When do you start your countdown...

[BeckityBobbidyBoo!]

...with your kiddos?
The last two trips I made a 30 day calendar (like an advent calendar), the kids took turns opening doors from 30 to 1, behind the doors were Disney character stickers. The front was decorated with more stickers and phrases from Disney, ride names, the kids names, etc. I was thinking of doing a chain this time. I wonder if 100 links is pushing it, or will they be like...yeah yeah, mom, we did the first 52 links, you just take the rest off, ok!

 

[Minniemouse07]

We did 150 days for our December trip. I cut red, black, and white paper into strips and then we numbered each link. Dd (6.5yo) helped me make sure that the pattern was in the right order and told me the next number to write on each link.

We definitely used it!

I should come up w/ another idea for our July trip. It is just dd and I going (dh and ds-2yo are staying home) ...maybe something girly in some way?

 

[TSMAMI]

We did 150 days for our December trip. I cut red, black, and white paper into strips and then we numbered each link. Dd (6.5yo) helped me make sure that the pattern was in the right order and told me the next number to write on each link.

We definitely used it!

I should come up w/ another idea for our July trip. It is just dd and I going (dh and ds-2yo are staying home) ...maybe something girly in some way?

please share what you come up with, I am trying ot think of ideas for our July trip...

 

[reelmom]

We started ours at 100 days. I got a Mickey Head Punch(the large size, the head is about as big as a half dollar) from Michael's in the scrapbook section. It cost around $8.00 on sale. We got some Mickey themed scrapbook papers and some tiny Disney stickers. We punched out enough Mickey Heads and glued them to the paper. DS5 and DS4 wrote the countdown numbers on the head. Then every morning, we would put a sticker on that day. They seemed to enjoy it and didn't seem to tire of it.

 

[maxtomsmom]

For our second trip, we turned our countdown into a family event. I cut out 100 circles and a huge mickey head. Then we decorated the circles and wrote numbers (my son was entering K) and put them in a color pattern. Then I used a glue stick to stick them onto a huge construction tagboard. Each night, someone got to pull one off. One did the evens and one did the odds. My older son learned, how to count backwards, recognizing numbers from 1 - 100, patterns, odd and even numbers and patience . My younger guy learned his colors and some numbers. We're still waiting on the patience.

 

[Ilovefozzie]

Last year we started the count at 190. Man we are sad sad people! This year we are going to "Colorado" (Colorado is code for Disney, they just don't know it yet. hehee) and our countdown has already started. 132 days and counting.

We buy one of those Disney/Pixar one a day Calendars and I write the number of days down on each one.

 

[fishie]

This is our first trip, and I wasn't quite together enough to get a countdown started earlier than about 31 days before we leave. I ended up making a paper chain with multicolored papers. I did mine on the computer, and used the Disney font. I also included, in smaller letters, interim events, like "pack up the box of snack to ship ahead" stuff. I actually made 2 chains -- 1 for each kid. Like a pp said, it is helping them to learn to count backwards a little. We are also Xing out the days on our regular calendar. I like the chain idea -- it's so visual! Ours are now half as long as they were to start with, and it's getting me pretty psyched up!

 

[r4blessings]

I've made the paper link chain for our disney trips before but I want to make one for our universal trip that we are taking over the Feb break. What colors should I do for a universal themed chain?

Usually I do a countdown starting the month before, but this time I didn't want to put one up until dd3 (turning four tomorrow! ) had her birthday, so it wasn't overshadowed.

Any ideas?

 

[bkaz]

Wow...you guys have patient kids!!! We told our kids about 50 days out...and they were so bummed because it was so far away! Of course, we are all having fun now...talking every day about their favorite things and what they want to do and looking at photo albums from past trips...but I don't think they could have made it 100 days out!

Anyway, I went onto the Disney website to the Magic Artist area and printed out two sets of calendars for the two months leading up to our trip (with Goofy and Mickey at the top). Now they can each 'x' off the days as we get closer...and I think that really helps them to visualize how we're doing.

We can't wait! (the night before my DH and I will be the ones saying "I can't sleep...I'm so excited!")

 

[Cinders Mum]

we always go to WDW at the end of september, around 6 weeks after school goes back here, so we normally start a chart on the first day of the summer holidays, which gives her 6/7 weeks hols to mark off, then only 6 weeks of school and her countdown soon goes down.

Val
xx

 

[kylieh]

DD5 knows we are going just after her 6th birthday - the end of September!!!! We told her early for a few reasons - one being this is her trip. She has made all the decisions, well not really, but it has kept her involved. We also have a calendar on the fridge for counting down, also shows her weeks, and months.

Our current plan is as the trip gets closer we will show her again pics in detail of the hotel from TA, You Tube any inside rides for previews, and discuss and plan in more detail. DD is highly sensitive and doesn't accept change in routine or surprises very well (for example, her cousin, Aunt and Uncle turned up a day early for their stay, and as DD wasn't "prepared" or expecting this, it took almost 1/2 the day to calm her back to normal. Yes, she has anxiety also and we work through that with her.

