Disney World: Scavenger Hunts and Special Surprises

After talking with friends about some of the special Disney moments my husband and I have created for our girls over the years, I was inspired to share the inexpensive ideas with readers here.  While this is a blog that was created for Girl Scouts Leaders, I know troop leaders plan family vacations and road trips too.  In this post, I will detail two scavenger hunts and a special surprise that will help create magical moments for the precious little ones in your life.  Not going to Disney?  That's okay.  Modify these ideas to fit your vacation or road trip destination.  I hope your kids enjoy these activities and surprises as much as our girls do!

Scavenger Hunts
1.  We visit Disney World in January, when the rates and crowds (and unfortunately the temperatures) are at their lowest.  One Christmas, we decided to create a scavenger hunt to tell the girls about our upcoming trip.

Hint #1:
The day is closer than you think
It's time to make a chain of links...
"Why?" you wonder.  "I need a clue."
Go look inside your sparkly shoe.  

Hint #2:
We'll travel by plane but not by car.
No way we'd drive, it's way too far.*   
Still need help?  Another hint?
Look on the tree--think peppermint.
(The next clue was taped to a candy cane). 

Hint #3:
Pack your bags and don't forget
Act like a princess, you'll be all set.
Your nails we'll paint, your hair we'll curl...
We're on our way to Disney World!

*My husband and I accrue Delta SkyMiles with our American Express credit card which makes flying to Florida much more affordable.  I know many, many people drive to Disney, so I wrote an additional hint that can be substituted for Hint #2 above:

Alternative Hint #2:
Get your crayons, and grab your books. 
The drive is further than it looks. 
Still need help?  Another hint?
Look on the tree--think peppermint.
 

2.  The year our girls were in 3rd and 1st grade, my husband and I secretly planned a trip to Disney World.  Instead of shrieking and squealing when the surprise was revealed as we had expected, the girls worried about missing school and upsetting their teachers.  My husband and I agreed surprising them was more work for us, and we wouldn't try it again.  That being said, I've heard many success stories.  I'd love for you to share yours!  My advice is to be prepared for anything.

Hint #1: 

We have something for you.
This is going to be fun.
Go look on the washer...
Please walk.  Do not run.

*My husband and I put the box of Magic Bands on the washing machine with the second clue. 

Hint #2:
You will find a sweet treat
that was made just for you.
Go look where we eat...        
SURPRISE!!! We have so much to do! 

*They saw this sign on the kitchen table next to a plate of Mickey Mouse-shaped chocolate chip pancakes (We just added two smaller circles to the larger circle of batter).

 Special Surprises

Tinker Bell visits our house before we leave for Disney World, and she happens to stop in our hotel room while we're in the parks.  Prior to the trip, I hit Walgreens and Dollar Tree to pick up a couple cute items to give the girls from Tinker Bell.   When they were younger and didn't recognize my writing, I would handwrite a little note for each gift and leave it on the table when we were on our way out the door.  As they've grown, I've started typing the notes.  When we return to the room, they discover a small surprise.  I don't do this every day. This makes it more magical because they don't know when she might stop by.  From personal experience, I will say visits from Tinker Bell are still fun even if your kids no longer believe in magic.

Examples of Special Surprises:

• gum in a fun flavor they don't get on a regular basis
• character sunglasses
• sparkly headbands
• ring pops*
• animal crackers* 
• Disney PEZ dispenser 
• Princess toothbrushes
• Princess or Mickey activity book for the airplane or car ride (Dollar Tree) 
• glow sticks (Dollar Tree)

*I have seen Disney Princess ring pops at several stores in the past.

*This year I found the cutest boxes of animal crackers at Walgreens that would be a perfect snack for a visit to Animal Kingdom.  

Examples of Notes from Tinker Bell:

• GUM (the morning we leave):  "I was so excited to learn you were coming to Disney World!  I thought you might enjoy this little treat, especially when you are on the airplane.  I know my ears pop when I fly to Neverland.  Travel safely.  We'll see ya real soon!  --Tink"
• DARTH VADER PEZ DISPENSER:  "Welcome to Disney World!  I understand you went to Hollywood Studios today.  I heard you rode Star Tours for the very first time.  WOW!  I hope you enjoyed it.  Here's a little momento to help you remember the thrill of that experience.  And may the force be with you!  --Tink"
• ANIMAL CRACKERS (pictured above):  "Enjoy these cute animal crackers if you get hungry while you're waiting in line for the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom today.  I love the safaris!  Make sure to take some pictures of the animals, and hold on tight!  --Tink"
• GLOW STICKS:  "You’re heading to Magic Kingdom today!  Make sure to watch for me in the Electrical Parade.  I’ll see you if you’re wearing one of these glow sticks.  Have a magical day!  --Tink" 

These ideas can be modified to fit any trip whether you're traveling to Disney, going to the beach, staying in a cabin in the woods, or spending one night away from home.  Have boys?  Instead of Tinker Bell, maybe Spiderman leaves him something special.  I don't spend a lot of money on these gifts.  In fact, I often try to find something the girls can share.  Sure, it might take a few minutes to come up with the scavenger hunt hints or the gift notes, but that is fun for me.  I hope you have fun with it too.  Enjoy your time together!  Have a magical day!

