Disney World 2015 ( Day 8 )

It's Day 8 of our Disney Trip and we're very sad to see it come to a close.  Last night, Charles gathered all of our clothes and washed everything at the Laundry Room near our room and we spent a good portion of the night, once the kids were asleep, packing up so that we could quickly pack our car and leave our "home" for the past 7 nights.   We all decided we will definitely be back as we really enjoyed staying at the Port Orleans Riverside but regretted that we didn't get to explore the resort more than we did.

Nobody is in a really big hurry to officially check out of our Hotel and bring our trip to a close

After feeding Morla and informing Best Friends that we would be in later in the evening to pick her up, we headed back to Epcot for a few hours.

Immediately upon entering, we saw Pluto out taking pictures.  Both other times we entered Epcot, Pluto was in the same place and both times Ashleigh asked if she could go see Pluto. Unfortunately, with the other times, we were rushing to get to one place or another so we had to tell her no, not this time.. Well, as soon as she saw Pluto, she asked again. Knowing there wouldn't be another opportunity, we headed over and allowed the kids to visit with Pluto.   I'm so glad we did, because not only did it make both Ash and Garrett's day, but it turned out being one of my favorite pictures from this trip.

Those smiles make it all worth while!!

Originally we had thought we would head over to Morocco to have lunch but someone said they wanted to have lunch again in the AC at the Electric Umbrella.  We grabbed more burgers and headed up stairs and sat in the same place we had on our second day at Epcot..   The fact that this was the end of our trip was again apparent when both kids didn't want to eat and nobody really felt like doing much.

One Unhappy Camper

With bellies somewhat filled (Ash refused to eat), we headed to our first Fast Pass of the day - Test Track..  Everyone had been looking forward to riding this and luckily we had a fast pass because this is one of those rides that almost always has a huge line. Even with the fast pass, we waited probably 15 minutes before we got to ride it.  Fortunately, there's some really neat computer screens where you can design a car and at the end of the ride they tell you how your particular design performed.  Ashleigh was riding with Daddy and Alyssa, Garrett and I were riding together, so Alyssa and Garrett designed our car.

Garrett and Alyssa design a car

Garrett and Alyssa's Finished Product  and Alyssa and Dad's Design

Everyone enjoyed this ride very much and Ash said she wanted to ride it again. Unfortunately, it had a good 90 minute wait for the standby ride so that wasn't in the cards for us but at least we got to ride it one time.

You can't even see poor Ashleigh. LOL

Alyssa gives a Thumbs up for Test Track

After you get off of Test Track, Chevy had a really nice display of concept cars as well as vehicles you can purchase.. (Go figure, a car lot in Disney World?).  There are also many static interactive displays.  Alyssa spent the first few minutes checking out the cars she felt she deserved - haha - and then they all had fun playing around with the various displays. 

After everyone drooled over the nice cars and had a bit of fun, we headed over to see what the wait times for the standby line was (as said, it turned out to be 90 minutes) but to our shock, Mission Space's Orange line was only a 10 minute wait.  This is, without a doubt, Dad's favorite ride and we thought we were going to have to miss it (since we missed our Fast past on the previous day at Epcot) so we high tailed next door to hop in line.  

Display showing all the locations of the moon Landings (or where we were suppose to land on the moon)

Charles and the kids head into Mission Space

I was extremely worried as to how the kids were going to react to this particular ride.  There are two versions of this ride, the Orange Version which is pretty intense and then the Green Version which doesn't have the positive and negative G's.   We rode the Orange version, which Charles and I both love but because of the intensity of the ride, it is the ONLY ride in Disney World that actually supplies barf bags within arms reach.  Both kids rode it like a pro and they LOVED it!!! 

Like Test Track, Mission Space has a lot of interactive static displays after you exit the ride.  One of these was a game in which two teams (or at least 8 people each) have to work together at a computer screen.  This struck Alyssa's fancy and she decided to give it a try. Her team had two people less then the other team but her team ended up winning.

