I love this pic of my oldest daughter Reagan on her first visit to Walt Disney World. As I have mentioned before, one of the perks of having a Cast Member friend is special privileges. We’ve had the great fortune to experience VIP parade viewing, free entry into the parks, and, on this particular trip, a private audience with Pooh and his friends. This is Reagan “playing” with her new friends.

So excited that I will get to see this in September! Check out this post at the official Disney Parks Blog to read the details.

This one is for all my fellow homeschooling peeps out there–but it can be applied by any family who likes to take “educational” vacations. That doesn’t have to be a dirty word, ya know. Educational can be fun! My tip? Relate your learning to attractions at the Disney Parks. We’re starting school in August, and instead of delving into our curriculum full-force, we’ll be taking a brief detour in some subjects, to allow for a little “Disney school.” Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about:

• My husband loves all things train-related. He’s going to help teach the girls about rail travel and what it meant to our country as far as commerce and growth, as well as the science behind how steam engines work. Related attraction: Walt Disney World Railroad.
• We’re going to read some American Folklore stories, particularly those involving Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and friends. Related attraction: Splash Mountain (theming from Song of the South).
• We’re going to learn a bit about requirements to be a US President, as well as memorizing who the first five were, and learning a bit more about several of the most famous. Related attraction: Hall of Presidents.
• We’re going to read aloud together Tom Sawyer, and my second grader will read some abridged versions of shorter stories about the character. Related attraction: Tom Sawyer Island.
• We’re going to learn the language, flag, capitol, primary religion, form of government, etc. from all the countries in the World Showcase at Epcot. We’ll also cook some native dishes of each country.
• We’ll do a quick study of plant life and related subjects (photosynthesis, for example) and especially hydroponics. Related attraction: The Land.
• Another general study of marine life, especially learning a bit about the different varieties in the movie Finding Nemo, will relate to The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
• Our “green” study of simple ways we can take care of God’s creation will relate directly to Ellen’s Energy Adventure, as well as several attractions at Innoventions: Don’t Waste It!, Smarter Planet, and the Environmentality Corner.
• For art, we’re using several “how to draw” books that will be complemented by the Art of Animation tour.
• My daughter requested a study unit on dinosaurs, which will go quite nicely with all the exhibits in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, but especially Dino Sue and the Boneyard.
• We’ll study animal habitat and such as related to the various trails at Animal Kingdom, as well as the Kilimanjaro Sarafis and the Conservation Station.

I’m sure many more opportunities that we haven’t even considered will present themselves too, but this is about all we can handle for the next month until our trip. (Don’t worry, we’re still doing math and language arts and all the other stuff your kids in “normal” school will do!) It’s going to be fun finding ways to incorporate our favorite vacation spot with our new venture into homeschooling!

It’s almost August, and you know what that means: time for a park ticket increase! If tradition holds, this Sunday will mark ticket price increases for all Magic Your Way tickets, including multi-day passes and add-ons such as Park Hoppers and Water Parks & More.

Since Disney tickets don’t begin to expire until your first use (even those without the non-expiration feature), if you know you’ll be going to WDW in the next few years, it’s not a bad idea to purchase tickets now, as prices will with all certainty go up each year. (Of course, buying your tickets separately does prevent you from taking advantage of discounts where a Magic Your Way package purchase is required, so keep that in mind when deciding what the best deal might be for your trip.)

I’ll have new official ticket prices posted once they go into effect.

We’re fast approaching our September visit to WDW for Disney’s Homeschool Days (read this post if you aren’t familiar with the event). And since we’re new homeschoolers, I’ve been looking at Disney attractions in a whole new way–for their potential educational value! (Hey, I knew Disney was educational…I just never cared until now.) One attraction (or more like a group of attractions) that instantly came to my mind was Innoventions at Epcot. Today, while doing a quick search to get a list of attractions within Innoventions, I came to a fabulous discovery: Innoventions has it’s own website! I’m going to spend some time exploring and planning our “school time” for our time in Epcot. This is going to be the best field trip ever!

OK, so you’ll have to indulge me for a post. My daughter is in  a production of Beauty and the Beast this weekend at the Boiler Room Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee, and I just had to post a few pics. (It is related to Disney!) She is a villager (Sausage Curl Girl, to be specific) and an enchanted piece of silverware (knife, fork, or spoon–just whatever she grabs on a particular show). She is having a ball and definitely has been bitten by the acting bug in a big way!

I chose this pic, because she’s the only one facing the audience–and it’s easy to see who she is!

Here’s the scene from the tavern (“No one’s slick as Gaston; no one’s quick as Gaston; no one’s neck is incredibly thick as Gaston’s…”).

Here’s one of the enchanted cast singing “Human Again.”

And finally, one of Belle and the Beast.

Reagan had a big day yesterday: she did her second show of B&B (another tonight and one tomorrow night); she celebrated her 7th birthday; and she lost her front tooth!

OK, now back to our regularly scheduled WDW info & tips. Thank you for indulging me.