Seeking tips to enhance educational experience at WDW?

[sters]

We're taking the kids out of school for our upcoming trip in October and would like to find some ideas to make it more educational for them. I have some ideas but was seeking additional tips! Your input will be GREATLY appreciated!!!

 

[Vanryan]

Buy a passport kit to use in the Wrold Showcase at Epcot. There are stickers for each country. The cast members will sign in English or their native language. They are happen to spend as much time answering questions as needed. To learn a bit about the countries ahead of time and then get answers to the questions would be very educational.

 

[goofyguy1958]

Oh boy can I fill in the blanks but I know my time is limited. In Magic kingdom, you have the Hall of Presidents, future world, etc. and don't forget the history of Mickey. In Epcot: well this place has history, geography, technology, space flight, automotive engineering….. Off to MGM: Hey, the movies are important to our economy. Last but far from least is Animal Kingdom. Here we can explore nature, entomology, paleontology, geography, veterinary care, horticulture…. Hey, it seems like all the sciences and then some have to be covered in WDW. Seriously, I speak from experience as we took our daughter out of school 2 years ago and I tried to help her understand the various science, economic, historical, and cultural educational opportunities throughout the microcosm that is WDW.

 

[loriandmatt]

i found these nifty travel journal pages a while ago. (thanks to someone here, no doubt) they are great if you kids need to write a report on what they learned/did while they were away from class.

http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/kids/journal.shtml

- lori

 

[tjmw2727]

Wow, there are tons of great activities and you can make them as simple or involved as you need. Depends on the kids and the ages.

For example right at the start they can become involved in the planning, time managment, ps's and scheduling. Help with booking air or car travel, budgeting and even researching accomodations. This all invloves math, geography and more.

At the parks you have Epcot, go in depth on a country, study hydroponics or conservation at the land and there are TONS of great learning opportunites at AK as well. My 9yo loved going behind the scenes with the vets at conservation station.

I tend to take one area with each of the kids and focus more in depth on that rather than exploring a bit of everything. They pick the project and do some research before the trip. During the trip we get as in depth with the cm's as we can. The girls compare what they researched and expected with what the cm's experience was.

Personally I don't consider just a tour through the countries or a ride on MS "educational". That said, with a little prep work and some additional time at the parks with a CM you can really learn alot.

TJ

 

[lentesta]

WDW is a small city. On a busy day, it must feed, clothe, shelter, protect, transport and entertain more than a hundred thousand people. Therefore, it should be straightforward to relate a WDW vacation to almost any area of study. Math can be used to explain how long you wait at rides, how much you walk, etc.

The design of the parks themselves cover architecture and psychology ("The Architecture of Reassurance" it's been called.) The behavior of large crowds is, I think, covered in sociology.

More generally, "science" covers everything from WDW's environmental systems (recycling, waste management, conservation, etc.) to the microbiologists (two, IIRC) employed to detect and track bacteria and viruses in WDW.

I assume the "arts" and "entertainment" fields are sufficiently obvious. If you have specific questions, I'll be happy to help.

 

[BethC1952]

Don't forget the idea of Walt Disney World as theater. How do they create the atmosphere? How does the background music affect you? How does the landscape design change from one place to another? What does Walt Disney World do to protect the environment?

Those are the kinds of questions we asked my son to answer each year when we took him out of school for our Walt Disney World trips. Each year, his answers got more detailed as his awareness of the world around him increased. We went many times from the time he was 3 until he was 11. When he was with us in Dec. 2003 (he was 28 years old by then), I heard him asking his 3 1/2 year old daughter those same questions!

Beth

 

[erinch]

Don't forget the idea of WDW as MATH!

Where to eat? How much to budget? Which plan? You could have them set up and maintain a spreadsheet

 

[Kasmir]

Great ideas!

 

[donnajon]

My DS7 was wearing a Power Ranger T-shirt and it had some Japanese writing on it. He asked the lady in Japan what it said. She spent a lot of time with him. She told him how to pronounce it and what it meant. Then she wrote it down in English so he could remember it. She asked him where he got it from but I think she was confused when I said, "Target" ;-).
He probably remembers that mini-educational experience more that some of the more structured ones. It was fun and something he could relate to. Educational things can be anywhere if you look.

 

[agotta]

... In Magic kingdom, you have the Hall of Presidents, future world, etc. and don't forget the history of Mickey.

