Say “YES” to Disney’s Youth Education Series!

by Danielle Marshall
AllEars® Guest Columnist

Feature Article

This article appeared in the June 23, 2015 Issue #822 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

Are you looking for ways to make your Disney vacation more educational for children? Are you an educator or youth group leader interested in providing unique, hands-on, learning experiences for your students or youth group? Are you already a Disney expert interested in learning more about the science, technology, and engineering behind Disney's most popular attractions? If "Yes!" is your answer to any of these questions, consider signing up for one of Disney's Youth Education Series (Y.E.S.) Programs.

Imagine what your formal education would have been like if your classroom had been Magic Kingdom? These unique and engaging educational programs are offered in Disney's four main parks at Walt Disney World in Florida, and in both parks at Disneyland Resort in California. Depending on the content, participants will learn through engaging, hands-on activities while immersed in the magic of Disney. Your two- or three-hour program might even include some very special behind-the-scenes experiences.

Offered year-round, the standards-based Disney Y.E.S. programs are available for student groups and individuals, in elementary school through college. I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the amazing programs available in Walt Disney World Resort during the past 10 years. My participation in programs so far has been as a teacher, but I am anxious to get my 8-year old son involved as well. Being a lifelong Disney fan, I know he would enjoy the "classroom" settings.

While my middle-school students have participated primarily in the science-based programs, there are many different options offered in the areas of arts and humanities, leadership, and careers. My students reflected on their experiences with journal responses like, "Learning how they make magic at Disney World was so cool!" and "This class made me realize that science is all around you at Disney". Program details, including some of the attractions used for each program, are available on the Disney Youth Programs web site.

If, after previewing the enticing descriptions, you can't decide which program to register for, you'll be happy to know you can indulge in more than one. In order to take full advantage of what Disney had to offer during our short 4-night stay, we scheduled two Disney Y.E.S. programs per day, for three consecutive days. Our schedule included a morning and afternoon program with a lunch break between programs. Although our schedule required a fast pace, we had time for snacks and short breaks.

The Energy and Waves Physics Lab and The Science of Disney Imagineering were student favorites during a visit this past January. Both programs included using tools of science, technology, popular attractions, and behind-the-scenes magic. As part of the Energy and Waves Physics Lab, students were introduced to the technology that manipulates light, sound, and motion to enhance guest experiences on many attractions. When participating in the Science of Disney Imagineering class students learned about the creative engineering, or "Imagineering," that thrills guests on Hollywood Tower of Terror. The Everyday Chemistry Lab allowed students to learn about chemistry that is used in their daily lives and throughout the parks. They enjoyed the outdoor lab work, especially a somewhat messy mixture experiment, and observing chemistry in action.

Again, not all of the programs are science-based. For fans of the "Kingdom Keepers" series by Ridley Pearson, there is a Kingdom Keepers Quest that involves searching for clues and solving riddles throughout Magic Kingdom. One of my students wrote, "KKQ was one of my favorite activities because I saw things I would have never noticed on a normal vacation." There is also a Kingdom Keepers Quest II at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Some of the Y.E.S. programs allow early admission into a park before opening. This provides participants with a rare opportunity to view a Disney park without the crowds that often obstruct views and make traveling within the park more time consuming. Understandably, we were not permitted to take photos that might "ruin the magic for others." Regardless of which program(s) you choose, all programs require participants to be at a specific location approximately 15 minutes early. Adhering to this guideline allowed us to arrive at our designated meeting location with plenty of time for restroom breaks, and reminders about appropriate behavior, before joining our instructors.

Getting to the parks from our Disney resort was fairly easy with our group of 20. We were able to use complimentary Disney Resort Transportation for all but one of our programs that started more than an hour before park opening. For that program we simply arranged for taxi service to the park, but we were also given the option to book transportation in advance through Mears. Again, for our small group, it was more economical to use taxis.

If you are planning to register a youth group (10 or more participants), Disney offers discounted rooms at select Disney Resorts. I chose Disney Port Orleans French Quarter Resort for our group because of its manageable size, variety of dining options, and convenient walking trails. My family and I are repeat guests at this resort, and I was just as satisfied with our rooms and amenities when traveling with a group of students. We were assigned a block of rooms near the pool, food court, and bus stop, which made it possible to minimize the time needed to get from place to place. The overall smaller size of this resort, compared to other Disney Resorts, made it easy to navigate and allowed for shorter walks to our rooms at the end of a long day. During a separate visit, we stayed at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort. This resort is a good economical choice designed to accommodate many guests, especially those groups visiting for sports-related events, but it wasn't ideal for our smaller group. I would advice checking the "Calendar of Events" links posted on allears.net, and planning around major sporting events when choosing this or any of the other All-Star Resorts.

If you need another reason to consider Disney's Y.E.S. programs, imagine having your own personal Cast Member guide you through some of the most popular park attractions, (and a few Fastpass lines if you're lucky). Through their expert knowledge of Disney and personal insight, the program instructors were able to immerse students in the stories behind the attractions and answer many of the questions they had about Disney Imagineering. One of our favorite instructors, Sarah, shared some of the most interesting stories I've ever heard about the Haunted Mansion and her experiences as a Cast Member. Her enthusiasm ensured our students were engaged at all times.

Perhaps while you are imagining how exciting a Disney Y.E.S. program would be for your youth group or children, you are thinking of many questions as well. Information about program registration and prices, discounted room rates and park tickets, and general planning is available online, but you can also contact a member of the Disney Youth Team directly. My communication with Disney Youth Team members was extremely helpful. By phone and email, my questions were always answered thoroughly and in a timely manner. Be prepared to receive more than enough information before and after registering for your programs.

I would suggest registering as early as possible, but Disney advises trip planners to submit a registration form at least six weeks prior to arrival.As an educator, parent, and fan of all things Disney, I enthusiastically recommend Disney's Youth Education Series Programs for an unforgettable, pixie-dusted, educational experience.

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RELATED LINKS
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If you are interested in learning more about Disney Youth Education Series programs, or would like to register for a program, visit www.disneyyouth.com.

Activities for School-aged Kids

Because there were so many kids who wanted to do the Kingdom Keepers Quests but were not part of Y.E.S., Ridley Pearson and Disney developed self-guided quests for Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom that are printed in the back of Birnbaum guidebooks (Walt Disney World's official guidebooks). AllEars.Net's Kristin Ford completed these quests with her son and wrote about them in her blog.

— Kingdom Keeper for a Day at Magic Kingdom

— Kingdom Keeper at Animal Kingdom

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Danielle Marshall is a Wisconsin middle-school science teacher and Disney enthusiast who enjoys getting students out of the classroom for unique learning experiences in new environments. Danielle is always looking for ways to experience the magic of Disney with her family and students through Disney Parks adventures, runDisney events, Disney education, and helping people plan Disney dream vacations.

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Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.