This is the fourth edition to my 5 part series on inspired lessons from Walt Disney World. Over the five weeks, I will highlight 1 attraction or place in each of the parks where we can create learning opportunities that are fun. Since it is summer break when I write this, you might be vacationing at the parks and can use some of these ideas with the family. Or, you can design classroom lessons and environments for the new school year using these magical and inspirational ideas.
In creating my list of TOP PLACES IN WDW FOR EDUCATIONAL FUN, I found a pattern in my ideas which was using our senses. Each week, the attraction will have a connection to either HEARING, SEEING, TASING, TOUCHING, OR SMELLING.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Using Our Sense of Touch at Smuggler's Run
You may have already guessed that I was going to pick something in Galaxy’s Edge based on the small hint in the conclusion of my last blog. I wanted to pick an attraction that is full of tactile space. For Hollywood Studios, I choose Smuggler’s Run.
If you have visited any of the Disney parks over the years, you have certainly noticed there has been an increase towards intentional elements for guests to interact with the parks and attractions. A good bit of the interaction invites the sense of touch. At Hollywood Studios, we are instantly taken to a galaxy far, far away and see so many exciting mechanical parts, ships, data pads, and embossed signs that we just want to get our hands on.
Data Pads
One of the things I love to do with my family in a queue when the kids or adults are getting restless is to play trivia on the Play Disney Parks App. If the devices come out, it is only because we are interacting with each other using the device for engagement. With that being said, Disney has a data pad that is accessible via the app to allow you to interact with the stories and items on Batuu (look for the QR codes). Using your touchscreen, I mean data pad, you can:
- Translate languages
- Take on jobs
- Choose a side to serve: Resistance or First Order
Data pads are often seen in the Star Wars universe, so this kind of interaction makes you feel like you are part of the story. See here
Fly the Millennium Falcon
Smuggler’s Run is a Star Wars fan’s dream come true. When you come upon the life-sized Millennium Falcon, the little voice inside your head says, “Chewie, we’re home.” There is anticipation as you wait in line for the attraction, but waiting is not so bad as there are many space-aged elements to look at and even touch. While standing in line, you might notice prints on the pavement from either an animal, alien, or droid. The walls have grooves, piping, and embossed signs that are fun to touch. I have even been known to lean against the concrete walls, sipping my blue milk, to cool off on a hot Florida day.
There are even levers in the queue that you can move back and forth, as if you are helping or messing with the work being done at Ohnaka Transport Solutions. This is all before you even get to the attraction which is dependent upon you and your crew to fly Han’s ship as part of a job for Hondo Ohnaka. Each crew member has one of four roles: two pilots, one controlling the side-to-side motion, and one controlling the up and down movements, two gunners, and two engineers.
You don’t have to be a fan of the sci-fi movie to appreciate the story being told either in the queue or on the ride.
Classroom Hack
Disney+ recently released a docu-series called Light & Magic that starts out showing how the special effects were made for George Lucas to create Star Wars: A New Hope. I highly recommend it and believe that there are lots of great STEM and/or creative lesson plan ideas to be inspired by watching the unbelievable story of the men and women who pioneered visual effects for the movies.
My idea is to have students create a model using leftover parts and scrap. This can be a model for show, for film, or for function. Our students get to decide. It might be fun to do a drive at the school asking for SAFE and abandoned parts for students to use to make their models. This can be things like:
- Cardboard
- Piping or Hose
- Old and outdated devices (make sure they are wiped clean)
- Leftover lego or toy model parts
Bonus points if you create a conveyor belt like Disney’s Droid Depot in your classroom!
I once was in a high school media center and saw a model of Pixar’s Wall-E made out of cardboard. I recognized his eyes as the end of a toilet paper roll. The fun thing about building models is that the students can choose to make whatever they want and use their hands to create it.
Bright Suns,
Erin
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