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| Photo via Disney PhotoPass |
I posed a question on our Facebook fan page recently, asking readers what they’d like to learn about Disney’s Animal Kingdom this month. One of our fans said he and his family rarely visit Animal Kingdom because they have small children, and while he and his wife enjoy the park, they don’t find it very appealing to the little ones. He asked if we could address that issue, so this post is dedicated to just that!
My family is onsite at Walt Disney World right now. In fact, we visited Animal Kingdom just yesterday, and we all had a wonderful time. Now, before I dive in to anything, let me say that we don’t spend an awful lot of time at Animal Kingdom ourselves, but we do make every effort to visit the park at least once each trip. My kids are currently 17, 8, and 6, and they’re all big enough and adventuresome enough to brave almost all the rides. (The youngest is still a tad short for a couple things.) Anyway, we’ve been making semi-annual to annual visits to Walt Disney World since 2006, when the munchkins were 11, 2, and 9-months! And yes, we have been hitting Animal Kingdom each and every time with each and every child in tow. So you can see that while I no longer travel with toddlers or preschoolers, I have – and we have had great times!
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| Photo via Disney Parks |
When my youngest, Adam, was an infant, I admit visiting the World was more challenging. We had to take frequent nap breaks, snack breaks, diaper breaks, etc. We missed a lot on that first trip, so we just HAD to return! Animal Kingdom has always appealed to even our youngest family member, so I asked him today what he would recommend for the park’s youngest Guests.
Here’s Adam’s Animal Kingdom advice:
What I like the most about Animal Kingdom is all the animals. It’s like going to the zoo, but way better! There’s animals right at the entrance and just everywhere. And they’re not in cages. It’s like they’re right there running around as you walk through. Everywhere you go there are different kinds of animals. I also really like the Bug’s Life show under the Tree of Life and the Lion King Show. It’s so fun to meet the characters near the Lion King show. I got to walk with Mickey one time and hold his hand all the way to his character spot. And the Boneyard playground at Dinoland is so fun too! There’s all sorts of things to climb on, and sprayers, and dino bones you can dig up and other stuff. My sister always got really wet in the sprayers when she was little. The best animal part is the safari ride, so be sure to do that too. Oh! I almost forgot about DiVine. She’s this really tall character who walks through the Asia part, and she looks like a vine. When we saw her, she was hard to spot, and a lot of people kept walking past and wondered what we were taking pictures of.
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| Photo via Disney Parks |
So there you have it straight from the mouth of a kid himself! Animal Kingdom IS for kids!
Today’s Takeaway:
Create a natural habitat for the animal of your choice. Research the animal. Utilize online search engines, visit your local library, or take a trip to the zoo, and observe the animal’s native surroundings. Pay close attention to plantscapes, climate, and food sources. If visiting a zoo or other animal facility, interview caretakers and take detailed notes.
Use a tri-fold poster board to display the project. If possible, gather small branches or leaves from plants that would be in the animal’s habitat and attach them to one panel. Attach or display food sources on another panel. In the center, display a plush version or photos of your featured creature. Don’t forget to include a map of where in the world your animal resides.
SCHOOL SUBJECT: Zoology
SKILL LEVEL: Elementary
Add MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE to your home library!
