Disney themed school year

[cefcdana]

Looking for ideas...We homeschool and I'm doing a Walt Disney World themed school year with my 3 middle school girls and 2 of their friends. I'm looking for more ideas on projects and learning endeavors.

We hope to end the year with a wdw trip but aren't certain we can swing it. We have been several times but their friends have not.

Here are current activities I have planned but still looking for more...

- Disney characters step by step drawings on YouTube
- Read The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World
- Do Pixar in a Box online at Khan Academy
- Design a new country worldshowcase at Epcot after studying that country
- Listen to audio versions of some of the original fairytales
- Disney Imagineering science DVDs with science experiments to go along with it
- plan a Disney dream trip and a trip on a budget to learn about finance and do some real life math

Thanks for any help!!

 

[Magical2017]

Oooh, fun! Budgeting is great. For more mathematics, you can also add cooking, and changing a recipe for 1.5 the amount of people. They can probably convert to the metric system, but I would include that as well (I have these measuring cups with both the metric and standard US system for my 9 year old to use). They can also explore statistics and take a look at Touring Plans and do some type of project/comparison that involves estimation, analyzing data, and drawing inferences from random samples. They can use wait times in the parks as data.

This site has some good activities for map distance, scaling Washington Park, and floor plans that could adapted for Disney. Click on Geometry. The tasks can be modified for advanced learners. https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/content-standards/7

Finding the circumference of Spaceship Earth might be fun--consider ratios and proportional relationships.

eta: Disney does a lot with conservation. You can probably Google and find some information that can integrate the subject areas and allow them to do some research, letter writing, and project based learning. Have fun!

 

[20yBWDW]

What about comparing the various Disney parks around the world and how geography and cultural differences impacted their designs?

The challenges in Animal Kingdom of creating spaces for the animals that suit their needs.

Liberty Square could inspire some great projects/lessons about colonial times.

They could design an extension to Spaceship Earth to update it.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Maybe you could do research on each of the countries found in the world showcase. Or have them research and write a biography paper on Walt Disney. Teach about zoology (as in AK), have them make food from Disney recipes found online, read the original fairy tales that inspired the movies, do math problems based around ride capacities, crowd numbers, etc. They could also build model of the Epcot ball, try carving an animal into wood a la Tree of Life...

 

[nighttowll]

If you guys may go to Disney at the end of the year, check out the YES program offered by Disney. You sign up to take at least one educational class, and you receive reduced park tickets as part of the deal. It’s a very good program few know about.

The classes are fun and interesting incorporating attractions in the parks along with the lesson. They offer classes for all ages that cover a variety of topics. For instance, you might have a class on conservation or biology and visit AK, or you might learn about physics by examining how roller coasters are designed and work and then ride RNR, or you might study history and then visit the attractions in Liberty Square. Some classes take students to behind the scenes areas, some simply take them through the attractions. All classes are spent partly in a class room setting and partly in at least one park.

Each class also has a supplemental materials sheet which provide outlines for research and lesson plans for kids to do along with the class they take. This sheet is free to download from the website. Simply select the class you are interested in, click the download tab, and then click on the sheet. You may find some of these sheets useful for creating your own lesson plans even if you don’t end up attending any of the classes.


https://www.disneyyouth.com/programs/education/middle-junior-high/

 

[ktlm]

Every chance she gets, my DD does school reports on Disney. She plans to be an Imagineer. Last year in her 6th grade advanced math and science, her project for the semester was Disney Parks Engineering/Imagineering/Special Effects. She did a power point and a 15 or 20 minute presentation on some of the specific special effects--- such as "forced perspective" (even with some of the measurements), how the Haunted mansion ballroom scene is done; how the Snow White ride Queen to Hag is done. The teacher and the other students loved it. Judging from how much information she had, and how she had trouble picking and choosing what items she wanted to put in her report- you could probably do a full engineering/science report on even just one ride. The variety was fun though.

She also has done multiple book reports on different Walt Disney biographies; the Kingdom Keepers series; etc.

In 5th grade, they had to use the internet to plan and price a dream vacation for their end of the year (busy work for the last week when grades had already been turned in project). Of course, she picked Disney. They were given an unlimited budget, so she and her partner did a tour of all the Disney parks in the world. I can't even remember how much the total wound up being them because they were staying club level in all the Disney hotels. They had to do a line by line of travel; lodging; entertainment; and food. You could give them a set budget and they would have to figure out how to fit a trip within that budget.

There is so much about Walt, and his dream, and the engineering behind things; and the science behind things etc. I think you can come up with an ever ending list of things that you can connect to Disney. They can do research and projects on how plants are grown utilizing the EPCOT greenhouses. They can do a science unit on the animals of Animal Kingdom and the vet care, origins, habitats. They could have to pick a country from EPCOT and do a study and report on the history of that country. They could research where the EPCOT version of that country came from as every detail has specific ties to the Country of origin.

My 12 year old DD studies Disney on her own all the time, and has for the last several years. There is a wealth of information on which you can base middle school projects.

 

[The6ofUs]

The Disney YES program is for groups only and they don't do individual enrollments now. Traveling Homeschoolers goes every fall, though: https://www.travelinghomeschoolers.com/disney-world/ and have started spring trips, too.

 

[nighttowll]

The Disney YES program is for groups only and they don't do individual enrollments now. Traveling Homeschoolers goes every fall, though: https://www.travelinghomeschoolers.com/disney-world/ and have started spring trips, too.

Yes, one person cannot sign up for an individual class, but the OP can form their own homeschool group as long as the minimum 10 students is met, plus 2 chaperones (1 for every 5 students). Since the OP mentioned multiple girls, I thought they might meet this requirement. However, even if they don’t, I really only mentioned the program as an option to use the downloadable lesson ideas as an intro for their own trip.

 

[Summer2018]

Looking for ideas...We homeschool and I'm doing a Walt Disney World themed school year with my 3 middle school girls and 2 of their friends. I'm looking for more ideas on projects and learning endeavors.

We hope to end the year with a wdw trip but aren't certain we can swing it. We have been several times but their friends have not.

Here are current activities I have planned but still looking for more...

- Disney characters step by step drawings on YouTube
- Read The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World
- Do Pixar in a Box online at Khan Academy
- Design a new country worldshowcase at Epcot after studying that country
- Listen to audio versions of some of the original fairytales
- Disney Imagineering science DVDs with science experiments to go along with it
- plan a Disney dream trip and a trip on a budget to learn about finance and do some real life math

Thanks for any help!!

May I join your class?

 

[cefcdana]

Those are some amazing ideas! Thanks so much everyone!!! Those will be some great additions to our school year! I can't wait!

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

Looking for ideas...We homeschool and I'm doing a Walt Disney World themed school year with my 3 middle school girls and 2 of their friends. I'm looking for more ideas on projects and learning endeavors.

We hope to end the year with a wdw trip but aren't certain we can swing it. We have been several times but their friends have not.

Here are current activities I have planned but still looking for more...

- Disney characters step by step drawings on YouTube
- Read The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World
- Do Pixar in a Box online at Khan Academy
- Design a new country worldshowcase at Epcot after studying that country
- Listen to audio versions of some of the original fairytales
- Disney Imagineering science DVDs with science experiments to go along with it
- plan a Disney dream trip and a trip on a budget to learn about finance and do some real life math

Thanks for any help!!

I have no suggestions, but I want to know if there’s is room in your class for me?
I love your curriculum!

 

[stace1214]

On the tech end of your curriculum, there are several Disney themed coding activities on code.org. They range from very simple to pretty challenging.