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Confessions of a Homeschooling Disney Family

I love speaking to others about their love of Disney, how they incorporate Disney into their lives, and just insight of how they “do” Disney.  Dee, owner/blogger of Refreshing Talk, shares how she incorporates Disney into the homeschooling curriculum.

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How long have your children been homeschooled?
I have homeschooled for more than 14 years. At one point in time, it was all 3 at home – from 2001 thru 2012. Our children are all about 2 years apart, so as they each came of age for kindergarten, we just added them in to the routine. In 2012, our middle child went to public high school for 9th grade (her choice) and in 2014, our oldest child, Tre, graduated from homeschool 🙂 We only have one at home now, a rising 10th grader.

How do you incorporate Disney into the curriculum while at home and in the Disney Parks?
As I mentioned earlier, my kiddos are now all high schoolers and beyond, and so incorporating Disney into our curriculum is a little less likely to do than when they were smaller. However, when they were middle schoolers and younger, I would try to expose them to things at Epcot, like the technology and the World Showcase, to spark thought and conversation. I would have them watch shows on the History channel (and still do occasionally) at home about how Disneyland and WDW were built and the science behind things like animatronics 🙂 And of course, I would spark their imaginations by talking about Walt and one man’s dream!

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If you could work with Disney on an educational program, what would be your suggestions?
I think that some of the educational programs Disney already offers are fantastic. We didn’t have to resources at the time to take the kids down to Florida for those Homeschool Days and such, or else I would have taken advantage of those opportunities. My only suggestion would be to make those programs longer so that any family could make a vacation out of the trip, and to maybe take those programs on the road so that more children can experience them!

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What are some tips on making Disney Parks educational and fun?
As we did/do with pretty much any opportunity, make school anywhere you go! Be open to explain how things work, talk about international customs (especially since people from all over the world visit Disneyworld, DL) and give your kids new experiences, even if it pushes you out of your comfort zone. I am not a water person, but my hubby took the kids out in motor boats on the lake near MK years ago, and they still remember that experience to this day!

If you have any questions for Dee, please asked them below or contact her via email at Dee@refreshingtalk.com and/or Twitter.

Elantrice H.

2 Comments

  1. I love this! I’ve been toying with the idea of homeschooling my kids. I chickened out this year, my daughter is starting Kindergarten, but maybe next year. I’d love to incorporate Disney.

    I love Dee’s suggestion to bring those opportunities on the road. I so wish we had more ways to experience Disney from afar.

    We love doing Disney puzzles and of course reading the stories. Maybe we’ll add more in as my kids get older.

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