Homeschooling at Walt Disney World

It’s been a chilly start to 2010 here in Central FL so it was a pleasure to recently spend a few hours inside The Land Pavilion at EPCOT.  This school year my son has been taking a science class (through Science Partners in Orlando) and for the past several weeks has been learning about plants.  We love the “Living with the Land” attraction, especially the greenhouse, so we decided to supplement his learning about plants by attending the “Behind the Seeds” tour.

This tour gave us a chance to walk through the greenhouses and learn more about some innovative farming techniques that are being used around the world.   The tour started with a discussion of the natural pest control techniques used in the greenhouse and included a video showing how some pests can easily destroy plants, and how lady bugs can be used to keep them under control.   Our kids were each given a small jar of ladybugs to carry along during the tour.  When we arrived at the strawberry plants (about half way through the tour) the lady bugs were released and put to work!

If you take the “Living with the Land” boat tour you will see some very interesting plants – many of which you would probably never otherwise see in person.  Some of our favorites include bananas, cocoa, coffee, paprika and fluted melons.  Some of the unique plants you have an opportunity to see up close and personal on the tour include 9 pound lemons (yes, we actually got to hold it and it was big and heavy), Cinderella pumpkins (the inspiration for Cinderella’s carriage), and miracle fruit (according to our guide if you put it on your tongue everything you eat after it tastes sweet…my kids thought that would be a nice way to enhance the taste of veggies!).

The tour also demonstrates many interesting growing techniques.  Many plants are grown vertically either in containers that are stacked on top of each other or plants are trained to grow up and over trellises (the tomato tree is amazing!).  They also show examples of hydroponic growing which is a system that uses little or no soil.  The tour also touches on aquaculture which on this tour includes the farming of fish (tilapia and sturgeon), prawns and eels.  Our group had a chance to feed the tilapia and feeding time for so many hungry fish is quite a site to see!  There are also some “cute” baby American alligators to see on the tour.

The Behind the Seeds tour lasted for about an hour.  It moves along quickly but offers plenty of time for guests to ask questions.  It is a walking tour so be sure to wear comfy shoes.  The tour is open to all ages but I personally think it would be most interesting to kids over the age of about 6 years old.  You can register ahead of time by calling (407) WDW-TOUR or (407) 939-8687 or if you want to plan a last minute adventure you can visit the tour desk next to the entrance to Soarin.  If you have a Disney Visa or annual pass ask if you get a tour discount (I think you do, but I forgot to ask!!)

We really had a great time on the tour.  I’m not sure if the kids were more excited learning about the plants or with the idea of actually going behind the scenes of a WDW attraction.  Either way it was well worth our time and very educational!   And don’t forget — at the end be sure to stop by the Seasons Food Fair in The Land pavilion.  Some of the veggies grown in the greenhouse are served there.