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.

 
Expand your learning from the Earth Movie with the Educator’s Guide and Activity Guide.

Learn more about the Earth Movie

Celebrate Earth Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park! The Earth Day Lesson Plan and Discussion Guide

* Thanks Shelley for the links!

Tomorrow in my geography co-op we’re going to talk about Earth Day.   I’ve been busy over the past few days pulling together a number of fun activities for our discussion.  Today when I went to the mailbox I received a catalog from Disney Educational Productions.  Guess what was on the front cover – a new School House Rock! EARTH dvd! 

This will be the first School House Rock production in 35 years.  It will include 11 all new songs from the creators of the original series.  Topics will include conservation, ecology, recycling and global climate change.  I’ve always loved the School House Rock songs and I’m very glad to see that they are going to continue the tradition for the next generation.

School House Rock! EARTH will be released on March 30^th.  You can order it from Disney at www.disneyeducation.com or from Amazon*.

There is another amazing surprise in store for Earth Day 2009.  On April 22, 2009 Disneynature will release EARTH in theatres.  “EARTH, narrated by James Earl Jones, tells the remarkable story of three animal families – Polar bears, elephants, and whales – as they make their amazing journeys across the planet we call home.”

You can visit their website for information about the movie.  At the website you can also download free educator resources that go along with the movie.

Mark your calendars and celebrate Earth Day on April 22^nd!

*To preorder this from Amazon visit my Amazon aStore (link at right)

What an exciting time of year!  The EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival starts in just a few short weeks.  This year the festival runs from March 18 – May31.

One place where we spend a lot of time during the Festival is in Minnie’s Butterfly Garden.  A large screen enclosure is constructed on the walkway leading toward Test Track and it’s filled with butterflies.  A LOT of butterflies!

The butterfly garden includes plants and trees that are butterfly friendly, pictures and names of the butterflies in the garden, and butterflies in all stages of development. 

Yesterday in the mail I received the 2009 Insect Lore catalog.  A few years ago we ordered one of their butterfly gardens and Painted Lady caterpillars.  It was amazing to watch the caterpillars change into butterflies in our very own garden.  Once they transformed into butterflies we watched them for about a week and then set them free in our yard. 

I know it won’t be as big as Minnie’s Butterfly Garden, but I think we’re going to help usher in spring by getting some new caterpillars and watching the magic unfold in our very own home.  By the time they are ready to be set free perhaps they can venture over to Disney and make a few new friends!

For information about ordering from Insect Lore visit:

www.insectlore.com

(Save 5% by entering the code WEB5)

For some great books about butterflies check out these titles from Usborne:

Usborne First Reading – Butterflies

The Butterfly Picture Book

Beginners Nature – Caterpillars and Butterflies

Butterflies Mobile Kid Kit with Shrinky Dinks

To order Usborne books visit my website at www.susanbooks.net

I think the Innoventions Pavillions at EPCOT are a dream come true for homeschoolers.  These atrractions provide information and hands-on learning in a variety of subject areas.  A few months ago my family was looking for a nice indoor activity on one of those steamy Florida afternoons so we ventured inside the Innoventions East Pavillion and decided to take on the “Don’t Waste It” challenge.  My sons (and husband) would have been happy spending 1/2 an hour just looking at the brand new Waste Management truck, but being the good homeschool Mom that I am I didn’t want to miss an opportunity for a lesson on the 3 R’s (recycle, reduce and reuse).  Once my kids saw the “miniature” garbage trucks they got to use to collect their “virtual” garbage, and all of the computer screens in the area, they were on board.

Each team starts by selecting a name and registering their team.  After you register you receive your very own truck to push around to each station.  The goal is to help us all understand how much waste we each produce and what some options are for using that waste to create energy that fuels our homes and communities.  The interactive games are fun and really bring the ideas to life.  A side benefit was seeing our family’s team spirit (i.e. competativeness) shine through as we took on each new challenge.

At the end of the challenge you decide what project your family wants to create to help the environment.  We decided to create a new park.  At the conclusion of the session you also see your overall results and you can enter your email address to recieve your team’s certificate of completion.  When you get home your certificate is waiting in your inbox along with related websites that provide additional information about how to “think green.” 

  This actually turned out to be the highlight of our day and I would recommend it for any age.

Things you can do before your visit:

Visit the Innoventions website at http://innoventions.disney.com/site/

Books – Trash and Recycling (with Internet links), Why should I bother about the planet? (these books are available through Usborne Books, click the link “My Usborne Books Website” in the right sidebar for more information).