The purpose of the Mind Lab Olympics is not only to finish the year in an exciting way but also to provide our pupils with a chance to put the Mind Lab etiquette, teamwork and thinking skills into practice.

Our Mind Lab classes around the world are already gearing up for the big event of the year, the International Mind Lab Olympics. In the UK, our classes have begun tournaments to determine the teams that will go to the National Mind Lab Olympics which will be held in Oxford on May 10th 2007. Our National winning team will then go on to this years International Mind Lab Olympics which will be held in Istanbul Turkey on June 1st. We are thrilled that so many of our Mind Lab partners around the globe are planning to send their national teams.
 
In 2006 Mind Lab UK hosted the first Mind Lab International Olympics in Oxford. Four teams participated, 1 from Israel, 1 from Spain and the gold and silver winners from the UK National Olympics (the Robert Piggott School in Henley and St. Piran’s School in Maidenhead).

The International Mind Lab Olympics opened up a whole new dimension of learning opportunities and experiences. For example, during the master class run by one of the developers of the Mind Lab programme on the first day, watching the children work in mixed pairs from different countries to solve game puzzles was a joy to watch, although they had no common language, they communicated in other ways and worked together effortlessly and efficiently. The children continued to get to know each other and their new surroundings through activities such as a boat trip on the Thames and a walking tour of Oxford, including the hall where Harry Potter was filmed.

The Olympics were held in the grand space of the assembly rooms at the Oxford town hall, complete with wooden panelling, high ceilings and paintings of scholarly looking gentleman. The room was filled with the flags from the competing countries and the children carried their country flags with them as they moved to the different tables to play the various teams. The atmosphere was tremendous!

This was the first of many International Olympics. In 2007 Mind Lab Spain hosted the International Olympics in the ancient university town of Salamanca. There were 7 teams in total, from Israel, Spain, Hungary, UK and Turkey.  The Olympic participants displayed the ethos of Mind Lab in action through their maturity, courage, courtesy, sportsmanship and mutual respect.

Equally impressive were the moments when the children were communicating and making friends across boundaries and languages. For example, in one of the first activities to "break the ice" children from each country taught the others a song from their country in their native language. It was very special and a unique moment which I doubt these children will ever have a chance to experience again. With the translators communicating instructions in a line at the front of the room, and all the country flags on the walls and tables, it felt like a children's UN. 

Mind Lab Group is currently seeking a large international sponsor to fund the travel costs for the 2008 International Olympics so children from all the Mind Lab partner countries will be able to attend. We anticipate there will be 40 countries in the Mind Lab family next year. What an amazing international event it will be, through Mind Lab our children will be breaking down the world’s barriers through games.

Although Mind Lab is much more than the Olympics, it is a truly exciting event and a life changing experience for the children, parents, and teachers, who participate.