Counting down WITH the kids

[FLAgirl73]

Do you tell your kids you are going to Disney before to let them anticipate, or do you wait until the day of (or day before?)

I could not stand it to keep my almost 6 year old in the dark, so he's known we're going to Disney for months now. He's done surprisingly well with this information, considering his classmates keep coming back with Disney tales. I decided to do a countdown with him (my other son is only 2.5 and can't handle Disney talk. The other night when we took our after-dinner walk he thought he was riding his tricycle to Disneyworld LOL). I have a calendar that I use with my oldest, and I have slipped one of those paint sample cards from Home Depot into the slot for the day we are leaving. This way he can see how close we are getting each day. Also, each morning there is another paint swatch on the kitchen table. He knows we started counting down at the 10 day mark, and that once he has collected 10 of the paint swatches it will be the BIG DAY.

What do you do?

 

[daisy2jae]

We took a poster board and made a count down calendar. 100 days before the trip. We bought disney stickers at a dollar store. Less than $5.00 we made the poster. It was hung on their bedroom doors. Each morning when they got up they got to put a sticker on the day. Then they knew how many days they had left until we left. They also made goal charts for spending money. They really wanted to bring their own money. My 6 year old wanted to collect $100 to spend. She did extra chores, asked grandparents to give her jobs, and she even collected pop cans. She loved to see her chart fill up. She also enjoyed getting to pick out whatever she wanted with her money. I was so proud of her. To this day she still asks grandparents if she can help them and now doesn't ask to earn money while doing it. Although she still collects cans but it's for her "upcoming" trip but its not until 2011.

Do you tell your kids you are going to Disney before to let them anticipate, or do you wait until the day of (or day before?)

I could not stand it to keep my almost 6 year old in the dark, so he's known we're going to Disney for months now. He's done surprisingly well with this information, considering his classmates keep coming back with Disney tales. I decided to do a countdown with him (my other son is only 2.5 and can't handle Disney talk. The other night when we took our after-dinner walk he thought he was riding his tricycle to Disneyworld LOL). I have a calendar that I use with my oldest, and I have slipped one of those paint sample cards from Home Depot into the slot for the day we are leaving. This way he can see how close we are getting each day. Also, each morning there is another paint swatch on the kitchen table. He knows we started counting down at the 10 day mark, and that once he has collected 10 of the paint swatches it will be the BIG DAY.

What do you do?

 

[Colleen27]

My kids help with the planning. DS11 loves looking over menus and helping plan ADRs, and DD7 has to get in her opinions on which characters she wants to hunt down on each trip. We booked in Feb and since then, the two of them have managed to save half a coffee can worth of spare change! By Sept, they'll have their spending money pretty well covered.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS8 loves the countdowns!! This time we did a long skinny strip of paper (taped strips together) with little Mickey-heads glued on it, and cut one off every day. I made the Mickeys with a scrapbooking punch, and did most of them them black, with every 7th one red. - Thinking that way we could count by days or weeks.

(But for those looking to toss in educational things, it actually ended up being a neat math lesson, as we sometimes counted days by 7's. - Won't he be surprised in 3rd grade when he already knows part of his 7 times table!)

 

[DISNEYNV]

We do tell our kids we are going to disney as soon as we book the trip! They ( well mainly the four year old) doesn't get excited until the actual day of the trip! It's not real to that age until it is actually taking place. My one year old will probably be the same way. If you have young kids it's up to you if you want to tell them or keep it a surprise. In my house it's already a surprise even if they have known for months. We just tell them the day before that we are leaving for Disney the next day, we watch Disney movies and have Mickey waffles for dinner

 

[aprilfoolwed]

My kids have known for over a year that we are going. Planning with them has been part of the fun!

We've done some Disney Theme Nights to count down, but at this point we just have the number of days up on our white board and change it every morning. That alone is thrilling enough for them! They love when we change the whole number (go from 50 days to 49, for example).

My DD asks to talk about Disney every night before bed. My middle child can't wait to see things at DHS. And my youngest is just so in love with the idea of this trip!

It's been great sharing all the planning excitement with them all year!

 

[ireland_nicole]

We had to surprise our kids one trip (DD started having seizures, and we didn't get the all clear from her Dr. until the day before) what a nightmare! They were really upset the first half of the drive because they had school the next day, homework to do, friends to see... and this was not our first trip, and they totally love Disney, they just needed time to adjust. I realized that just like it is for me, for my kids anyway planning is half the fun! They love to help pick restaurants, plan itineraries, etc. We watch you tube and interactive maps, they stand tall at the Dr's to get measured to see if there are any new rides they're big enough for... in short, they have a blast.

We also use a countdown calender, but only for the last month... however, I'm hitting 100 days, hmmmmm...might have to go to Hobby Lobby today

 

[FLAgirl73]

Great ideas! I think I'll steal some for our NEXT trip!

 

[tlh0726]

We had a countdown chain and a bucket full of treats for each of us. Each evening we each would remove a link and could get the treat specified on the link out of the bucket.

 

[tassma]

We have a large felt calendar with pockets for the last 21 days. I put a Disney themed item in each pocket and they take turns pulling the stuff out each day. I usually put stuff in the pockets that I would give them anyway (ex: pins, toothbrushes, Croc jiblets, stickers, sunglasses, etc.). If there is big stuff then I put a clue in the pocket and let them hunt for the prize. It is fun and helps make the time fly - almost.

 

[PixiePlanner]

We are also doing a paper chain countdown. I found one somewhere online and printed it off with all the characters. My DD and I assembled it with the deal that DS got to take the first link off. Having two kids, we added an extra link for the last day so that the both get the last link. On these last links I wrote with a marker, __ is going to Disney World!

 

[bjscheel]

Our first trip we did a paper chain. Maybe for the second trip too, I don't remember! The girls would take turns tearing them off. One gets odds, the other evens.

Last trip we made a chart. I snagged the posterboard that came inside the sport jacket my boss had shipped to him. We taped about 36 Mickey head paint chips on and numbered them. Under each one we stuck a Disney sticker (mostly the ones that come in the Movie Club invites). All free! Then it was a surprise who was under each chip.

They LOVE the anticipation and planning. Sometimes I think it would be fun to surprise them, but I can't stop talking about the plans and getting everyone's input.

DH is mean though, the other night shortly after they had gone to bed, he said within their earshot, "Did you tell them they're actually going to DW tomorrow instead of school?" Nobody responded though so they must have already been out. There are no trips in the works for now!

 

[angelsmith52]

We are doing a count down. I cut out Mickey heads and the 2 youngest helped put the on the mantle. We are down to 26 days!!!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I made a paperchain calendar with my DS 2.5 for our last trip. He got to put the tape on each link as we made it then each night before he went to bed got to take one off until our trip. The last day was in the shape of Mickey's head.

I kept all of of the chain pieces to weave them into a scrapbook page from our trip and to be overlayed with pictures of him with the chain. =)

 

[sherabby]

We just count down on our calendar in our kitchen. My son knows off by heart and we are now down to 50 days!

 

[carone0318]

My kids always know when we are going. The only time we suprised them (it was in December 06), they didn't believe they were going, thought we were kidding and it was actually kind of boring. I mean we had fun on the trip, but I was expecting this great big wow, I can't believe it! It didn't have that effect, actually they really didn't believe it and were just sort him-haw about it.

As far as countdowns, well we've done the paper chain and the countdown on the calendar in the kitchen, but for the past few yrs I've done something different.

I do a 30 day countdown. I took index cards and put the day on each card and decorated them with Disney stickers, very inexpensive, but the kids love them. The kids do not know what the cards look like. When day 30 comes, I put the card on the kitchen table before anyone is up and when they come down the get to see the card and do the same thing each day after. It's so simple, but they love it and my kids are now 12 and 8, they are not little, littles. I use the cards for a couple of yrs and then make new ones. Just did a new batch for this yr.

I think the next time I do them (the cards), I might give the kids 10 cards each and I'll keep 10 cards and let them decorate their cards (I'll pre-assign days). On their particular day they can then put their card on the table in the morning for everyone else to see - I think that could be fun and really involved for them.

I'm always up for finding new things to do for our trips....

 

[tricia]

My guys usually know way in advance whenever we are going on a trip. We always do the countdown chain, which we make when there is about 100 - 120 days left. (I like to plan ahead so sometimes we have a vacation booked well over 1 year in advance) Anyway, we have a WDW trip planned this Sept. for Free Dining. I just booked it (like only 5 1/2 months before the trip ) And the kids don't know about it yet. DH thinks he wants to wait and surprise them just before leaving. I think we should tell them earlier, like 1 -2 months before leaving. We will see how this plays out. Not sure I can keep my mouth shut.

 

[3boymthr]

My kids have known right from the start. I found it was going to be just too hard to surprise them. I mean how do I tell DS (13) in January (when he's begging me to sign him up) that no you can't join baseball this year because you're going to miss four games and then not tell him why? Same goes for the other two.

We didn't do a count down chain but I put a couple of counters on my signature and the kids have been keeping close watch on those - like daily. We're leaving tonight and they are so excited - of course we have two days of driving and a week's worth of homework to do before we get there - I don't think they realize that .

 

[RMulieri]

We tell her before so she is included in the planning fun.

 

[daisy2jae]

I love all the ideas...I could see going either way...keeping a secret and getting them involved. We are keeping a secret for June 09 trip but when we start planning 2011 to WDW I'll have to use some of these ideas. Thanks!!