Destination Imagination Global Finals 2009

Well, we have safely returned home from our trip to Knoxville. We had a great time, and it was an awesome experience for all of us. The first day we were there, we attended the Opening Ceremony. All the participants were together in one place - 9 different countries represented!!! Below you can see all the flags of the different countries that had teams there.
Throughout the week there, the kids participated in "pin trading". I had heard about this tradition, but I didn't realize before we went how big this was! Each team brings pins that represent their state or country. The kids then trade pins with one another. It is a great way for the kids to talk to other kids they otherwise would probably just pass by without saying a word. We ended up with pins from many of the states, along with Korea, Turkey, Guatemala, and Canada. My kids have really enjoyed looking at and organizing their pins. Definitely an experience to remember!

On Thursday night, instead of attending the "dance" that they had planned, we took our kids to the fountains in World's Fair Park and turned them loose! They had a great time for about an hour and a half. For the longest time, they were the only ones there, and they were soaked!!! Later on , though, a group from South Korea came - it was neat to see our kids running around wild with kids from a whole other country!!!
On Friday, we didn't really have anything that we had to do on campus, so we took off for a family trip to Dollywood. I don't have any pictures from that because I didn't want to "lug" my camera around. We had an awesome time! It wasn't TOO crowded, and the weather was perfect.

On Saturday, the kids presented their challenge. They did a great job - we were very proud of them. We ended up tying for 36th place out of 60 teams. We were pleased with the results (although the kids were disappointed that they didn't place higher) and the experience outweighed any placement we could have gotten.Way to go, Team Hassellwood!!!! We are very proud of you!!!