Education opportunities?????

[SnowWitch]

Alrighty my 7th grader must develop a project while on our Disney trip this dec. It must focus on educational opportunities. Curious if anyone has any idea, obvious choices would obviously be epcot and AK. Anyone have any creative idea???

 

[hezreck]

My daughter will also be 7 when we are there. I printed a Disney journal off the disneylollarless website for her to write about each day and what she did and learned. Each park has it's own page, and also printed a page for each days activities. The Epcot one is especially nice as it has a place to write what she learned about each different country. All together about 20 different pages. Will make a nice keepsake after she takes and shares at school.

Have a great time at Disney!!

 

[hezreck]

Just reread your post. Thought it said your DD was 7! Oops, well the journal would probably still work for her, might just have to elaborate on it. Have fun!!

 

[RumpleMom]

DD devised a project for her Statistics class while at WDW. She asked the family behind us, in which ever line we were in, figuring this would be a random sampling, if they wouldn't mind answering a few questions for her project. She asked questions like" how far have you traveled, how many times have you visited, ages of children, if any. " And just a couple more questions- not too long. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Most of them continued conversing with our whole family. We met the nicest people.

We ate at LTT and she listed the state of each party as they were called to add to her data.

She was pleased with the project. It was similar to the survey that Disney does at park entrances.

 

[bethbuchall]

What kind of science is your 7th grader studying this year? I know there is a lot of information out there on amusement park physics (try a Google search on those words).

 

[John Dobbertin]

Curious if your 7th grader's teacher suggested this project, or if it was part of a "negotiated deal" to miss a few days of school to go to WDW? Trying to find ways for folks to deal with the "missing school issue"!

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

You could talk to some of the animal presenters at AK about how they came to be working at AK, and what sort of stuff they need to learn in order to do their job. Or talk to some of the other CMs, and ask them if they're doing the Disney College Program, and whether or not they're taking any classes, what they're learning on their internship, etc.

 

[sartello]

Here is a website I found...

http://disney.go.com/disneyyouthprograms/yes/art.html

I'm still looking because we are doing something similar for my Kindergartener and 1st grader. We are going the second week of December and I would like to do something with them to share with their class.

I think the survey idea is a great thing. An idea to build on that is rather than doing a straight count of people, come up with a question that the 7th grader can problem solve using the survey results.

Something like determine the best times to ride individual rides. Busiest parks or favorite times. We're just big on having the kids take things a step further and make conclusions.

I'll let you know if I find anything else.

Shelly

 

[John Dobbertin]

If you are going to WDW with DS/DD who are school-age, is it possible for them to participate in the Youth Education Series. We note in the YES info it is "for groups of 10 or more." Can individual students "join-up" with a group? Has anyone had any experience doing this?

 

[SnowWitch]

This is a mandatory project that the principle has put in place to discourage absences and punish those who do. Appartently Ga schools did very poorly on some grading system that allocates $$$ and of the factors identified as causes "attendance" was an issue.

 

[loriandmatt]

SnowWitch - that policy rots! i am sure the attendance problem that the grading system refers to is not from caring families occasionally taking a child out of class to spend time with their family.

I hope your 7th grader produces a kick *** report that blows the socks of that principal. I hate the idea of punishing a child that is doing well in school because they are fortunate enough to have parents who not only care about their education, but quality time as a family as well.

- lori

so sorry dear moderator for the cuss word that caused my stars above. this issue got me a little testy!

 

[leebee]

How about taking the "Behind the Seeds" tour at Epcot? It's an "up close and personal" view behind the "Living with the Land" exhibit, where you go through the greenhouses, learn about managed agriculture, etc. Haven't taken it but have always wanted to. Perhaps you could expand from the tour? Also, let the CM in charge of the tour know about your assignment...maybe there'll be extra info or help!

PS- I think the school system decision stinks. I understand the reasoning against taking kids out of classes, but as long as our local public school system teaches at levels several years below the actual grade, I'll continue to remove DD from school whenever I decide it's necessary. HONESTLY!!! Sixth grade homework was a worksheet on the correct usage of its, it's, which, witch, too, two, and to. DD had to correct TEACHER'S spelling/usage on the sheet- "sense" when she meant "since", using "loud" when the adverb (loudly) was the correct form, and THEN do the actual assignment!

 

[PratersloveDW]

I don't know if this would work, but something that I think could be fun for your child would be to go on a tour, one that they would really enjoy (after all this is your VACATION) and still learn from. They have all sorts of tours from backstage tours to trains, dolphin classes to land animals, seeds to animation...ALL SORTS OF TOURS.

