Lots to Learn at Disneyland

There are about a gazillion educational opportunities to take advantage of while in Disneyland, and much of it can be done while having fun. Kids may not even notice that they are learning. The obvious ones are things like budgeting money for souvenirs, telling time, and counting change. For the pre-school crowd, color and shape recognition are simple to do while standing in line or grabbing a snack. For older children, the history of Walt Disney or Disneyland itself, and history of various inventions, such as the steam engine can be started on various attractions and supplemented by books and information available in Disneyland, bookstores and on the Internet. All ages can partake in a little art and music appreciation.

This weekend a new idea came to me - that of social observation. Yes, people watching. A specific idea came to me as I was talking with our six-year-old son.

"Mom, next time we go to Disneyland, I think I will be ready to go on Splash Mountain again, and that big space ride that is like a box that moves."

"Star Tours?"

"Yes....and (everything except the Haunted Mansion)"



When his was four, he was traumatized by the elevator ride into the attraction when everything goes dark and the person is seen hanging above the riders' heads. What scared him was that the elevator was full of teens and everyone screamed when it went dark.

I explained how he is older now and knows what's coming so it shouldn't be scary the next time around. I could see he was considering my words.

"You know what?" I said, "Next time you will know what is coming, but some people won't. You can watch them and see if they get scared."

"Yeah!" This got him. He seemed delighted with the idea that he might catch others being scared while he stayed cool and calm.

So, maybe watching the reactions of others - fear, delight, impatience, etc. may be another skill to be honed while in Disneyland. We shall see!