TOYtimes: Issue 8, 2008

WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE COMING
Thank you to everyone who sent their Attendance Confirmation Forms and (where applicable) Travel Assistance Application forms to us before the deadline. We’re very pleased that so many of you are coming – it’s going to be a great final!

Please remember that April 21th 2008 is the deadline for notifying us of power, water, and any other special requests that your team may have (anything that cannot be accommodated on a 5 to 6-foot table with very limited surrounding area). We may not be able to help you with these needs after that date.

We need your Pictures and Toy Descriptions!
We would like every team to send us some digital pictures of their toy/game and team for a National slideshow. Please fill out the form below (which will also be placed on the TOYchallenge site under the forms page) and send it back to us with your Team ID, Team Name, Toy Name, and short 2-3 sentence description of your toy/game. These will be due April 28th, 2008. We will also give these to the judges at the National Competition.

THERE’S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT...
...to begin working on your presentation to the judges! Following your team presentation, the judges will very likely wish to ask questions about your toy or game, your team, your design process, your logbook… you name it! Now would be a good time to review the judging criteria found in the coach handbook.

Teams have 9 minutes total for their presentation. Please allow 7-8 minutes for your actual presentation and 1 minute for Judges Q&A.

Nine minutes may not sound like a long time, considering all of the work your team has put in. But have your team members try looking at your watch, then stand looking in a mirror and talking without stopping about their toy. They might be surprised to find that it is hard to fill a couple of minutes non-stop! You'll want to prepare your team as much as possible to say all the key points you want to cover, and not leaving any time unused or wasted. After all, these could be the most important minutes of the entire competition for you!

Remember, you might wish to practice your presentation in loud, confident voices; otherwise you may be drowned out on the day itself! To help you in your preparation, we surveyed some prior winners about their judging experiences. Here is what they told us:

On Nerves...
"At first I was really nervous. Then I realized that the judges were really interested in our toy. They wanted to hear what we had to say!"

"Your teammates are there because they are on your team. If you get into trouble with your part or a judge’s question, turn to them for help."

"Be confident! Nobody knows about your toy or game more than you do!"

On Being Prepared...
"Make sure to practice both your presentation and answering questions. We presented our toy to our science teacher and to our families. They asked a lot of questions. That really prepared us."

"Spend your time wisely. Showing off your game or toy is the most important thing: everything you say should support that goal."

On Teamwork...
"Try to give everybody a part to say in the presentation. That shows your teamwork."

"Every member of the team should know every aspect of the toy, even if it is not the part they are presenting."

On the Design Process...
"While keeping it positive, you can tell the judges what went well AND what didn’t. Don’t be afraid to say you had to go back to the drawing board."

"Don't forget to bring your logbook!"

"If your time with the judges is almost up and you realize they haven’t heard some very important part of your engineering or design, be sure to speak up!"

"Can you describe your design process? Make sure you can!"

On Showing Your Stuff...
"Let the judges touch your toy and really get to know what it does."

"Design your display so it can help you if you get really nervous and your brain locks up. If you know what’s on it and where, you can turn to it to help you out."

On Coaching...
"After the judges have left, talk with your team about the experience. What went well? What do they think they could do better? Were there any surprising questions that the judges asked? The Nationals are a really positive part of the whole learning experience. Help your kids to process it as it is happening."