We had one final Fast Pass ready at this time.  Both Garrett and Ashleigh had requested that we ride Spaceship Earth one more time before we go and I was able to get us a Fast Pass for it. We headed back over to the big Golf Ball and hopped on for one last ride. 

And of course, before we headed out of the park, we had to get one last picture of all of us together.

We were all starting to get hungry again and we had enough credits from our Dining plan to have a meal before we headed back West.  We decided to hit up Downtown Disney and do a bit of souvenir shopping as well as grab an early dinner at the Earl of Sandwich. This turned out to be the only dinner none of us enjoyed - the service was somewhat rude and the server had no idea what was going on with the dining plan (even though we were told they participate)..   

After eating, swinging by the Lego store for Garrett, a toy store for Ashleigh and Once Upon a Christmas for me (I buy a Christmas ornament every time we got to Disney), it was time to say goodbye.  With heavy hearts we loaded up into the car and drove away from the Disney complex headed in back to California..  And wouldn't you know it?? It started raining!! LOL

 

See ya in 2018!!

Destination Education - Part 2: United Kingdom Pavilion

 Welcome to week 2 of my series about incorporating educational topics into your homeschool leading up to your big Disney World trip. While this series is going to concentrate on Disney World in Florida, some of the attractions in Disney Land.

Last week we talked about the Canada Pavilion in Epcot. Today we will be discussing Canada's neighbor to the right – The United Kingdom.

The official name of the UK is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

The name refers to the union of what were once four separate nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (though most of Ireland is now independent).

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It's unfortunate that most people pay very little attention to this particular pavilion. With no attractions to speak of, the UK pavilion's appeal is more about the surroundings. In just a few hundred steps you can stroll beside an country canal or take a picture in front of Hampton Court. Pay special attention to the details put into this pavilion that contribute to its charms: the half-wood structure on High Street leans a bit, the years of soot painted on the chimneys to give them an aged look.

Cute Hidden Mickey in the United Kingdom Pavilion

Attractions:

None

Shopping:

The Toy Soldier sells toys and memorabilia usually associated with the UK, such as; The Beatles, Paddington Bear and The Rolling Stones. There are also traditional wooden toys as well as Disney merchandise.

The Crown and Crest Sells Keep Calm and Carry On merchandise, including, books, shirts, cups and mugs.
The Queen's Table sells Belleek pottery from Ireland and various other brands of fine china as well as native music and books from the UK, Scottish or Welsh tartans, bagpipes and the Welsh “Love Spoon”.
HRC The Historical Research Center. Sells coats of arms, swords, tacky merchandise and lets you look at the history of your last name, insisting on a hard sell.
Sportsman's Shoppe sells football team apparel from Manchester United, Celtic and Liverpool Football Club, footballs and books. This shop also sells Guinness merchandise.
The Tea Caddy sells Twinings Tea, teacups, teapots, and British sweets
UK Cart sells Walt Disney World Trading pins, lanyards, Minnie and Mickey Mouse Plushes, Shot glasses and UK shirts.



Dining:

Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room - A full service restaurant that serves British cuisine. The inside resembles a British Pub while the outdoor seating is located on a patio overlooking the lagoon (and one of the best places to see the Illuminations Fireworks). Be sure to try a Scotch Egg.

Yorkshire County Fish Shop - A quick service fish and chip counter restaurant that serves only fish and chips. Outdoor seating only.



Entertainment



The Paul McKenna Band has joined the entertainment found in the United Kingdom Pavilion. This 4-piece acoustic folk band performs outside The Crown and Crest shop several times daily



What We Can Learn from the UK

As last time, I always like to start with a video introduction to the pavilion we are discussing. Once again, iThemePark provides a wonderful Point of View video of the UK Pavilion.

