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  • ABOUT US
    • What is Destination Imagination?
    • Why Choose DI?
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      • CALDI Essay Scholarship
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      • DISC Scholarships
      • CALDI Scholarship Recipients
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    • 2022Regional Tournament Scores
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SVDI Regional Late Registration Deadline

January 30, 2017

$300
  • « Team Manager Training Webinar: INSTANT CHALLENGE TIPS
  • Waves to Dunes: Appraiser Training »
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Details

Date:
January 30, 2017
Cost:
$300
  • « Team Manager Training Webinar: INSTANT CHALLENGE TIPS
  • Waves to Dunes: Appraiser Training »

RSS Destination Imagination, Inc. Website Blog Feed

  • Become an Instant Challenge Developer! January 24, 2023
  • Call for Ignite 2023 Speakers! January 17, 2023
  • Famous Landmarks STEAM Challenge January 9, 2023
  • Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging to Launch in 2023 December 20, 2022
  • Raising Children to Give Back December 13, 2022

Inspiring • Empowering • Life Changing

CONTACT US

  • 858 • 864 • 7172
  • askCALDI@caldi.org
  • 14843 Priscilla Street, San Diego CA. 92129
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regions

  • Best of the Bay
  • Region ONE
  • San Joaquin Valley
  • LADI Land

get Involved

  • Start A Team
  • Volunteer

Quick links

  • Destination Imagination
  • Challenge Previews
  • CALDI Smugmug
  • MyCALDI

CONNECT WITH Us!

California Destination Imagination is a 501(c)(3)        •       © 2019     •      All rights reserved       •      Privacy Policy
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Thank you so MUCH for Volunteering to Appraise California DI Teams!

Challenge Specific training

for Appraisers

Click on a Challenge to register

  • Daring Escape - Technical
  • The Next Level - Technical
  • Up Close- Scientific
  • Tricky Tales - Fine Arts
  • Roll With IT - Engineering
  • Festival Frenzy - Improv
  • For The Future - Service
  • Monster Manners - Rising Stars
  • Instant Challenge

Start Meeting With Your Team

2-4 Weeks

Attend Training in your Region –
The Region  workshop will help new Team Managers prepare to start their DI journey. This training is packed with ICs, Team Builders, tips and HELP! Come ready to dive in and learn, share your experiences, and get ready to have FUN!

Start Meeting with your Team

  • Outline of a typical Meeting
  • The First 5 Meetings Plan – An Example – All materials and ICs and activities for your first 5 meetings.
  • Teamwork & Team Building games
  • Questioning
  • Expectations

Interference 

  • Explain interference to your Team
  • Interference Activity

Team Rules

Introduce the Challenges

  • What does a DI Challenge Look Like?
  • Videos
  • First Look

Instant Challenge – The Instant Challenge portion of the DI competition is a chance for your team to show off its creative problem solving skills as they work together and “think on their feet” in a very short time frame to solve a problem. ICs are usually 5-10 minutes long.

  • IC Basics
  • What does it look like?
  • How to Teach Instant Challenge
  • CALDI Instant Challenge Resource Page

Volunteer Today!

If you would like to Volunteer in California or need more information fill in your details and we’ll get back to you in no time.

The Destination Imagination (DI) Experience!

Destination Imagination is an international creative team-based problem-solving competition for kids and teens that focuses on STEAM and life skills. DI participants learn the four Cs: creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. The world is changing fast, and the challenges kids will face in the future will be much different from those we faced growing up. We don’t know what the future holds. But we do know—no matter what—these skills will be essential to their success.

We invite you to LEARN MORE about who we are, what we do, and the impact we have.

Don’t Be A Stranger…

Just write down some details and we will get back to you in a jiffy!

Contact Info

  • 14843 Priscilla Street, San Diego CA 92129
  • 858.864.7172
  • AskCALDI@caldi.org

Get Organized

1-2 Weeks

Review your Resources 

  • Look under the Resources Tab at My CALDI
  • Helpful Information
    • A list of DI Team Manager Responsibilities
    • What is the DI Challenge Program
    • What is Instant Challenge
    • The DI (Creative) Process

Review Program Materials 

Your membership number allows access to the challenge program materials which are available for download . As soon as you purchase a team number you may download your Challenge Materials from MyCALDI

  • Team Challenge Previews 
    • Use these to help your Team choose their challenge
      • Challenge Previews
      • Challenge Preview Videos  
      • First Look Documents
  • Roadmap
    • Roadmap is a Team Manager resource developed to assist you in guiding your team members as they design and execute a Challenge solution. Section three (Guiding Your Team) explains the roles you will fill as a Team Manager, gives examples of how to begin solving a Challenge, introduces project management, and provides example meeting agendas. Section three will also point you to other resources available in Roadmap.
  • Rules of the Road
    • Rules of the Road is a document that contains all of the rules, procedures, and some of the forms required to participate in a Team Challenge at a tournament. Regardless of the Team Challenge a team has selected, it is very important for the team members to review Rules of the Road to learn the details of the Challenge experience, to prepare for tournaments, and to make sure the Team Challenge solution complies with rules and procedures found in Rules of the Road.
  • Team Challenge Materials
    • As soon as your Team has chosen their challenge, download a copy of the full team challenge

Child Safety & Youth Protection Guidelines

We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct. Complete Policy Statement.

