Learning At Disney: How To Cover Every Subject And Have A Blast!

Did you know it’s totally possible to homeschool at Disney? Learning at Disney can be tons of fun! I can’t wait to show you how we cover every subject and have a blast in the parks!

Since we live in Florida, we go to Disney at different times throughout the year. There are always new educational things to do with each season. Plus, lots of opportunities to learn about science, history, geography, and more.

Plus, we get to practice carschooling as we travel to the parks. Carschooling makes road trips educational and more fun for everyone in the car. Keep reading to discover how we make the whole trip, even the drive, more fun and full of learning opportunities.

Trips To Disney During The School Year

We love to go to Disney parks throughout the year! There are so many ways to make trips to Disney during the school year educational for your child.

It’s totally doable to cover every subject and have a blast learning at Disney World! No matter which season you’re traveling to Disney, there are ways to have fun and make it educational.

Beginning in March, Disney’s Epcot Park hosts an International Flower & Garden Festival. Topiary displays feature beloved characters like Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and other favorites too. There are butterfly gardens, a bee pollination trail, and even Spring scavenger hunts for kids to learn and play through hands-on exploration.

During the summer months, the park is busiest and that’s a great time to learn more about timekeeping with your homeschoolers as you make reservations and plan your day. Plus, they’ll get lots of practice reading maps and using them to get from place to place in the parks.

In the fall months, you can have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner just like the founding fathers at Liberty Tree Tavern! Fall is also the perfect time to learn about different world cultures with EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival. Take a tasty tour across 6 continents and explore world marketplaces for one-of-a-kind keepsakes from all over the world.

Visiting Disney World during the winter months means shorter lines and fewer crowds. It also means you can enjoy holiday decorations and special holiday events like Mickey’s Christmas Party or the Candlelight Processional at America Gardens Theater.

Learning At Disney: How To Cover Every Subject

You can definitely learn at Disney World in every season. It’s also totally possible to cover every subject while you’re having fun on vacation! Check out some of the ways we practice math concepts, learn about physics and biology, discover different countries, practice reading, and explore art at Disney.

Reading

Environmental print is one of the best ways to practice reading skills with young children. In Disney World, there are tons of signs your early readers can use to develop their reading skills while they play. Plus, there are lots of natural reading opportunities along the way too.

Kids can read the signs with every ride. Before you board each ride, have your homeschooler read the accompanying rules and guidelines. You could also create a list of sight words for kids to spot around the park throughout the day. The winner is the person who spots the most words.

Older kids might like discovering all the ways Disney replaces words with symbols. Look for examples where pictures represent words. Then, don’t forget to grab some great books as souvenirs!

Literature

Another way to practice learning at Disney is by reading the books before you arrive or in between park days. There are so many amazing storybooks you can pair up with rides and attractions at Disney! Here are a few of our favorites:

Alice in Wonderland by Charles Dodgson and Mad Tea Party attraction in the Magic Kingdom
Mary Poppins by Pamela Travers and meet Mary Poppins at the United Kingdom Pavilion
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie and Peter Pan’s Flight attraction in the Magic Kingdom
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss and Swiss Family Treehouse in the Magic Kingdom
Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and take a tour on the Liberty Square Riverboat
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and explore the jungle on The Jungle Cruise
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction.
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen and Ariel’s Under Sea Adventure

Science

There are so many opportunities to explore science at Disney World! Animal Kingdom Park is the perfect place to learn all about animals with your kids. Their Wilderness Explorers program will make it easy for your homeschooler to learn at Disney by earning badges just like Russell from the movie Up.

These self-guided activities include animal observation and learning important wilderness skills. Kids can collect more than 20 badges and it’s totally free! Complete the activities together as a family or let your kids compete with one another by earning them independently.

Epcot’s Living with the Land attraction invites your family to learn about the history of farming as you take a boat tour past greenhouses. It’s a great way to learn about botany and ecology with your homeschoolers too.

Biology isn’t the only kind of science to experiment with at Disney. Roller coasters make learning physics a lot more fun! Discover how we Learn Physics with Roller Coasters at Disney to get started with your family.

History

Before you go to Disney World, learn more about the history behind the parks. Learn about Walt Disney with my interest-led Walt Disney Unit Study all about the man behind the magic in the parks.

While you’re at the parks, check out rides like The Carousel of Progress and Spaceship Earth. The Carousel of Progress in The Magic Kingdom tells visitors about the comforts of modern technology and progress from before electricity to the present. Epcot’s Spaceship Earth attraction shows visitors the history of communication.

Math

There are lots of ways to practice math skills while you’re at Disney World too. We love wearing our Fitbits in the parks to track the distance between attractions and see how many miles we’ve covered at the end of the day.

Another way to learn math at Disney is by giving your kids a budget for souvenirs or special snacks. One way we’re teaching Emily to understand budgeting and help her learn to make good financial decisions is by giving her a budget she can use to get special items in the gift shops.

Finally, you can learn about elapsed time while waiting for rides. Calculate the time between different rides and events throughout the day and help your homeschooler use math to determine how much longer they’ll have to wait for the rides they want to experience.

Geography

Your whole family can discover the world at Disney too! In every Disney park, kids can practice their map reading skills as they travel to different places in the parks. Explore places and cultures from all over the world at Epcot.

Epcot is arranged in different countries where you can experience the music, architecture, and food from the area. As an added bonus, many of the cast members in these sections speak the language so you can squeeze in foreign language skills too!

The Kidcot Fun Stops at Epcot are another great way to experience all the park has to offer. This free experience ensures your child will leave with a special memento from every country and a whole lot of knowledge about world cultures and geography too!

Art

The Festival of the Arts runs for three months in Epcot and it’s a great time to explore art with your homeschoolers. This festival features art-inspired cuisine and focuses on making food into works of art!

Plus, there are tons of learning opportunities for homeschoolers interested in learning more about the art of animation and filmmaking. If you stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, you’ll get to experience the animation process from the first pencil sketches to storyboards and color scripts.

More Resources For Travel Schooling

Disney isn’t the only place to practice travel schooling with your homeschooling family. In fact, homeschooling on the go has become a favorite for the Waldocks! Get tips on how to homeschool when you’re not at home in some of these fun articles:

Have you taught homeschool at Disney? How do you practice learning while you travel? Share your favorite ideas and experiences in the comment section. I can’t wait to read them and try a few with Emily on our next travel schooling adventure!