Discovering The Learning (And Magic) Of #DisneyYouthPrograms

Ever since I was a little kid I have enjoyed anything Disney. Even with my own daughters I have enjoyed seeing their faces light up when they walk down Main Street at the Magic Kingdom and they see Cinderella's Castle, even though they've seen it several times. We've visited all the parks and done a cruise. So when the team at Disney Youth Programs reached out to me to come down and check out all they have to offer I jumped at the opportunity.

For 3 days in late July I was able to discover the awesomeness that is Disney Youth Programs, something I didn't even know existed! Along with a handful of other educators we got a behind-the-scenes tour of a few of the Disney YES programs and learned how they tie what students are learning in the classroom to the rides and experiences at Disney Parks.

Take for example Space Mountain. One of the most popular attractions at The Magic Kingdom, many don't think about the physics and math involved in making a roller coaster work indoors. Before the park opened for the day we had the incredible opportunity to ride it both with the lights on and then again with the lights off. During the program students are first challenged to hypothesize how high the ride is, the average speed, height of the tallest drop and more. They then take a ride with the lights on to make a second guess. Then once more with the lights off to see if the darkness manipulates their perception. Students also get the chance to experiment with different tracks to determine how much energy is needed to power a coaster to accomplish different maneuvers like loops, dips and more. Students discuss the physics and work as teams to problem solve.

Learning How Disney YES
Programs Support STEAM.

In another program we were able to experience we examined how light and sound are used to trick the brain into seeing what really isn't there. Using Haunted Mansion as a backdrop we rode the ride and discussed what we saw and how Disney uses different effects to create illusions like the floating head, or ghostly dance party. Then in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we went under the ride as it was running (with regular park guests mind you) to see how the dance party scene is created. Students discuss a light manipulation called Pepper's Ghost that has been around for over 125 years.

Prepping for our big performance!

We also learned what it was like to be a Disney performer by heading over to the Saratoga Springs Concert Hall to work with one of the most incredible performers I've ever encountered. Steve took us through a scene in Mary Poppins where we learned a song, some choreography and acted. After just an hour I had a deeper respect for the talent it takes to do one of those, let alone 3 in an entire performance. We also heard from the Disney Arts program on how they give student bands and choral groups from across the globe an opportunity to showcase their talents on a Disney stage.

Disney Youth Programs couple the magic of Disney with STEAM, the arts, animation, photography and more at Disney World and Disneyland. The programs are designed for groups of 10 or more and students spend the early part the morning (usually before the parks even open) participating for 3 hours and then have the rest of the day to be a kid in a Disney park. Many groups do 2 or more programs in a visit so they can experience all there is to offer. Programs can be combined and come in all age ranges from Upper Elementary through College. (Though the average group is a Middle School or High School Group.)

Prices vary but do include tickets to the park and the Disney folks can work with groups on special pricing and funding sources. (I know, it can be expensive but they do have lots of suggestions on grants and out of the box thinking on funding sources.)

The programs are aligned to national standards and the team works with groups on specific goals and how to extend the learning in the parks beyond the program. They have loads of resources before, during and after the visit so it is certainly comprehensive.

I was so impressed at the quality of the content and how they used the park, rides and more to connect students to the content they were learning in the classroom. The program is run by educators and all the program leaders are experts in their curriculum area. That makes all the difference.

So if you are looking for an incredible and memorable experience for your students that also gets them connecting to the content they are learning, the performance they are doing and more, check out Disney Youth Programs!

This post is part of a Sponsored opportunity I received from Disney. 

Quick List STEM Resources For The Classroom

This post is sponsored by Samsung. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Science

Technology

Engineering

Math

STEM.

I had the honor of being both a Middle School Math and Science teacher. Those were some of my fondest times in the classroom, blowing things up (it happened once!) while at the same time being able to connect the math to the science we were doing. I always had a passion for learning about the way the world works and the elegant patterns we find in everyday mathematics. (Heck, I even married a Math Teacher!).

STEM today is so much more than just the 4 areas that make it up. And it's important to embrace STEM in every classroom and at every level. But how can you do that? How can you incorporate Math into Language Arts or Engineering into Social Studies? And beyond that what about the Arts, Coding and Making? Don't those all have a place in the "STEM" classroom?

Here are list of 7 place to learn more about STEM, how you can incorporate it and what you can do with it.

ISTE: Rethinking STEM-ISTE (The International Society for Technology In Education) has a bunch of STEM related resources in their archives. In particular, this blog post that has 5 simple things Educators can do to rethink what they know about STEM. From Following STEM leaders on Twitter to taking in a free webinar there's a reason this on is at the top of the list.

ASCD: STEM Resources-ASCD (Formerly The Association of Curriculum and Development) also has a great list of STEM resources for the classroom. It's a little older but still a great collection of sites to explore.

Teaching Channel: Videos For Making STEM Come Alive-I find myself spending more and more time on the Teaching Channel and this post is why. These videos are great! There are some super lessons here and not only do you get the plan, you can see how it was done in the classroom!

Samsung: STEM Fuse Curriculum-If you are interested in a STEM Curriculum Samsung STEM Fuse is worth a look. It contains Tablets, Guides, Resource Packs and more to get STEM started in the classroom.

PBS Teachers: STEM Education Resource Center-Another not to miss resource set. Here they have tons of Activity Packs, Resources from NASA (which are awesome), discussion boards and more.

Edutopia: STEM to STEAM Resource Guide-Just about everything that comes out of Edutopia is top notch and this is no different. The Arts should be just as much a part of the classroom as Math and Science. It's actually easier than you think to bring in drawing, music and other aspects of the Arts into STEM classroom. This guide has all you need.

Resources For MakerSpaces and 20% Time-This was a post I wrote a while back that has tons of sites, blog posts and personal experiences with Maker and 20% Time. These can be the cornerstone of any good STEM/STEAM Program.

This is far from everything. What are your favorite resources, sites, posts, people to follow when it comes to STEM and STEAM? Leave your thoughts below.

photo credit: IMG_5274 via photopin (license)

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