Background Check

    • It is IMPORTANT to use the same legal name and email address that you use to register at MY CALDI!
    • Obtain a BackGround check BEFORE you begin meeting with your Team. Caldi Background check policy can be viewed HERE
    • Click on the button at the top of your MY CALDI home page to apply for a background check . 
    • Background Check FAQ can be found HERE

Please note only a CALDI approved background check will be accepted. 

Find a meeting Location

    • Meetings can be held at the home of the Team Manager, but can also be held elsewhere at parent’s homes, school or community rooms.
    • Your team will need a space in which to store the materials they are using and the things (props, scenery, gadgets, costumes, etc.) that they make.

Choose a Meeting Day and Time

Choose what works best for you. You are volunteering to help guide the kids every week. 

Hold a Parent Meeting

Before you meet with the kids you need to get organized. Make sure you have the help you need before your first Team Meeting

    • Hold a Parent meeting to set goals, dates, times and get help! Sample Agenda 
    • A list of ways parents can help
    • The Average Costs for a team.
    • Recruit your Tournament Appraiser! All teams must provide one all day trained appraiser to participate in our Regional Tournament. More info HERE. The appraiser also needs to complete a background check. Have them start the process soon.
    • Recruiting Your Teams Volunteer Appraiser
    • What Is Destination Imagination? How to describe DI
    • Tips for Parent Involvement
    • Parent Info Guide
    • Setting Expectations 

Please click
the button below

To see more information

Get Started

2-4 Weeks

Attend Training

Start Meeting

  • Typical Meeting outline
  • First 5 Meeting Plans

Teamwork & Team Building

Instant Challenge – How to Teach your Team

Discuss Challenges 

  • Watch Challenge Video
  • First Look Document

Interference

Choose a Challenge

2-4 Weeks

Team Name Selection – DI Team names are often DI punny or unusual. Teams often choose creative names that relate to their challenge or presentation in some way or just make them laugh. Let the Team go wild with their choice.

How to get your Team to choose a Challenge

How to read a Challenge

Big Ideas 

Team Choice Elements

Make A Plan

4-6 Weeks

Dissect a Challenge

Brainstorm Ideas 

Research Information – the hardest for teams to complete is the research phase because many kids aren’t super interested in pushing through this drier part of the process. Make sure that everyone has a copy of the Challenge at each meeting and that they keep referring to the things that they have decided that they need to learn in order to solve the Challenge. Refine Ideas 

  • CPS Tools
  • Focus on Scoring – Make sure the Team uses scoring when planning their solution.
  • Team Choice Elements
  • Story / Script overview

Create a Plan

  • Make Models
  • Field trips
  • WOW Elements

The Team's Solution

6-8 Weeks

Improv Teams

  • Game plan for Improv Teams
  • Tips for Improv Teams
  • Research Improv Techniques
  • Improv for DI Teams

Non-Improv Teams

Creating Props, Backdrops & Costumes

  • Project management with DI Teams
  • How to record team costs – from Rules of the Road
  • Embellishments & Team Choice elements
  • Pinterest Idea page – for inspiration

The Design Process              Image result for Destination Imagination creative process

Steps in the design Build process

Script writing

  • Prewriting Questions to ask your Team
  • Clear Storytelling

Get Ready for the Tournament

2-3 Weeks

Practicing

  • Ready Set Go!
  • Acting
  • Blocking – Great link that explains  blocking and why it is important
  • Dress Rehearsal – The week before the Tournament. Make a list of everything and use it to pack.
  • Talking to appraisers – Practice talking to appraisers and who is going to talk about what.What is the solution all about
  • Tournament Data forms

Planning

  • Typical Tournament Day
  • Note for Parents
  • Getting Ready for the Tournament
  • Failure Proof your Team
  • Tournament Tips: Planning For Success

Celebrate!

1 Week

After Tournament Celebration

  • Participation Certificates
  • Thank you for volunteering Certificate
  • What’s next?