Except that Future World is EPCOT silly!

 

[goofyguy1958]

Hey, I was rambling and trying to post as fast as possible before someone here at work caught me.

 

[bigmerle1966]

You could also talk to their teachers before you go and ask what they will be studying and relate the things you do to that.

 

[twojo21]

at animal kingdom head kilimanjaro safari. also the maharajah jungle trek & pangani forest trail which are self paced walking adventures. there are many animals to view & exhibits & info about them. there's also conservation station & rafiki's planet watch with additional exhibits on the park animals, habitats and endangered species around the world, in addition there's a view of the veterinary facilities & info on animal care. there's also song of the rainforest 3d audio show at conservation station. and there's the flights of wonder show at ak where you can learn about bird species.

 

[sters]

Thanks for all the suggestions! My sons will be in the 3rd and 1st grades. Naturally, we'll do the journal thing with some biographical information on Walt Disney himself, as it is an anniversary year. We hope to spend a few days at the AKL, so was HOPING that my 3rd grader can interview an African CM for a project on Africa (culture, animals, art, climate etc.) and also some map reading excercizes.

I'm LOVING the many other ideas you are coming up with! Please keep them rolling in. I'm getting some great ideas already! I want it to be as enriching as possible since I'm being very naughty and taking them out of school for 8 days.

 

[tjmw2727]

Thanks for all the suggestions! My sons will be in the 3rd and 1st grades. Naturally, we'll do the journal thing with some biographical information on Walt Disney himself, as it is an anniversary year. We hope to spend a few days at the AKL, so was HOPING that my 3rd grader can interview an African CM for a project on Africa (culture, animals, art, climate etc.) and also some map reading excercizes.

I'm LOVING the many other ideas you are coming up with! Please keep them rolling in. I'm getting some great ideas already! I want it to be as enriching as possible since I'm being very naughty and taking them out of school for 8 days.

Cool, 1st and 3rd grades will be fun and fairly easy. For the 1st grader a journal "should" be enough (was for mine last year!). Another idea that was fun was the planning part of the journal. My dd did a prelude, where am I going, how am I going to get there, how long will it take and what do I expect. Comparing expecatations with reality at the end was fun.

A biography on Walt is an excellent idea, take a picture with the statue of your son (or son's) and Mickey in front of the castle! Also make sure to visit "One Man's Dream" at MGM Studios.

Your 3rd Grader can definately interview someone from Africa at AK, just stop into Guest Relations at AK and express your interest. I am 99.9% certain they will hook you up. AK also has a new thing for kids, I think it was discovery clubs. Kids get a small booklet and do a hands on experience in each of the lands,- the CM's are very informative and give a stamp when the activity is completed. When your finished you get a prize - the prize isn't really the price but the experience IMHO was the "prize".

Personally I found the CM's at AK the most willing to talk and teach with the kids. At every turn someone was willing to tell us something about the animals, attraction, their home and themselves. We love AK.

Epcot WS was also a great place to interact with CM's. Some are a bit shy but others, if they get that you are truly interested, love to speak of their countries. My girls absolutely love the acrobats in the China pavillion, the fact that they live and train here now just made them think about their home and being away for that long.

Have a great trip.
TJ

 

[Eeyore2003]

Shark Reef is educational and fun too. I don't think that was mentioned. Just also remember that years down the road the experience that will be etched on your child's mind the most is the time spent together enjoying wonderful times with Dad and Mom. They are going to learn a whole lot at that age even without you "formally" planning for it.

You will be totally amazed at what THEY see all on there own, but it's not very often in this day and age that famalies take so much time to just enjoy each other, especially in such a magical place. In the long run, that is going to be more important to both of you than anything else. They are both still at that "magical" age. How special!!!

I think the funnest thing would be to just ask them at the end of the day what things they learned and saw. My youngest son is now 20, and sometimes when we talk about our vacations, I'm shocked at what he noticed and still remembers.

All of the stuff people suggested is good, I think there is just so much everywhere, that it would be totally impossible for them to not learn SO much and WELL worth their time off of school!!!

 

[bigmerle1966]

Maybe you could do an album with each of the children, something they can share at school. On the left page have them write about something they learned and on the right put a picture to go with what they learned. Then they could take it in to school for "Show and Tell", if they do that sort of thing.

 

[Dreamflight]

All the attractions given in this thread are definitely very educational and I would recommend them as well...