Also, Amanda Bennett has a really great unit study to cover the geography and quick overview of the UK with a lesson for each week. Unlike last weeks Canada study unit, however, the UK study unit is part of the “Passport Geography” series – meaning that it comes in either the Scout level (for grades K-6) or the Explorer level (7-12). She also offers a combo with both the Scout and Explorer for a discounted price of $12.95. Some of the spots includes in the unit are Buckingham Palace , Westminster Abbey, The Giant’s Causeway , The Roman Baths and Hadrian’s Wall as well as discussions about William Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, Sir Isaac Newton and King Arthur.

Now, the fun stuff..

If you have a student who doesn't mind holding conversations with random people (and if you have free long distance on your phone), you might want to write down these numbers: Right -(407)827-9861, Left-(407)827-9862 and Center-(407)827-9863. There are three bright red phone booths in the UK Pavilion and those are the numbers that ring each one. This would be a fun project to count down the days til your trip: each day have your student call one of the phones and ask general questions like what the weather is like that day and where the person who answered the phone is from. (Make sure they call while the park is open – you can find the hours for Epcot online). When you finally get to Disney and visit Epcot, they will most likely be looking for the phone booth they've been calling and who knows, maybe the phone will ring for them too. :)

*Note* Unfortunately, this bit of fun is no longer available. Seems people were calling the phones and telling those who answered that they had won prizes and to visit one of the stores to redeem .. So a few bad apples spoiled this for everyone. Disney has no made it so that no incoming phone calls can go through any of the phones in the parks :(  

My husband on the phone in the UK

UK lends itself to be more of a literary unit for homeschooling with a lot of great authors to choose from at any reading level. For older students you have William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, George Orwell, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Bronte Sisters, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J.K. Rowling and Jane Austen. For younger children who either can read to themselves or whom enjoy being read to: C.S Lewis, Beatrix Potter, Lewis Carroll, A. A. Milne, P.L Travers (who wasn't born in the UK but lived there when she wrote Mary Poppins), and Roald Dahl.

Unfortunately, the UK Pavilion holds a lot more possibilities of study for an older student then for the younger ones. (The younger kids will enjoy the hedge maze more than anything else in the pavilion). Older students can use this pavilion for a great study about British Architecture. The buildings in the UK Pavilion represent different eras and period styles through history. In total, there are eight architectural styles represented while walking the streets of the UK Pavilion: Victorian, London, Yorkshire Manor, Tudor, Georgian, Hyde Park, Regency and Shakespearean. The Tea Caddy pays homage to the cottage belonging to Anne Hathaway (William Shakespeare's wife, not the actress). Located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the wattle-and-daub cottage was built in the 1500s and was the family home of Miss Hathaway. While the original had a straw thatched roof, Disney's version has plastic broom straw in order to adhere to current fire safety codes. Directly next door, the Queen's Table is housed inside a building with an overhanging 2^nd story. Common in the 1600's when the British were taxed on how much square footage the footprint of the ground floor equaled, homeowners would build the second story larger then that of the first story. This overhang also served a second purpose: since there wasn't running water in that time, people used chamberpots and emptied them out the window. The overhang provided safety for pedestrians to avoid having the chamberpots spilled on them. (Be sure to look at the stained glass crests in the second story windows – they represent the four prestigious Universities of the UK- Oxford, Cambridge, Eton, and Edinburgh – a great research question for kids to find out before they go.)

Architecture in the UK Pavilion with Sundial in the middle

As your passing through the UK Pavilion, you'll pass a large post in the middle of the walkway. Often overlooked or just used for a photograph backdrop, this large post serves a purpose. Now would be a great time to study sundials so that when you make your way to Epcot and your kids see this large post, they will know exactly what it is (this particular style is called a vertical sundial but they will also encounter another style sundial in the French Pavilion). Older kids can research the worlds largest sundial (also owned by Disney and is located in Florida).

