December 5, 2011

Animal Kingdom Holidays

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Holiday decorations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom may seem scanty in comparison to the other three Walt Disney World Parks. To protect its inhabitants and in keeping with the Park’s natural setting, Animal Kingdom goes easy on sparkling lights and glittery ornaments. It is, however, fully festive!

Greeting Guests at the entrance gate is a 65-foot tall Christmas tree, trimmed with animal themed and crafted ornaments. Nearby carolers spread good tidings and great cheer to the young and the young at heart.

Now through January 7, 2012, Santa Goofy and his friends pose for pictures and holiday hugs at Santa Goofy’s Holiday Village at Camp Minnie-Mickey. And at 4:00 p.m. daily through January 3rd, Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade blends Animal Kingdom’s wild side with playful celebration. The savory scent of chocolate wafts through the air as Minnie’s candy cane and hot cocoa float passes, bringing a Christmas season Animal Kingdom visit to a sweet conclusion.

Today’s Takeaway:

Each year the veterinary team in the Wildlife Tracking Center at Rafiki’s Planet Watch has fun creating a unique winter wonderland, which includes a tree decorated with plush cotton-top tamarin and this poop snowman family. (Isn’t that crazy?!) Oddly enough, scientists do learn quite a bit from animal excrement, and today you can too.

“Get Some Practice at ‘Fossil’ Reconstruction with Owl Pellets,” from Science Buddies teaches students to identify the types of prey that are consumed by owls by examining the contents of owl pellets and reconstructing the animal skeletons found there. Don’t worry if you are unable to collect your own owl pellets. They are available for purchase online, from multiple sources. We recommend using ones that have been heat-sterilized.

Click here for the full Science Buddies lab report and procedure.

SCHOOL SUBJECT: Biology
SKILL LEVEL: High School

*This article is part of the DisMarks Disney Blog Carnival #36. Be sure to stop by & check out lots of wonderful Disney information!

About Jodi Whisenhunt

Jodi Whisenhunt has written 814 posts in this blog.

Jodi Whisenhunt is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who has visited Walt Disney World numerous times and has been homeschooling since 2000. She is the author of MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE: Learn While You Play at Walt Disney World Resort, available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CreateSpace. You can also find her work at Chip & Company, WDW FanZone, and various places on the web. Come, think outside the textbook and stretch the walls of your home classroom with Walt Disney entertainment!