Apart from changing the calendar it's not something spoken about each day, she perhaps brings up the trip component around once a week.

 

[Pixiedust34]

We officially begin a countdown at 99 days. We made this:

from wood, 2 hooks, and Home Depot paint samples.

 

[carissanboys]

We didn't do one for our 1st trip. For this trip, we started at 25 days, but that was mainly because that was all of the post its I could fit on the poster We've all really enjoyed it.

 

[JodyLynC]

I am starting our countdown calendar on Feb. 1st for our May vacation.

Here is what I do:
I made a calendar using a Word template. I did something on every day such as:
1) used glitter markers as a blob of pixie dust.
2) wrote a fun fact about WDW
3) put a Disney character sticker
4) listed an activity such as watch a Disney movie, make a snack, craft, etc.
5) wrote down holidays, birthdays, etc.

I used post its to cover each day. On the post its I wrote the number of days left. Each morning, one of the girls would lift the post it for that day and read or enjoy what was underneath.

Also, I went up to World Market and got chocolate coins. I put enough chocolates in a container so that after dinner, we would split a chocolate counting down the days left to our vacation.

 

[Momvic5]

My family and I started our countdown calendar at 30 days. For us, 30 days is as far out as we will go. My daughter could probably be excited about the countdown a little longer, but both of my boys are only excited about the calendar for a short while before they state, "Mom, just tell us when it's time to go."

The kids and I went to Home Depot and got 30 or so of the Mickey head paint samples (a rainbow of colors) and glued them to a foam-backed poster board. We numbered the heads and added big Disney stickers and free clip art to decorate it. Each day one of the kids would choose a small sticker or clip art to place on the countdown day. At the end of our 30 days, it turned out so cute that my daughter hung it in her room as a Disney poster.

Next time, I have decided that I am going to also use pictures from our past trips. I thought I would print and cut out cute pictures of the family experiencing WDW and use them like stickers or clip art as we countdown.

Have fun!!

 

[BeckityBobbidyBoo!]

How fun seeing everyone's calendars! I don't think I have a pic of mine on the computer.

Something else I did a few months before our trip was pull all our Disney videos out and put them on the mantle, they filled it up by golly (probably because they were mostly bulky vhs'). The kids hadn't watched a lot of the older movies in a long time and my 5 year old hadn't seen some of them at all. It was a great way to familiarize them more with the older characters like Pinocchio and Cinderella, etc Even movies like Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story are getting 'vintage' and those are the shows/rides that are just coming into Disney.

 

[eventsdj]

We started our chain link countdown at 98 days. DD is still excited about tearing one off every morning.
It was sad when we made it though, it spanned the entire living room!
Make your links small so it looks shorter

Now, were getting to the nitty gritty!

 

[kinntj]

We haven't made ours yet, because DH just got the OK from his boss for that week in May! Now we can book!

I was thinking about doing something with poster board. I like the idea of the Mickey head paint color samples at Home Depot. I think I'll have to take a ride there this weekend. Then I'll go to Michaels to get some stickers or decorative boarder stuff.

Your ideas are so cute and everyone seems very creative. We did the construction paper chain already when we counted down the days before we adopted our youngest from China. That was a big hit with my older DD.

 

[Benducci]

I love the ideas -I hadn't even thought about doing a countdown - now I psyched to do it!

 

[LJD2143]

I know you'll all think we're "insane", but for the past 2 years we have started our Disney Countdown with the kids at over 200 days! We use magnetic numbers and letters on our daily message board in the kitchen to spell out "??? Days to Disney". Each morning someone in the family takes a turn changing the number.......

My 3 boys are 9, 6, and 6 - but for our first Countdown they were even one year younger. Truthfully, they had absolutely no problem with such a lonnnnggggg, drawwwwnnnn-out wait. I guess they are just like their Mom - who THRIVES off the anticipation and planning of every Disney vacation! For me, half the fun is in the planning and organizing of every detail of our trip. Whether it's Disney's website, AllEars, Tikiman, the DisBoards, or the Unofficial Guide - if I'm not actively planning our next trip, I'm actually "depressed"!

I try to get my boys involved in all the planning as much as possible. If I'm not surfing the web myself, they usually are - specifically the Disney site, where I know everything is safe, secure, and appropriate for kids. From the Resorts, to the Rides & Attractions at each Park, they LOVE watching all the short, descriptive videos on each page - again & again!!!

With all that said - this year we are actually going to surprise them! After our last trip we explained that we needed to take a break for a year, so our next trip would not be until 2009. Mom & Dad's willpower could not hold out though - so we're currently in the process of booking our 2008 Land & Sea package for late November. I have no idea how I'm going to keep it all in!!!!