Another shot of the Vertical Sundial and the Hampton Court

One cannot talk about the UK without talking about music. Most notably: the Beatles. However, teenage and pre-teen girls will be able to tell you that One Direction is from the UK as well. Other notable bands/musicians from the UK include The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, The Spice Girls, Elton John, and Duran Duran. How did musicians like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Queen influence music styles in the United States? What led to the breakup of the Beatles? (Can you see the plethora of research possibilities here?)

For younger kids, English tea is always a hit. Did you know that tea does not refer to the drink but instead to a meal and that there are different ways to have tea? Tea can either be afternoon tea or high tea. Afternoon tea is typically served around 4pm and usually has much lighter offerings as to not serve the later meal. This is typically the tea people thing of when they think of an English tea – having the small finger sandwiches, scones with cream and fruit spread, pastries and crumpets. Afternoon tea was a bit of a luxury for the higher class. However, the working class did not typically have afternoon tea and instead would have high tea (or just Tea) after they got home from work. High tea was a much more substantial meal that had more heartier and savory foods like meat pies or another hot dish, followed by cakes and bread, butter and jam. Occasionally there would be cold cuts of meat, such as ham salad. Have fun making some homemade scones in the kitchen (here's a great recipe from Alton Brown from the Food Network) and then visit this website to learn proper tea etiquette and host your own Tea time. Then, when you finally visit Disney, make your way over to the Grand Floridian Resort and the Garden View Tea room for Afternoon tea.

 

There are a lot of fun things for younger kids to see while your visiting the UK Pavilion. If you took the opportunity to read (or watch) Mary Poppins, then make your way into the Toy Soldier shop and head to the back of the store. There you will find a library with a large coat and umbrella rack with a bundle tied with string addressed to Mr Banks, 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London.

For those who read Winnie The Pooh, to the right of the umbrella stand you'll find a small grouping of pictures. One is of Christopher Robin Milne, son of A.A. Milne who created Winnie the Pooh. Christopher can be seen holding his beloved bear that inspired the stories although the bear's name was Edward. Winnie got his name from Winnipeg, a brown bear at the London Zoo. Below the photographs you'll find some letters on a shelf waiting to be mailed off. One of the letters is addressed to Mr. Alexandre Milne (A.A. Milne) and one is addressed to a Mr Sanders, 100 Acres Woods West. Students familiar with Winnie the Pooh will recognize the address but also the name above Pooh's door.

Last but not least, for those teaching your kids Latin, there's some hidden in plain site in the pavilion. There are three stained glass windows to the left of the Crown and Crest sign that represent the three flags of the UK (England, Scotland and Wales). There are mottos written in Latin on each one: Tria juncta in uno (Wales: three joined in one which is the motto of the Order of the Bath), Nemo me impone lacessit (Scotland: Nobody assails me with impunity, motto of Scotland and the Order of the Thistle) and Honi soit qui mal y pense (England: Evil be to him who evil thinks, motto of the Order of the Garter). What are each of these orders? Hint hint. A fourth latin phrase is written above the Rose and Crown doorway: Otium Cum Dignitate which means Leisure with dignity, the restaurants motto.

Thank you again for joining me for this trip through the United Kingdom Pavilion. If your just joining with us, you can get go back and read about the Canada Pavilion here. Next week we will be talking about the International Gateway and the France Pavilion. I hope you will join us then :)

Destination Education - Part 1: CANADA PAVILION

Welcome to Part 1 of my series “Homeschooling for Disney World”. I will be posting these discussions weekly leading up to my own family's trip to Disney World in June.

For the month of January and the first part of February, I will be tackling the World Showcase at Epcot. Each week I will select a country for our discussion. First, I'll give you a brief overview of the country's pavilion, such as what you will find there, what type of shopping and dining you will find – basically your tourist book rundown of each area. Then I will actually delve in depth in regards the possible lesson topics one can study before visiting them with your own family.