Summer Activities

  • 12 ways to promote problem solving over the summer
  • 7 Summer activities to try
  • STEAM Activities

Get Help

1 Week

List of Ways Parents Can Help

Team Appraiser & Team Official Descriptions

Instant Challenge Helper Box of supplies

Skill Mentors

Tournament Day

Be the Team Cheerleader!

Start With Setting Expectations of Kids & Parents – DI is a process… Tournament Day should be FUN and a way for the kids to show their accomplishments.

Tournament Day Help

  • Typical Tournament Day
  • Note for Parents
  • Getting Ready for the Tournament
  • Failure Proof your Team
  • Picking up and understanding your scores

Find a Team…

Fill in some some details and one of our amazing DI Regional Directors will get back to you in a jiffy!

Contact Info

  • 858-864-7172
  • askCALDI@caldi.org

IC Information

Teams need a basic understanding of what Instant Challenge is and what to expect. Start off by watching a video and then try a simple IC. Make it FUN!

Basic Information

  • Teaching IC Outline– An outline of the the steps to teach your team IC during the season.
  • What is Instant Challenge?
  • DI’s IC Video Showcase 
  • Types of Instant Challenges & When to Practice IC
  • Watch a Team doing IC  practice & their debrief
  • Create a Box of IC Materials

Teaching Information –

  • Practice Procedures
  • Set Expectations
  • Debrief Questions
  • Rubrics & Scoring
  • Team Roles
  • Managing Behaviors – Dealing with conflict

IC Skills

Material Skills

  • Team Box of IC Supplies
  • Material Manipulation – Properties of Materials
  • Exploring_Material_Properties –It’s important for your team to understand key material properties to do well in IC. A set of exercises to do with your Team from DII.
  • Alternative Use of Materials
  • Extenders, connectors, controllers – Your team needs to know these concepts.

Team Skills

  • Listening Skills – Games to play that promote listening
  • Time Management – 
  • Start Smart Team Plan
  • Team Game Plan

Task Based Instant Challenges

General Information

  • Task based IC overview
  • Instant Challenge Practice Procedure
  • Smart Start
  • IC Resources

Training for Task Based ICs

  • Towers
  • Bridges
  • Balls & Ramps
  • To Move
  • To Protect
  • Communication type ICs
  •  https://www.caldi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Teaching-Task-based-Ics.pdf

Performance ICs

General Information

  • Performance IC Overview
  • Instant Challenge Practice Procedure
  • Smart Start
  • IC Resources
  • Drama Games for kids – Link to Drama Notebook site

Training for Performance ICs

  • Performance Team Teaching Activity
  • Acting Games 
  • Clear storytelling
  • Beginning, Middle and End
  • Elements of a Performance 

IC Basic Information

The Instant Challenge portion of the DI competition is a chance for your team to show off its creative problem solving skills as they work together and “think on their feet” in a very short time frame to solve a problem. ICs are usually 5-10 minutes long.

Basic Information

  • What is Instant Challenge?
  • Instant Challenge General Information
  • Apollo 13 movie clip – A real life IC in action. 
  • DI’s IC Video Showcase 
  • Types of Instant Challenges & When to Practice IC
  • Watch a Team doing IC  practice & their debrief
  • Photo of team doing above IC
  • Create a Box of IC Materials

Teaching Information –

  • Practice Procedures
  • Set Expectations
  • Debrief Questions
  • Rubrics & Scoring
  • Team Roles
  • Managing Behaviors – Dealing with conflict
  • When your Team is ‘Stuck’
  • Create your own ICs from NH DI

Teamwork

A team is a group of people, united by a common culture and purpose, who are cooperating to achieve quality results.

The challenge we have as Team Managers – helping kids develop healthy and effective interpersonal skills and processes so they can work cooperatively.

Teaching Teamwork

  • How to teach teamwork
  • Teaching  Activities 
  • STEPPING STONES – 
  • Team Building games
  • 10  Team Building games
  • More Teamwork Games

Teaching Listening Skills

  • Listening skills

Dealing with Team Conflict

  • Dealing with Conflict in Instant Challenge
  • Team Rules

IC Materials

Having a common vocabulary and a way to categorize the properties of the materials you have been given will allow your team to jump into the planning and executing stages of the Instant Challenge more easily. ​​

  • Team Box of IC Supplies
  • Exploring_Material_Properties –It’s importantfor your team to understand key material properties to do well in IC. 
  • Alternative Use of Materials
  • Extenders, connectors, controllers – Your team needs to know these concepts.

IC Training Plan

FUN is key!
If your team isn’t having fun they won’t master the skills! Be enthusiastic and crazy, help your team relax. You are their Cheerleader.

Promote a sense of camaraderie, and collaboration. Praise the kids when they take risks even if it doesn’t work. Teach them to learn from failure, embrace it and improve.

