July 7, 2026 · Piedmont Makers
This fall we're launching Destination Imagination for grades 3-8: team-based creative problem-solving with a spring tournament. Sign-ups are open now.
This fall, Piedmont Makers is piloting Destination Imagination, a global program where teams of up to seven kids pick an open-ended challenge, spend the school year building a solution, and present it live at a spring tournament. We’re running the pilot in partnership with California Destination Imagination, and registration is open now.
Every DI season has two parts. The Team Challenge is the long game: each team picks one of six challenge tracks in September (Technical, Scientific, Engineering, Fine Arts, Improvisational, or Service Learning) and spends eight months building a solution: a skit they wrote, props, costumes, often a working device, all performed live in eight minutes at the tournament. A team that loves theater can find a home alongside a team that loves circuits.
The Instant Challenge is the curveball. At the tournament, each team walks into a room and gets a brand-new problem with a small pile of materials, solved on the spot in five to eight minutes.
The part parents tend to appreciate most: adults can’t do the work for them. Interference rules are strict, and that’s the point. A parent team manager facilitates the weekly meetings but the kids own the solution. It’s off-screen by design, and it builds the creativity and confidence that matter most in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Everything about the program lives on the Destination Imagination page, including the info session slides and a recorded info session if you want the full walkthrough before committing.
Spots are limited in the pilot year, so if your kid is in, register on TeamSnap sooner rather than later. Questions? Email di@piedmontmakers.org.