I am so excited to do this 5-part series on inspired lessons from Walt Disney World. Over the next five weeks, I am going to 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.
Magic Kingdom
Using Our Hearing in It's a Small World
For the Magic Kingdom, I choose It’s a Small World. There are so many nuggets of educational opportunities or conversations that create critical thinking without taking away the fun. I like to talk about when Walt Disney created this attraction initially for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, partly because my mom was there as a kid. The attraction was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola/UNICEF which is interesting because Coca-Cola used to say they “they like to buy the world a Coke”.
Identify a Theme
If you have kids with you at the park, ask them to identify a theme from the attraction and then maybe tie it back to UNICEF to see if they can then connect why UNICEF would have sponsored this particular ride. If you have an artist and/or fashion designer in your party, you can have everyone pick out their favorite room or costume on the dolls. Make sure to reference the artist Mary Blair and ask where else you can find her artwork (ex. The Contemporary).
Let’s use our senses in the park. For It’s a Small World, I want to talk about HEARING. You can talk about the attraction’s song and how some people might say it is a bit of an earworm. You can discuss the psychology behind an earworm and then play a game to list all the songs that get stuck in our head. BONUS POINTS for anyone who can claim Disney songs. Hello, “We Don’t Talk about Bruno”!!! By the way, the Kennedy Center is a great resource to learn more about the science behind music getting stuck in our heads.
I for one love the song and will be that person on the boat with you singing away. If you have a lover of music, songwriting, or even Broadway in your family or class, the Sherman Brothers are someone you can introduce them to because they wrote the song and many others for Disney
A Few Other Songs by the Sherman Brothers
“The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room”
“The Wonderful Thing About Tigger”
“A Spoonful of Sugar”
“I Wan’na Be Like You”
“The Aristocats”
Classroom Hack
My friend, Jason Canapp with Here with the Magic, has an amazing podcast called Soundscapes with sounds from the Walt Disney World parks. Check out his episode It’s a Small World. If you are a Disney teacher, this is a great way to plus your classroom in the new year.
His podcast is the perfect background while students are working. I think this year, I am going to do a lesson on narratives using Soundscapes. The students will listen to a few introductions from Jason’s podcast and then they can pick any place at the parks and write a narrative introduction as if they were writing for Soundscapes.
Next week, we will look for inspiration to use our senses in EPCOT. You might be surprised to see what I picked using my nose.
See You Real Soon,
Erin
A FEW SEATS ARE LEFT FOR THE HAPPY TEACHER CONFERENCE