When one begins to talk about educational opportunities at the Magic Kingdom, most peoples minds instantly go to Epcot. This isn't surprising: eleven countries are represented around a beautiful reflective lake making a stroll around the world completely possible. From left to right, the countries represented are Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The United States, Japan, Morocco, France, The United Kingdom and Canada. Each country has a pavilion that does a great job representing each country and most of the workers at each pavilion are from the country the represent.

Upon entering the World Showcase from Future World, I tend to travel from right to left. This is because most people visiting travel the opposite direction, making it possible to avoid the masses to some degree.

THE CANADA PAVILION

The first stop on our virtual education tour is the Canada Pavilion. Representing our neighbor to the north, this pavilion displays various landmarks, sale items and souvenirs from the 2nd largest country in the world. (The Largest Country, Russia, is not represented in the World Showcase at Epcot).  Canada itself is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories.  The ten provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan.  The three territories are the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.  

Attractions:

As of 2014, The Canadian Lumberjack Show performs at the Canadian Pavilion. (No more Off Kilter.. ) I have yet to see this show so I have nothing to report on it.

O'Canada - In the Maple Leaf Mine located inside the Rocky Mountains, the 14-minute motion picture presented in CircleVision 360' highlights Canada's natural beauty, cities and diverse populace, and is hosted by Canadian actor Martin Short.

Shopping:

Northwest Mercantile - Kitras Art Glass handmade ornaments resemble one of the four seasons. The store offers Hatley clothing, Roots fragrances and athletic wear, Deauville perfume, Ice Wines, body care items, and Canadian hockey gear.  Christmas ornaments depicting woodland creatures are also found here.
The Trading Post - Gifts representing Canada's frontier days including maple syrup items and lumberjack shirts. 
 

Dining:

Le Cellier (the Cellar) offers sit-down dining featuring steaks and seafood paired with the wines and beers of Canada. Be sure to try the poutine and the cheddar cheese soup. Unfortunately, it is the only dining option in the Canada Pavilion and it is one of the most expensive restaurants in the Disney World Resort.

What Can We Learn From Canada

The way I introduce my children to each pavilion is to start with a quick visual introduction to the Pavilion on youtube. Ithemepark makes some great videos that capture the site and sounds of the pavilion we're studying. For the Canada Pavilion, I recommend

.  

Once my kids get a good look at the pavilion, I move on to an actual Geography/History unit on the country we are visiting. I highly recommend using unit studies by Amanada Bennett when they are  available. Expedition Canada is part ofthe Download and Go one week unit studies and are perfect for a quick five day tour of the country. These units run $8.95 but keep your eye out for specials on their website. It's not unusual for the geography and expedition units to go on sale for $5/each.  I really like these unit studies because they cover alot different topics, not just geography. This particular unit touches on How Canada got it's name, Niagara Falls, various animals found in Canada, Leif Ericsson, the invention of the zipper, and the Northern Lights to just name a few things. They really are great unit studies for younger children. ( I should mention that I am not affiliated with Amanda Bennett or Unit Studies, I just REALLY like their offerings.)

Now your kids have a good grasp on the country itself and they are ready for the actual exploration of the pavilion.

The Canada pavilion is a mixture of rustic Native Indian villages, an ornate French-flavored chateau, the Scottish influence of the Maritimes and the ruggedness of the Canadian Rockies. The crowning jewel of the Canada pavilion would be the Hotel du Canada (Hotel Canada) which represents Eastern Canada. Hotel du Canada is modeled after Ottawa's Fairmont Chateau Laurier which was designed in the French Gothic Chateauseque architecture style in order to complement the adjacent Parliament buildings. Hotel du Canada offers up two possible lessons:

My husband in front of Hotel du Canada, Victoria Gardens and the Rockies.