Training Guide

  • IC Training guide
  • Task based Ics Overview
  • Performance IC Overview

Teaching Information –

  • Practice Procedures
  • Debrief Questions
  • Rubrics & Scoring
  • Team Roles
  • Team  Plan Start Smart
  • Dealing with conflict in IC
  • Create your own ICs from NH DI
 

IC Tips & Tournament Prep

Tips and advice on ways to help your team  improve in Instant Challenge.

Start by attending the Instant Challenge workshops offered by your Region. These workshops  give your Team a chance to practice all the skills they’ve been learning in a non-competitive environment. It is FUN and helps teams figure out what they do well and what they need to work on before Tournament day

  • IC Tips
  • IC Team Game Plan
  • Tips to Maximize Instant Challenge Scores
  • Tips to Improve Team Scores
  • 10 Tips from Iowa DI
  • Instant Challenge Tournament Procedures
  • Paperwork

Rising Stars ICs

  • 19-20 Rising Stars Practice set
  • Little-Lost-Dragon
  • London-Bridge-is-Falling-Down
  • Ring-That-Bell
  • Sound-Effects
  •  More Rising Stars ICs
  • Three-Little-Bags
  • On Cans
  • Tilted_Tower 
  • Acting_Parts
  • Acting_Parts_Cards
  • Cup Capture
  • Bean Stalk
  • Stretch it
  • Teamwork Tools
  • Weather In The Garden
  • FloatBoat
  • Go Get Em
  • Let It All Hang Out
  • Rope
 

ICs by Type

Mini Challenges

  • Hands on 

Structures

  • Remodeling
  • PaperTowerIC
  • Stack-em Up
  • Create a Crane
  • Hurricane
  • More Structure ICs

Bridges

  • Bridge of Choice – entry
  • Bridge of Choice – advanced
  • Connect the Cans
  • Dot to Dot
  • Stretch – entry
  • Stretch  – advanced
  • More Bridge ICs

Ball and Ramps

  • Guided Fall
  • Blockade
  • More Balls & Ramps ICs

To Move

  • Dropping in Tubes
  • Ball Journey
  • Blast Off
  • More to Move ICs

To Protect

  • Huff and Puff
  • Surrounded
  • No Egg on my Face
  • More Protection ICs

Performance based

  • Imagined Journey
  • Birdcage Adv
  • Birdcage Entry
  • Ants, Bees, and Termites adv
  • Ants, Bees, and Termites entry
  • Backyard Blues
  • Amusing Music
  • Alphabetic Answer
  • More Performance ICs

Communication

  • Assembly Line
  • Work of Art
  • Refuse, Reuse, Recycle
  • What’s Happening
  • More Communication ICs

Combo Types

  • Dinosaur
  • Quilt
  • Searching for Words – entry
  • Searching for Words – advanced
  • More Combo Type ICs

These have debrief notes specific to each challenge

  • Whats up with the weather?
  • Stack it
  • Mitten Surprise
  • Blast Off

Even More ICs

Write your own IC –Use this matrix as a model for developing your own IC’s.

Practice Sets from Roadmaps

  • 11-12_IC Practice Set
  • 12-13_IC Practice Set
  • 13-14_IC_Practice_Set
  • 14-15_IC_Practice_Set
  • 16-17_IC_Practice_Set
  • 17-18_IC_Practice_Set
  • 18-19_IC_Practice_Set
  • 19-20 IC Practice Set
  • practice_set_a_final
  • practice_set_b_final
  • practice_set_c_final

ICs from CDs

  • IConCDVol1_
  • IConCDVol2
  • IConCDVol3
  • IC_CD_VOLUME_4
  • CD_Volume_5
  • IConCDVol6

IC Links

Other sites to browse

  • Instant challenge Library from Iowa DI
  • New Hampshire’s Instant Challenge page – Tons of resources and links to other IC sites
  • Creative Problem Solver Instant Challenge site – Has ads that are somewhat annoying but easy to close 😀
  • Trinity North Central Texas Instant Challenge Site – Tons of ICs and new ones every Week!

Connect with us!

California Creativity Essay Scholarship

2010  Caryn DeFrees

2012  Alexander Guy

2013  Alexis Klopack

2015  Emily Mair

2016  Heidi Kevalevsky

2018  Savita Balaji

2019  Kaelyn Ong

2020  Caroline Liebe

 

Justin Kissel Scholarship

2010  Walter Scott Campbell

2011  Erica Grant

2011  Christopher Piotrowski

2012  Zachary Campbell

2013  Mark Rinkel

2014  Crystal Piotrowski

2015  Diana Terrin Spray

2016  Griffin Berlin

2017  Alexis Franklin

2017  Justin Yeung

2018  Rebecca Yee

2019  Sara Smith