Homeschool ideas while at WDW?

[latrischler]

We are starting our homeschool year before our trip to WDW the first week of September. This is our first year HS (kids have always been in public school). I was going to take the week at WDW as vacation from schooling, but now we are thinking that there may be some really unique and fun learning experiences while there! (Besides just FUN!)

Has anyone done this? Can you share some ideas? We've not been to WDW as a family, just a couple one-day trips into MK or Epcot as adults.

P.S. Kids are going into 4th and 2nd grade and are advanced readers.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

While I don't homeschool we do try to teach our kids everywhere we go. An idea would be to show them the forced perspective down Main Street and then explain how it is done. You can then later have them draw pictures that show perspective turning it into an art lesson. In Epcot you can discuss all the traditions of each country. My kids are very young but they really soak all this stuff up. These are just a few ideas. Hope this helps!

 

[QueenGoblin]

I'm not a homeschooler either, but I have thought about this just for fun (I'm weird). What about the practical aspects of traveling...for example, if you are driving you can teach them about reading a map, figuring out mileage, how many times you will need to stop for gas, how much gas will cost you over the trip...you can also have them make budgets for the trip while at WDW. What will you spend on food etc./per day.

You could read up on the animals that at at the Living Seas and Animal Kingdom and then have your kids identify them while you are there. It seems like there woud be lots of potential at EPCOT. You could talk about the US's plan to send a manned mission to mars (in 30 years? something like that) In fact it seems like you could prep for a mini lesson at just about every EPCOT attraction.

Those are just a few thoughts that popped into my head. I'm sure you will get others Have fun!

 

[emh1129]

Hello fellow homeschooler! There are some great Disney lesson ideas on the homeschooling thread- check it out when you get a chance! This will be our first year homeschooling and I'm having so much fun planning everything!

 

[latrischler]

Oh Great - thanks! But where is the homeschool thread? Did I miss it?!??!

 

[emh1129]

Oh Great - thanks! But where is the homeschool thread? Did I miss it?!??!

It may have gotten a little buried. I'll see if I can find it and give you the link

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

I was a homeschooled child once. We took a week long trip to Florida to see my grandmother. We were in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area and did a lot of educational, but fun stuff there. We also took a one day trip to Epcot. My mom had come up with different questions about the countries and we had to asked a cast member about it. It encouraged us to learn about other cultures and gave some cast members a chance to really talk about where they are from.

 

[kjetjl]

I homeschool now but didn't when my oldest kids were younger. My son had to do a report on Norway. It was due a few weeks after we got back from our trip to WDW. We decided to eat at the restaurant for lunch and made sure he asked a lot of questions. CMs who were actually from Norway even came out of the kitchen to say hello and tell us about the food. The man in the store sat with my son for quite some time telling him about trolls, etc. It was a great experience.

We do geography related projects for the countries in Epcot and even AK with Asia and Africa.
We try to incorporate all sorts of lessons...geography and map reading for all the states we drive through to get to Florida. This year we are studying hurricanes since we will be going in Sept. We are also studying fish because we will be eating at Coral Reef and I want to try to have the kids identify some of the fish.

I love the idea of drawing Main Street and lessons on perspective. And the Mars mission tied to Mission Space-although I don't think I can ride that ride again.

The Presidents show in MK was a big hit with my kids last year and started a study of all our presidents.

Have fun with it! There are loads of educational experiences. We talk about our trip and all we learn(ed) for months before and months after.

 

[nuzmom]

First, I'd suggest starting hsing early if you need to so that you can take the time "off" while at WDW. I usually only count our WDW as a couple of days worth of schooling, but everyone is different.

My sons studied botany 2 years ago so we made sure we took the behind the seeds tour in epcot.

They studied world geography so we made a booklet with a map of each epcot country. We would talk to the CMs in each country, explain what we were doing, and then ask a short list of questions. One of which was for them to mark on the map exactly where they're from. (the questions were mostly "fun" - like what's your favorite food at home)

In animal kingdom, spend time at Rafiki's animal watch. Have your kids find something they're interested in and ask questions. The butterflies tied directly into their zoology lessons they had just finished before the trip. They also really enjoyed talking with the CM that cares for the frogs!!! Seems like many people don't like Rafiki's area, but if you take a little time to read the information posted about the animals and actually watch the animals for a while, it can be quite fun.

Here's a good link for the animals you may see on the safari.http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/resorts/aklguide.html You can do little mini project about the animals before you go.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Fellow hser here!!We usually schedule school so our vacation is a no-school time. But, they do learn a lot and we incorporate it throughout the year. There are a few things that you can do, bring a small pencil and paper for them and let them add the $ for your meal that day- there is sometimes a long wait for their meal and this would definitely keep them occupied. Also, the world showcase is great!! Let them pick a country that interests them and take notes on it then or later at the room. They can always go back later and write a report when you get home.

Also, they could do a survey of things they've seen on a particular day:How many men in line had a red shirt, how many babies had pacifiers,etc. The opportunities are endless!! This of course would work for any trip!

 

[latrischler]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! We will be "off" school that week, but I don't want them to turn their brains off. LOL So some of these ideas will be great for learning without them even realizing it - which is the most fun way to learn!

 

[dijid]

If you get a chance before you go (or have already) - study Simple Machines. Then have fun identifying different machines that help the rides go.

Bring a calculator and stop watch. Figure out the average ride time/wait time/etc. while you are in line.

If you're stuck in a long group queue (like VotLM), you can calculate what % of people are wearing crocs, or Mickey shirts, or whatever.

Wear a pedometer and figure out how far you are walking. How many days at Disney would it take for you to walk the equivalent distance of the Oregon Trail? (Or something like that. Maybe the Great Wall of China?)

Have a good trip!