Make Learning Fun! (ePub)

Make Learning Fun! Activities to Develop Creativity is a compilation of problems used in the Odyssey of the Mind creative problem-solving competitions. It includes 11 long-term problems and 48 spontaneous problems. It also includes an introductory chapter by problem writer and program founder Dr. Sam Micklus on the problem-development process, and a brief history on how the program began back in 1978.

This book is also a great classroom resource and can be used to teach every type of student. Students do not have to be Odyssey of the Mind participants to benefit from solving the problems in the book. All of the problems are appropriate for use in and outside of the classroom because they appeal to all types of learners and are effective in developing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Students do not have to be Odyssey of the Mind participants to benefit from solving the problems in this book. All of the problems are appropriate for use by teachers in the classroom, because they appeal to all types of learners and are effective in developing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

As the book titles suggests, the Odyssey of the Mind program is meant to make learning fun. Students work together in teams so they form life-long friendships as they learn cooperation and collaboration. Because the problems are open ended, students can integrate their own interests into their solutions. With titles such as History the Way It Was and Bridge the Gap, there is bound to be a problem here that appeals to every student. Problems range in subject matter from the arts, to technology, to the classics.

In addition to teamwork, students are taught to budget their money, because each problem has a cost limit, and also to budget their time, since each problem also has a time limit. There is a "no outside assistance" rule, so students must solve the problems on their own, or seek out learning the skills necessary .

About Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

The program began in 1978 in Glassboro, New Jersey, and is the original educational creative problem-solving program. It is administered by Creative Competitions, Inc. whose international headquarters is located in Sewell, New Jersey.