Magic Carpet

A Fresh Way of Learning

Programs in the Disney Youth Education Series offer lively new looks at familiar subjects

by Mac Randall

What would it be like to learn about marine ecology straight from the mouths of Nemo and his friends? Or to get a primer in the history of California at Disney California Adventure Park? You don't have to imagine; these possibilities and many more are available right now to students of all ages at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. The myriad of educational programs in the Disney Youth Education Series--many of them offered seven days a week, year-round--show how concepts taught in the classroom can be put into practice at a Disney Park.

"Our programs exist to complement what students are learning in class," the series' programming manager, Tami Drury-Smith, explains. "It's experiential learning. For instance, in our World of Physics program, we may go on Space Mountain and talk about different concepts it uses, such as gravity. There's a program called Millennium Cultures, where we visit the different pavilions at Epcot and talk about all the cultures represented. Some of the programs also include guest speakers, who help the students connect what they're learning to real life.

One particularly exciting Youth Education Series program at Walt Disney World Resort is Showbiz Magic at La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil, which gives students the opportunity to see how this long-running theatrical spectacular comes together every night. "They have to see the show before they take the program," Drury-Smith says. "Then the next day, they return to the theater and go on a backstage tour. They visit costuming and cosmetology, they go through the rehearsal rooms and the exercise rooms, and then they go to the lower level and see the pulley and elevator systems beneath the stage. The time that we give to the students is meant to instill in them a sense of the dedication and hard work that it takes to bring their skills to the highest level of perfection."

Many Disney Youth Education Series programs are accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. Groups of 10 or more are required for programs at Walt Disney World, and groups of 15 or more are required for Disneyland programs. If you're not traveling in a group, a selection of programs are also available for individual enrollment.

Fast Facts

Who: Elementary, middle, junior and senior high school students

Where: Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.

When: Year round

What: Programs in Science, Arts & Humanities and Leadership & Careers