Welcome to those of you joining me from DELIGHTFULLY DISNEY and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd stop on our Magical Blogorail.
If you stopped by Magical Mouse Schoolhouse yesterday, you caught a great article from our assistant, Tiffany, who took us on a virtual tour of the new and improved Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park. This new expansion will not only double the original size of the land, but it will also double the castles and double the Dumbos. I’m thinking it’s going to double the fun as well!
I am most looking forward to the phase that is scheduled to open last. This new area will replace Snow White’s Scary Adventures with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster. It will be located in front of the upcoming Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction, which replicates the one at Disney’s California Adventure, and near the new Princess Fairy Tale Hall, a permanent princess Character Spot.
.jpg "Seven Dwarfs Mine Train")
If you recall, the dwarfs from Snow White whistled while they worked in nearby mines. The Seven Dwarfs attraction will board Guests on a runaway train through those very mines. You may be squealing with delight instead of whistling while you ride, though! This coaster’s vehicles will rock back and forth as the train careens through the caverns and around hairpin turns, giving Guests one exciting time.
Today’s Takeaway:
The new mine train attraction will take Guests on an adventure through caves, complete with stalagmites, which hang from the ceiling, and stalactites, which rise up from the ground. While the features here will be artificial, the icicle-shaped formations in natural caves develop over many years as mineral-containing waters drip from cave ceilings and build up deposits of calcium carbonate.
Make your own stalagmites and stalactites at home using just a few simple materials. Follow these instructions from Home Science Tools.
You will need:
• Cotton string
• Epsom salts
• Baking soda
• Metal washers
• Four small glass jars
What to do:
- Cut two 24″ pieces of cotton string, and tie one metal washer to each end to act as a weight.
- Fill four small glass jars or beakers 2/3 full with very warm (120-140 °F) water. Stir in as much baking soda into two of the jars as will dissolve; do the same with Epsom salt in the other two jars. Put the jars in a warm place where they can sit undisturbed for about a week.
- Next, place a small plate between each set of jars and put the ends of one string in the baking soda jars with the middle of the string draping in a “u” shape just above the plate. Do the same with the Epsom salt.
Material should begin to build up on the string after a few days, growing downward from the string and upward on the plate.
*Note: For further study, this very interesting article explains the spelling discrepancy between the two terms and what the “g” and the “c” denote.
SCHOOL SUBJECT: Geology
SKILL LEVEL: Middle Grades
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is RETURN TO DISNEY.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ DIStherapy
2nd Stop ~ Delightfully Disney
3rd Stop ~ Magical Mouse Schoolhouse (You are HERE!)
4th Stop ~ Return to Disney
Final Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic
Add MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE to your home library!