The 'Behind the Magic' (I believe this is the name, or Behind the Scenes) tour is a big hit with that age. They take you around and show you how things work and how they keep the park running smoothly. Your child could take this and then come up with his/her own way to run things, a new ride, anything. This would be imaginative and yet educational.

Or maybe the Animation tour. This shows you all about the magic of Disney animation: how they come up with ideas and then how they bring an idea to life...you even get to make your own cell to take home. He/she could show their teacher this and write a paper on the life of an animator.

You can look them all up on the Disney website. Best of luck in whatever you do!

 

[tjmw2727]

Unfortunately all but two of the tours mentioned have a minimum age of 16 no exceptions. The under 16 tours are the family magic tour with no age restriction and the wild by design tour has a minimum age of 14.

I think your 7th grader should grab a few of the guide books and see if something interests him/her, particularly the for kids by kids book. My girls are younger but off hand I think AK would be a great place to get started. They have lots of discovery stops that can be done on any level, kids as young as 2-3 can touch feel and see and older kids can get much more involved. Taking the train to conservation station is a good start as well, you can find out lots about the care and keeping of the animals and occasionally see a procedure.

I think I would try and find an interest and then expand on that, perhaps watching the gorillas a few times during the trip and writing a paper on gorillas. AK usually has CM's at or near all the exhibits that would be glad to answer questions and provide information. You could take the safari and research savanna animals, poaching dangers or maybe do some research the logistics of re-creating a savanna for a theme park.

I think that by planning ahead and doing some prep work this won't seem like such a "chore" and if the family can get involved somehow I bet you can make it fun.

You could spend some time at the Land in Epcot, take the boat tour and do something on farming, hydroponics and supply/demand.

In short I don't think you can just go and do IMHO you should have a plan and have him/her do some research on WDW and the subject before the trip.

TJ

 

[sunnygirl]

SnowWitch - that policy rots! i am sure the attendance problem that the grading system refers to is not from caring families occasionally taking a child out of class to spend time with their family.

Just so you know: Bush's educational policy of No Child Left Behind has forced a lot of schools (and States) to change local (or State) policies of attendance. So, it may not be the particular principal's fault. Sometimes things are not under their control.

 

[John Dobbertin]

I've posted on a couple of sites, and still have -0- response regarding Disney's Youth Education Series. It would be the complete solution to the question first asked in this thread. If you are an educator you can sign up your class for one of the Disney programs -- and there a lot of them. They generally last 3 to 4 hours and appear very structured. You need a group of 10 or more to set up one of these. How can an individual join a group? Is that possible? Has anyone done it? Anybody? Help!

 

[tjmw2727]

Ok - just a bit of searching, calling and researching and I think your answer is NO. From the information I have the classroom/grade/school must sign up at the beginning of the school year/semester and partipate for the entire school year or semester, it seems the end of the program is the 3-4 hours described. IIUC the program is done at the school during the school year and culminates with a day or two at disney. My sil is an educator in Clearwater, FL and they do not currently particpate but have in the past and may in the future. Unfortunately with the state wide testing, limits on out of school experiences and $$ factor this isn't an option for her school right now.

Sorry
Tj

 

[Goofy's Muse]

If I'm not mistaken, December is the time that Epcot features the different holiday customs and even 'Santas' from various countries. I would think this could provide great material for a creative report including photos, traditional greetings, description of customs, etc. I know that curriculum focus varies from state to state but I believe our own middle school covers that very same turf during December (without the actual travel, of course, )...

 

[John Dobbertin]

Do go take a look at the site one poster mentioned above. It is extremely interesting: http://disney.go.com/disneyyouthprograms/yes/art.html It will give you ideas for your student's "project-at-WDW" assignment. For instance, the first listing is "The American Story." You could do most of this on your own at the Liberty Square & Frontierland areas at MK. I doubt too many folks have stopped and read the plaque on the Liberty Bell replica. Interesting stuff. Poke around & you can find a lot of material right there! Anyway, all of the courses that are offered are listed -- & unfortunately they are for school groups requiring sign-up six weeks or more in advance. Good luck!

 

[SnowWitch]

Sunnygirl I'm afraid in our case it is the individual principle. This particular middle school failed horribly on some state grading system and he implemented these conditions himself. If my child had less than stellar grades, behavior problem, or tardy or attendance problems I would be okay with this but I hate the whole punish them all attitude!!!!!!!!!!!!!