1. The Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel itself. For older students, the history behind the hotel is pretty fascinating. Charles Hays, the president of the Grand Trunk Railroad, paid $2 million in order to have the hotel built. Unfortunately, Hays never made it to Ottawa for the opening of his hotel – 11 days before the grand opening, he died aboard the Titanic. A great synopsis of the history of the hotel can be found here . For younger students, the physical aspects of the hotel would make a great lesson. A great launching pad would be the green roofs of the hotel. Why are they green? (Copper) Here's a great experiment for younger kids to turn pennies green that has a great explanation as to why the chemical reaction occurs. What other object can your kid think of that is made of copper and has turned green as well (The Statue of Liberty). Finally, the Fairmont Chateu Laurier offers a wonderful app that offers an interactive historical tour with a narrative walk through time including stories and historical images. Available on both Android and Apple . (App is limited to specific devices – it was not available on my EVO but I could download it to my kids Nabi Dreamtab).
2. Forced Perspective – Disney World LOVES to use forced Perspective in order to trick the eyes
   

   

   Fun with Forced Perspective

   into thinking something is much taller than what it actually is. At the Canada Pavilion, Disney has uses this technique to make you think that Hotel du Canada is 6 stories tall when in actuality it's 3 stories. You'll find this same technique used for the Rocky mountains. By placing larger
   elements towards the bottom and smaller elements at the top, it give the impression that the Hotel du Canada (and the Rockies) is taller than they actually is. A great way to show this to your student is with your camera. By placing a smaller object closer to the camera and posing properly with a larger object in the distance, you can make it look like they are interacting with the object. Can you think of any movies that used this technique? For older students, this would be a great research topic - most recently the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies use forced perspective – many old B-rated (low budget) sci-fi/horror movies like Godzilla.

Western Canada is well represented with the Rocky Mountains and the thirty foot waterfall. As mentioned above, the Rocky Mountains section was created using Forced Perspective. The plants at the bottom are much bigger than the ones at the top, in fact, the higher you go, the smaller the plants. This makes the Rockies look larger and taller than they really are. The Rockies also show the Canadian seasons, with snow in the mountains in the winter. Disney horticulturists plant all white flowers during winter months to give the appearance of snow on the ground. As spring approaches, white flowers remain in shaded areas (to look like lingering snow) and are replaced in the central areas with colors.

Canada Pavilion's Victoria Gardens.

The beautiful gardens in front of Hotel du Canada and the Rockies were inspired by the famous Butchart Gardens near Victoria, British Columbia. Located in Bentwood Bay, the Victoria's Butchart Gardens were originally a cement plant. Jennie Butchart, the wife of Portland Cement owner Jimmy Butchart, decided on making the exhausted limestone quarry into a sunken garden. The project was started in 1909 and was completed in 1921.

1. For older students, the history of Butchart Gardens would make for a great research topic. Whether it be the history of Jennie Butchart and the creation of the gardens or maybe a paper in regards to limestone mining in general.
2. Younger students will have a lot of fun making a recreation of the famous gardens. Using various colors of tissue paper and green pipe cleaners. A great tutorial can be found here. Combine all the flowers to make a gorgeous diorama.

My husband standing beside David Boxley's Totem and Longhouse

To the left of the pavilion, you'll find The Trading Post that sells authentic Canadian merchandise as well as Disney souvenirs. This store is themed to look like a Native Canadian longhouse, and three totem poles can be found directly across from it. At The Trading Post you will find authentic maple syrup, maple candies, tea, and cookies, handmade native jewelry, Maplefoot Babies stuffed animals, Anne of Green Gables books, BOMA totem poles, and faux raccoon and skunk skin caps. Outside the Trading Post you will find three totem poles. Two of the poles are made of fiberglass and were designed by Disney Imagineers. However, the third totem pole was designed by David Boxley, an internationally recognized Northwest Coast Native artist and culture bearer of the Tsimshian tribe. Boxley's totem is an authentic work of art carved from a 30 foot tall cedar log. The totem tells the story of “Raven” tricking the “Sky Chief” into the release of sun, moon and stars from a chest.

There is a plethora of educational possibilities attached to this particular area of the Canadian pavilion in regards to the Native American people.

