Hi Jennifer!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! When my kids were younger, we pulled them out of school for a week every year. I wrote a note to the school explaining our trip, and the educational value of the visit, and every year the kids were given an excused absence.
I would purchase a small journal for each child prior to the trip and have them keep a travel log of our vacation. When they were in kindergarten, I had them do an alphabet book. I would have them make one page for each letter, then we would take photos of things in the park with different letters, filling in with computer printouts when we got home of any letters we were missing! The older kids were required to write a daily entry in their journal, and write at least one thing new they learned each day. When we returned, they would share these journals with their teacher.
In my usual note to the school, before the trip, I would explain that my children would be exposed to the following:
* Learning to use a map to guide us through the parks
* Money management allocating and spending their own souvenir money
* Crowd dynamics and management
* World Cultures in Epcot, and we would usually buy and complete an
Epcot World Passport * American History at The Hall of Presidents and
The American Adventure* The history of communication at
Spaceship Earth* Biology and Conservation at
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park* Marine Biology at
The Seas With Nemo & Friends* Plenty of physical activity with walking throughout the parks!
* Exposure to the arts and theater at shows such as
The Festival of the Lion King and
Beauty and the Beast - Live on StageI would also recommend a quick search of your favorite browser for “Walt Disney World School Excuse Letter,” and you can usually find a good template to use. That is what I often did! I do truly believe a visit to the Walt Disney World Resort is a wonderful educational experience for kids, and I know those trips were worth the time spent with my children. Wishing you magical and educational visit, Jennifer!
- Kate