How to Homeschool in Walt Disney World: Planning for Learning
For homeschooling families, Walt Disney World offers an incredible opportunity to blend fun and education. Whether your goal is to reinforce key concepts or introduce new learning experiences, the Disney parks offer endless potential for exploration and discovery. Here’s how you can transform your next trip to Walt Disney World into an enriching educational experience—and make lasting memories with your children in the process!
1. Make a Learning Plan with Park-Specific Goals
Before heading to the parks, consider what subjects or concepts you’d like to focus on. Whether it’s history, science, geography, or literature, each park has unique opportunities for learning. By planning in advance, you can turn each part of your trip into a purposeful adventure.
To make your planning easier, resources like The Ultimate Magic Kingdom Workbook and The Ultimate EPCOT Workbook offer structured activities that connect directly to the attractions, themes, and cultures found within each park. These workbooks are perfect for families looking to incorporate core academic subjects in an engaging way. Created by a homeschooling mom and former teacher, each workbook uses Bloom’s Taxonomy to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and reflection.
2. Use Pre-Park Activities to Set the Stage
Kids are naturally curious, and a little pre-park preparation can go a long way in enhancing their interest and engagement. Pre-park activities, such as those included in The Ultimate EPCOT Workbook and The Ultimate Magic Kingdom Workbook, allow kids to explore foundational knowledge that will make their in-park experiences even more exciting. For example:
Science in EPCOT: Use the workbook’s pre-park science activities to introduce concepts like energy, space exploration, and ecosystems. Before entering EPCOT’s Future World, kids will already have a background in key scientific principles, making the attractions like Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land much more meaningful.
History in the Magic Kingdom: The pre-park activities in The Ultimate Magic Kingdom Workbook can help set the scene for the history and cultural themes within the park. With activities on exploration, technology, and storytelling, your kids will be ready to appreciate the history and innovation showcased in attractions like Liberty Square and Tomorrowland.
3. Maximize Learning with In-Park Activities
Once in the park, it’s time to apply what they’ve learned! Both The Ultimate EPCOT Workbook and The Ultimate Magic Kingdom Workbook include in-park activities that encourage observation, critical thinking, and hands-on learning.
World Showcase Cultural Exploration: In EPCOT’s World Showcase, kids can complete activities related to each country’s unique culture, language, and history. They’ll explore concepts of geography, language, and culture with interactive worksheets that guide them through each pavilion. This not only deepens their understanding of world cultures but also enhances their appreciation of diversity.
Magic Kingdom Ride Exploration: While in the Magic Kingdom, kids can participate in ride-specific activities that explore concepts of physics, engineering, and creativity. From learning about the forces of motion in Tomorrowland’s rides to exploring storytelling and folklore in Fantasyland, the in-park activities make each ride a learning experience.
4. Reflect and Reinforce Learning with Post-Park Activities
Once your Disney day is done, don’t let the learning end. Both workbooks offer post-park reflection activities that allow kids to review what they’ve experienced, ask questions, and dive deeper into topics that interest them. Reflection activities can be as simple as discussing favorite rides or as in-depth as writing a short essay on what they learned about different cultures in EPCOT.
Post-Park Reflections in EPCOT: Kids can look back on their time in EPCOT’s Future World and World Showcase with reflection pages designed to solidify their learning. They might summarize what they learned about ecosystems, cultures, or technological innovation.
Magic Kingdom Takeaways: For the Magic Kingdom, post-park pages encourage kids to reflect on how rides like Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean tell stories and inspire imagination. They might even create their own ride concept, applying what they’ve learned about narrative structure, engineering, or theme.
5. Make Use of Parent Planning Pages for Organization
A well-organized plan is essential for making the most of your homeschool day at Disney. Both workbooks come with parent pages to help you organize activities by pre-park, in-park, and post-park sections. The planning pages guide you through lesson planning, keeping the focus on educational goals while ensuring everyone has fun.
Conclusion: Bringing Learning to Life at Disney
Homeschooling at Walt Disney World is an incredible way to take learning out of the classroom and into the world. With resources like The Ultimate EPCOT Workbook and The Ultimate Magic Kingdom Workbook, you can make your family’s trip to Disney both fun and educational. These workbooks offer carefully crafted activities that cover multiple subjects, encourage engagement, and create lifelong memories. So, pack your pencils and imagination, and get ready for a homeschool day that’s as magical as it is meaningful!
