Odyssey of The Mind BC
Generating Future Problem Solvers

Proudly presented in BC by The Creative Problem Solving Society (CPSS).



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CPSS acknowledges the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.

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Individual donors for 2008-2009 »

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What is Odyssey of the Mind?

Photo of a kid dressed as a monkey.

Odyssey of the Mind is a program for students that encourages creative thinking, team work and problem solving skills in a fun and friendly way.

Teams of 5-7 students get half a year to solve a problem and then present their solution at a tournament. At the tournament they are judged on their solution, the style of their presentation, and on how well they solve a problem presented to them on that day.

There is no one right answer, judges provide teams with feedback and reward them for creativity, quick thinking, and style in their solutions, ultimately deciding on who will represent BC at the World Finals.

Teams usually work to solve their problems both inside and outside the regular classroom with a teacher or parent acting as the team's coach.

What are the problems?

Photo of a team loading weights onto their balsa structure.

Teams get to pick from one of five problems to solve. These are called long term problems. Each year they are different but there is always one in each of these catagories:

  1. Vehicles - design one or more vehicles to perform different tasks.
  2. Technical - create working mechanical devices to become part of a play.
  3. Classics - create a play including elements of Classical literature, art, music, and history.
  4. Structure - design a balsa wood and glue structure to hold as much weight as possible.
  5. Humour - create a play with humourous characters and situations.
  6. A special sixth problem is created for students in Kindergarten to Grade 2.

Download a summary of this year's problems »

Photo of a boy with a tall structure made from straws.

The problem the teams must solve on the day of the tournamet is called a spontaneous problem and usually fall into one of three catagories.

  1. Verbal - team members take turns saying something which contributes to the solution of the problem. For example: name a tourist attraction and tell us why it has become famous.
  2. Hands On - team members create one or more items from materials provided. For example: create the tallest tower possible from this string, paper, straws, and paper clips.
  3. Combination - a combination of the other two types of problems. For example: create a tall tower from these materials and then take turns telling the judges why this tower is a famous tourist attraction

Why do we love it?

  • Students must create solutions entirely without the help of adults! They learn to solve problems, teach themselves new skills, learn decision making, discover bold new ways to use duct tape, and build self esteem.
  • Teams learn cooperation, respect for each other's ideas, how to manage money (yes, there's a budget), and that there isn't always one right answer.
  • Tournaments are fun, friendly, and encouraging. Students are stars for a day and feel like all the work they've put into their solutions has been worth it.

Ready? Learn how to start your own team. Get set »

Want more information?

See some of the solutions presented at the 2002 World Finals.

Talk to us!

Visit the Odyssey of the Mind international web site: