Disney Educational YES Programs

[mrford]

My husband and I are feeling brave enough to take our 8th grade Sunday School class to Disney on Spring Break (with a few parents of course). All of our arrangements have been made except picking which program for our kids. Can anyone who has used the Disney Educational Program give me some insight and specifics concerning the classes you picked for your group and how the kids liked it.

 

[Wendy1953]

sorry, haven't done that, but I think it's so nice that you are! Here's to you and all a very magical, educational experience!

 

[cosmo531]

My wife's program has gone to WDW several times, so I asked her to answer your question. She said:


I work with a program that serves high school students with learning,
sensory or physical disabilities who are interested in high tech careers.
We have used the Youth Education Series Program at Disney for three
fieldtrips. There are four parts to the curriculum: Life Management, Arts
and Humanities, Natural Sciences and Physical Sciences, which all tie in
well with the goals we've set for our students. We have participated in
"Dynamics of Technology" at Epcot, "Career Discovery" at MGM and "Making
Waves with a Marine Career" at Epcot. The students had a great time with
all the programs and especially enjoyed going behind the scenes,
participating in hands-on activities, and the enthusiasm of the tour guides.
The Disney atmosphere is what made it particularly special, of course!
Programs run for 2-3 hours, the price includes time in the park, and all
have age/grade limitations. The programs worked for us on a
technology/career level, so I would suggest finding out what your 8th grade
Sunday School class is interested in learning about, or what your objective
is by participating in the YES Program. Programs cover animal science,
physics, business, leadership, conservation, mathematics, teamwork, history,
animation, school-to-work and much more! It was definitely a worthwhile
experience for our students. Hope this information is helpful to you and
your husband! >

 

[Mic]

I've been a lucky chaperone for 3 different programs over the last 4 years(2 at MK, and 1 at MGM), with kids between 12 and 14 years old. My daughter loved the American story program when she was 14, but she loves history. More outgoing kids(I think school play/theatre arts-type kids) would probably enjoy the one at MGM more. The one that would probably appeal to a variety of personalities and gender is another one at MK that met at 7:15 AM. I think it was called "Properties of Motion". We rode 2 of the "mountains" as part of the program, before the park even opened to the general public, and we learned a lot about inertia and gravity. Most of the kids loved this program! My son's Scout troop recently attended a YES program at Animal Kingdom(Team up for Wildlife) that he said was not as good as the programs at MK, but I can't confirm that as I was not a chaperone on that trip. I hope this helps! Also, if you need any advice on how to handle the practical stuff, feel free to PM me. I learned a lot of the things the good old fashioned way...by trial and error.