1. 

   A quick lesson about the Northwest Coastal People, the first people of Canada. Since these people have access to food year round, they were able to live in permanent settlements. Have students build replicas of Huron longhouses out of small twigs, igloos built out of snow (make use of that upcoming snow day), or a Haida house out of popsicle sticks and a toilet paper tube for the totem.
2. Create a reading unit based on the “Raven” stories of various tribes. While the totem pole at Epcot was created by a member of the Tsimshian tribe of Alaska, the “Raven” stories are told by various different tribes. Raven Tales are a great way to introduce Native American Mythology.
3. Youtube is your friend. A quick search of “Raven Tales” brings up various episodes of a Canadian animated TV show that introduces younger children to Aboriginal folklore in a humorous and entertaining way. Each CGI episode is 24 minutes long and there are a few episodes available on youtube.
4. 

   Maple syrup is huge in Canada. Read together the book Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall and learn how natural maple syrup is made, a process that is exactly the way it was 200 years ago. Buy some authentic Canadian Maple syrup and allow students to compare it to pancake syrups such as Mrs Butterworths. How do they compare in color, smell and taste?
5. The Northwest Coastal People (NCP) have a very distinct style in their artwork. Take some time looking at various pictures on the internet, discussing the styles and use of colors. (Also, look at the logo for the Seattle Seahawks – its based on artwork from the NCP). Have students try their hands at reproducing the style of NCP Art on their own. 
   
   

    

   

   Artwork of the Northwest Coastal People

I mentioned last week that many of the employees at each of the World Showcase pavilions are natives of the country to which they represent. Most come to Florida through a student work program through their schools and universities. These people are almost always extremely friendly and are willing to answer questions in regards to their country. Each country gives you a great opportunity to learn a few words of their language in which to say hello, goodbye, and thank you.  Since Canada has two official languages - English and French - most of the people you meet from Canada will be English speakers and ALL employees of Disney World speak English. However, if you are lucky and one of the employees you meet in the Canadian Pavilion happens to be from Quebec where they primarily speak French, here are a few choice phrases your student can learn ahead of time (you'll use these again in the France Pavilion). 

Hello - Bonjour

Goodbye - Au Revoir

Thank You - Merci

Inukshuks

Inukshuks are human shaped landmarks made by the Inuit (Eskimo) people of Canada. They are often used to mark places that are sacred to the Inuit people and are also used as directional aides, mark migration routes of animals or places where fish can be found. Although most inuksuit appear singly, sometimes they are arranged in sequences spanning great distances or are grouped to mark a specific place.

Have some fun with your student researching and looking at photos of various Inukshuks located in Canada. Then, go make one of your own:  collect a variety of rocks from outside (Flat rocks are easiest to stack by you can use any shape) and wipe them clean. Choose a design and start stacking. You might have to try different combinations until you get the balance just right. 

Hopefully this will give you some great ideas for discussions to introduce your students to the Canadian Pavilion at Epcot. I do not know your children, so I can only make suggestions as to what are possible topics to work with. If you have any questions, comments or critiques, please, feel free to comment below :)

Next week we will take on The United Kingdom Pavilion.

New Series: Educational Countdown to Disney World

 Our family is huge on Disney World.

My Husband with the Big Cheese on our Honeymoon

I've personally been three times, my oldest daughter has been twice (both before she was age 5) and my husband has been one time, for our late honeymoon. Thank God he loved it as much as I do or I might have second guessed our marriage vows. LOL  My two youngest have yet to go but they know all about it and could tell you every right they want to ride, every character they want to meet and what restaurants they want to eat at (especially the ones that serve Mickey Waffles!!). We are without a doubt a Disney family.

We've been trying to take the kids to Disney for a few years now. Alyssa is now almost 16 so its been 12 years since she's been.  We had an 8 day trip completely planned out and paid for last year but the Air Force had other ideas for us. This year it's Disney World or bust for us.

