Homeschooling with Disney-Part 2

Originally posted Spring 2020

Continuing right where my other post Homeschooling with Disney left off, here are even more ways to educate at home using Walt Disney World and Disney stories as a theme.

Math & Science

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In my last post I wrote about using Disney World as your homeschooling inspiration in art, music, literature and social studies. There are so many opportunities and ideas that I needed to make a separate post for math and science lessons! Please remember that I am not a certified teacher, just a parent with years of early childhood teaching experience.

Math

We all know what Disney math is…
take a normal hamburger cost ($5)
Multiply it by Disney inflation (125%)
Equals = $12.50 for a Disney hamburger

I joke

But not really

Anyway….

The best math lessons I came up with for Disney really were like the above. I made story problems for the kids! I also “gave” each kid $3,000 and asked them to plan a trip. Make sure the kids account for

• Travel to and from Disney
• Park tickets
• Hotel
• Food
• Souvenirs

Other math ideas-

• Print off a menu from allears.net, have the kids plan a meal and add up the cost. Conversely- give your children a budget and have them pick a meal off of a menu.
• The majority of sales tax in Disney World is 6.5%, have your children add sales tax onto their Disney “purchases.”

Science

Agriculture

Back in Epcot (if you read the previous post, you know I’m a fan!) is a ride called ‘Living with the Land’. On a scale of 1 to Test Track, it’s about a 2 in excitement. However, it is actually really cool! You learn about different environments and then get to go on a backstage tour of the Disney gardens. Disney uses all sorts of different high-tech gardening techniques. Watching this ride on YouTube would be a fantastic way to introduce your own garden at home.

Animals

Epcot-

There are two parks in Walt Disney World to learn about animals (sorry, The Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom doesn’t count here guys). In Epcot, there is an entire pavilion called ‘The Seas’. It has the Finding Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush and aquariums. If you are homeschooling while at Disney then this is a fantastic place to visit to see dolphins, clown fish, seahorses and more. I would suggest doing an ocean study before going to the parks. Updated 2023- the pavilions in Epcot have undergone a refurbishment and have new names. All of the rides/experiences I’ve included are still in the park.

If you are strictly homeschooling and not also visiting then here are some ideas:

• Watch ‘Finding Nemo’.
• Discuss what aspects are fiction and what are non-fiction.
• Choose a species marine life to do an in-depth study on.
• Discuss the different habitats within the ocean.
• Visit a local aquarium

Animal Kingdom-

If you are actually homeschooling in Disney, the Animal Kingdom is a plethora of material. I highly suggest joining the Wilderness Explorers (it’s free!). It is a program, based on the movie “Up”, offered in AK for children to learn about different animals and earn “badges” (stickers) at each station. My kids loved it and were bummed we didn’t have time for every station! 2023 Update- this program is still alive and well in Animal Kingdom. We’ve participated during two visits now and still haven’t collected all of the badges! If you have an older booklet, the cast members can help you figure out how to update it so there’s no need to start over each trip.

Luckily, if you are stuck at home (like me), you can still use the Animal Kingdom to learn about a lot of things! Use the Kilimanjaro Safari as a jumping off point to a lesson on African animals:

The Animal Kingdom also has Rafiki’s Planet Watch. This is an area of the park where visitors can see veterinarians caring for some of the animals. Watch a video and discuss what vets do, get out some stuffed animals and have the kids be vets for the day.

If all else fails…there’s always dinosaurs! AK also has Dinoland U.S.A., this campy but fun area opens up such topics as:

• How the dinosaurs went extinct
• Types of dinosaurs
• Fossils, what they are and how they’re collected
• Time travel! (Obviously not possible, but pretend it is for the day!)

Engineering

Back to Epcot we go… if you have an engineer or a Lego head at your house then you need to research Soarin’! Learn how the ride was built and see if your kids can come up with their own unique ride vehicle.

Another attraction to look at is Test Track. This ride allows you to design your own vehicle and then see how it does in “real life”. Have your kiddos design a car, then ask them how it would behave

• If you had to slam the brakes quickly
• In very hot conditions
• In heavy rain
• On a curvy road

Technology

Walt Disney was always looking for the next idea. This concept is demonstrated often in Disney World. Check out the following attractions that you can use to teach about technology!

• Epcot- Did you know Epcot was supposed to be a working city of the future? Have your children research Walt Disney and his original vision. There is even a small model of it on the People Mover in the Magic Kingdom!
• Spaceship Earth- This attraction educates riders on the history of communication and how technology has affected it.
• The Carousel of Progress– A ride demonstrating how technology has evolved…it also includes a catchy theme song you’ll be singing for the rest of the week!

These ideas are really just the tip of the iceberg. Walt Disney World continues to be at the forefront of technology while somehow maintaining it’s history. There really isn’t a subject to teach that doesn’t have some relevance here!

As another source I highly suggest the Imagineering DVD series! (What teacher doesn’t like a movie day???) Based on the pricing from Amazon I assume they are out of production, but I know my library also has them.

What have I missed? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Comment & subscribe!

Homeschooling with Disney-Part 1
Disney Planning Resources