 12 fabulous nights at the 4-H Youth Building—working, playing, eating, seeing old friends, and meeting a few new ones.
The girls worked in the incubation and Embryology exhibit where Anna got to hand out chicks and show small children how not to squish them. Cara’s talents for being a general fun loving goof-ball were quickly discovered and she was made the voice of Eggbert—the talking egg for nearly all of her working hours. When we heard Eggbert singing opera style—”Hellooooo, My Name is Eggbert, what’s your question?” We knew right away where Cara was.
One night at home...then it was back to school. Anna was nervous to start 7th grade in the middle school—lockers, bells, changing classes...yikes. But the team of teachers at the middle school set us all at ease. The middle school has “Houses” (think Harry Potter), where the students earn points for their house and are recognized for their individual and house achievements regularly. The teachers work together in a team approach to stay on top of behavior and academic problems. VERY different from the nuggies that I recall from my middle school science teacher for late assignments.
Jeffy started UPK this fall—attending every afternoon in Mrs. Denman’s class. Bless her heart. She has called twice to report what a delightful young man Jeffy is. She might have him confused with someone else—we aren’t sure...but he seems to love school, and Mrs. Denman.
Shelley, as usual, took the first two weeks of September off to recover from the Fair, and get a handle on the garden and house after a busy summer.

Last Night in San Antonio!

Another great day at the CYFAR conference. Followed by a little fun out on the riverwalk. Tonight I went on one of the riverwalk cruises with our CITY Project teens and adults - very cool, minus the obnoxious and loud tour guide. What I was hoping for was a river cruise minus the guide...just a chance to observe and chat with some friends. It was cool to see more of the city this way though. Sure is beautiful here. Then, I did a little shopping for the kidlings and hubby. Lots of shopping to be done here...even for non shoppers like me. I am giving a presentation in the morning - Creative Communication Tools - Simply Done -- things like wikis, blogs, meeting wizard, moviemaker/youtube, and facebook. After that, closing session then - home (after about 12 hrs of travel that is). See you soon!!!