Alyssa with Aurora.. February of 2003 (I think?)

If you've ever gone to Disney World for any length of time, you know there's a lot of planning involved in the process. Disney World is not a place you can just decide to go visit and expect to have a good time.  For example: you have to make advanced dinner reservations 180 days in advance. This means you have to plan 6 months ahead as to what you might feel like eating each day or your trip - I barely know what I want to eat for dinner tomorrow night, much less half a year ahead of time.  Add to the fact that before you can even start to think about what dinners you need to make reservations for, you'll need to know what park you plan to go to, what the hours for that park will those days and will there be any limited entertainment such as the Spectromagic parade, Fantasmic on days that you'll be there.  The last thing you want to happen is you stayed up til 3am, managed to get a hard to get dinner reservation at Be Our Guest only to realize that the ONLY showing of Fantasmic for the week you are there is scheduled for that same day and time.

Statue in Japan Pavilion

Simply put:  you're going to spend at least 6 months to a year planning your trip to Disney World.  And what does a homeschooling mom do, once in Disney Planning Mode, during those 6 to 9 months? Why, use Disney World as a base for their lesson plans leading up to the trip, of course.

Or at least, so I thought......

Like any other homeschooling parent, I searched and scoured the internet looking for units or lesson plans that other homeschooling parents who came before me might have posted on the net in the hopes of making my task easier and I found very little. At best, I found reference to a book another mom self published that no longer seems to be published.

There's zilch out there......

Disney World offers so many educational opportunities on so many various levels so I am actually pretty surprised by this. The most obvious

Your host at the Mexican Mercado at twilight

being Epcot and its eleven countries in the World Showcase. Where else can you stroll around a beautiful lake and visit Morocco, Canada, Italy and France all in the same day?  You can walk up the stairs of a Mesoamerican pyramid and shop at a Mexican market at twilight with a volcano in the distance then walk outside to visit the Temple of Heaven in China.   Just the geography/cultural lessons that can be taught based on the World Showcase are endless.

But expand beyond just the World showcase and you have even more potential. Spaceship Earth is a wonderful platform for a lesson about geometry and geodesic architecture or about the history of communications and ancient civilizations. The Land Pavilion is a great launching area for discussions about resource conservation, agriculture, horticulture, and symbiosis.  The living seas opens possibilities in regards to the oceans, marine animals and even gives kids the opportunity to learn about the ocean from a 200 year old turtle who talks like a surfer from California.

Replica of the Temple of Heaven at the Chinese Pavilion

But that's just a small part of Epcot.. And there are 3 other parks with possibilities waiting.

While the parks are a great place for small impromptu lessons, let's be honest, kids aren't going to want to do school when there are rides, Princesses and giant mice to be found.  This is why tailoring lessons to include Disney World in the months leading up to a big trip are more beneficial.  A lesson about the Chinese culture and the Temple of Heaven will prepare them to know what they are looking at once they pass through the Paifang Gate. They will be more excited to see a structure they recognize from lessons before the trip then they will if you decide to whip out a handout and start a lesson about Chinese cosmogony.

If all goes well, from June 29th to July 6th we will be visiting Disney World. Starting next week and up until we leave Disney World, I will be incorporating lessons about various subjects that the kids will
encounter while there. Possible topics are endless but may include: King Arthur,  acoustics, botany and plant recognition, Aztec and Mayan civilizations, Native Americans, American flag etiquette, forced perspective, The Wizard of Oz, history of fireworks, model trains, space exploration, the American Revolution and classic literature. As I begin putting these lessons together, I will begin to include them here as well so that any other homeschooling parents who are planning a Disney World Education can have a head start.  This will not be a full stand alone curriculum and will not meet common core guidelines but will instead be a great supplement to substitute for or to add to your existing curriculum as you see fit.

So I hope that you will join with me and my family as we have fun with our Educational Countdown to Disney World.