And I think in addition to going to them, its good to have a lot of interaction with your kids about whats going on, before and after the attractions.

I reallly like what BethC1952 said about asking your child specific questions (both pre-prepared and improvised) about the park and the attractions. About how they think Disney intends on both affecting and educating people.

Also, giving your own input on each ride/attraction and tying together, helping to synthesize overall common themes of the park: like "progress" in Futureworld or Tomorrowland (or even Frontierland for that matter), or "Freedom/liberty" in Liberty Square. And explaining those themes beyond naming them.

Also, giving the kids an idea of the concepts that arent as obvious in the rides or park...or ones that kids may not immediately see a relation. And identifying and explaining the ideals/concepts that influenced or flat out led to the creation of the attractions and are very much in those attractions if people look a bit further past the obvious scripts, backgrounds, or attention getting characters of the ride.

Even better, before you offer your ideas, try to ask your child to see and discuss the common themes! Not only will they then be on their way to learning the actual educational concepts behind Disney, but its a good exercise in thinking and deductive reasoning as well! Yup, "deductive reasoning" in Disneyworld, this place has it all!!

And spend some time on Imagination with Figment...it can be quite educational and fun as well!

I love Disneyworld for many many MANY reasons, and one of those reasons is because I have a strong appreciation of what (i believe) a lot of the concepts in the park stands for, beyond just the obvious fun. Yeah, a cute purple dinosaur is (almost) always enjoyable for kids...but one that tells a kid that they can have confidence and purpose in the fun things they can come up with in their head...well that's a purple dinosaur a kid can really see as a friend and can relate to Disneyworld can go so much further then just the fun at face value (which in itself is quite fun), and i think a lot of that deeper fun (whether it be educational, emotional, etc) is responsible for many lifelong Disney fans

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

First I just wanted to say how great of a question this is! Its wonderful to see a parent thinking about this ahead of time!

Secondly if you don't mind me asking what resort are you staying at? Some resorts actually have educational experiences right there for you. A big one is the AKL with it's animal guide that you can pick up at the front desk. Also, talk to as many CM's around the World Showcase and at resorts like the AKL and Poly as you can! The CM's are almost always friendly and are more than happy to explain things about the countries they are from, and how they differe from the US. At the Poly sometimes you'll find CM's from Hawaii who can tell children differences between the islands and cultural differences, right down to the pronunciation of traditional "Hawaiian" words like Aloha. An example I learned was my name, Kim. It's spelled Kimo in Hawaiian and pronounced Chemo. I learned that on our last Poly stay from one of the nice CM's there. The AKL's CM's though are supposed to be fantastic at the story time there!

At the World showcase even the dining can be an educational experience. Some of the restaurants really immerse you into the "traditional" cultures of the different countries. A great example is Teppanyaki in Japan. The kids will get too see Japanese food cooked right in front of them, surrounded by traditional decorations, the cooks are usually pretty chatty and can tell them things about cultural differences, and while you wait to be seated if you get one of those buzzer things you can walk around the gardens outside and see how even their style of gardening differs.

Body Wars, does Epcot still have this? If so the whole buidling that this is housed in is an education in health. It would be impossible for a child to go in there and not learn anything!

The same goes for the Living Seas. Make sure that you stop there, take time to let the kids play with the old fashioned scuba gear (you can stand inside of it and try to do things like turn knobs with the clunky arms), and read about the different marina life.

The big ball at Epcot is a great history lesson to. It's concise enough and in chronological order, so it gives kids a refresher course in the order of major events in history.

At the Animal Kingdom there is simply so much to do that it's hours of 9-5 are not nearly enough! Theres the fossil dig site and the random spots where the children can actually read about the animals, not to mention the safari! Perhaps try getting a book about animals before you guys head there? If your kids are readers and finish it before the trip ask them fun questions about the animals while you walk through. We tried that with my little 8 year old cousin and I swear she took to the part of "tour" guide very well. Identifying the animals as we walked around and telling us everything she coudl remember. Then she'd run to the little spots with information about them and see what she missed. I swear she must have scared some people with her exuberant explanations of "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!?" lol Then she would stay there until she had it memorized. I swear that girls a human sponge when it comes to wildlife!

So Epcot and AK are your best bets educational wise. MGM can teach your kid/kids a bit about the making of movies, special effects, and animation if they are interested in that as well on the behind the scenes tours. Have a blast!