Disney World: Paper Chains and Polish Parties

There is an overwhelming amount of information available to people planning a Disney vacation.  Websites, forums, and blogs are literally at your fingertips, providing important tips and suggestions to ensure visitors have a magical experience.  I have consulted many of these online resources when planning our past trips to Disney World.  While researching all the options for their first trips to The Happiest Place on Earth, several friends of ours have asked me a few questions about the planning process and preparing for the trip.  When they were receptive to my ideas, I decided to post them here.  While this is a blog that was created for Girl Scouts Leaders, I know troop leaders plan family vacations and road trips too.  Not going to Disney?  That's okay.  Modify these ideas to fit your vacation or road trip destination.  I hope your kids enjoy these activities and surprises as much as our girls do!

Paper Chains

"How many more days?!"When are we leaving?!"  

For many parents, the days leading up to a greatly-anticipated time away from home can feel like forever.  To help manage the excitement, we make paper chains to count down the days until we leave.  When the girls were younger, we wrote numbers on the brightly colored links which was good practice for both of them--recognizing colors, writing their numbers, and using scissors.  We drew three black circles for Mickey heads all over the paper links, and I drew fun shapes like balloons and ice cream cones for them to color.  Once the construction paper was decorated, I drew lines and helped the girls cut along the strips.  We used a small piece of tape to fasten each link onto the chain.  As the girls have grown, they've been drawing characters and writing names of their favorite rides on the links.  

A link is removed every morning.  Since it's fun to take a link off the chain, the girls need to take turns.  To prevent arguments, we have a system--my older daughter was born on an even date while my younger daughter was born on an odd date.  The kids look at the calendar when they forget whose turn it is.  This system has worked for us in many different situations over the years!

Quick tips to help prepare little ones for the airport:

• Borrow a book from the library to show kids what they might see and experience at the airport.  Richard Scarry's A Day at the Airport is a great choice.  This book will help them develop an understanding about what is going to happen at the airport and why.  You will be able to reference the book and remind them of related pages when answering questions like, "Why is this taking so long?" 
• Practice going through airport security in the comfort of your own home.   Our girls were 3 and 4 years old when we did this the first time.  I pushed them around our kitchen in the double stroller, and we pretended we were in the airport.  When we reached the kitchen island, we were at the security check.  The girls got out of the stroller and practiced taking off their coats and shoes, helping me arrange them in a neat pile which I explained would be a bin at the airport.  After listening to me review what would happen from start to finish in airport security, they would then help grab their coats and shoes, moving swiftly with us to a bench where my husband and I could help them.  Spending just a little time practicing with them made getting to the gate so much easier for everyone involved.

NOTE:  We recently flew from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to the Orlando International Airport, and the procedures at security were different at each airport.  My husband and I don't fly regularly, so I thought I should warn readers like us to keep this in mind when traveling.

Polish Parties

The second time we took the girls to Disney World, we had a Polish Party a couple of days before our trip.  My husband and I let the girls pick out some fingernail polish, and we painted their nails.  Back then we could get away with something sparkly.  Now that I've exposed them to Pinterest...enough said, right?  I still try to steer them toward a design I know I can do--like the 101 Dalmatian-inspired nails here. (Do you see the hidden Mickey?)

Once their nails are dry, we enjoy a Princess Parfait--yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit layered in a juice glass.  Nothing too special or out of the ordinary.  It's all in the name and presentation, folks.  

I invite you to read this post I published to describe how I prepared our girls for their first trip to EPCOT.  Even if you're not planning a trip to this park, these lessons are a fun way to expose kids to other countries.  Want to surprise your kids before your vacation?  Check back soon and I'll show you how.  Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!

Disney World: Preparing Kiddos for EPCOT

Oh, Winter, with your gray skies, frigid temperatures, and slushy streets...our family always seems to need a little pick-me-up once we've made it through the holidays.  For several years, we have escaped to Orlando, Florida, spending a few days in warmer weather with Mickey Mouse.  Earlier this fall, I spent hours researching other vacation destinations, but it's difficult to try something new.  With Disney's Magical Express and complimentary resort transportation,  traveling is so easy.  I am thankful we never had to worry about lugging car seats and boosters through the airport when our girls were younger.  

I frequently refer to these wonderful blogs, forums, podcasts, and websites when planning a trip to Disney World (listed in alphabetical order):

allears.net
disboards.com
disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com
disneyworld.disney.go.com 
mousequestpodcast.com
mousesavers.com
www.wdwmagic.com

There is an abundance of Disney-related information at your fingertips.  Why, then, am I writing about Disney World on a blog that was created to serve as an additional resource for Girl Scout leaders?  Two reasons:

1. To share with others how I prepared my young daughters for their first trip to EPCOT. 
2. To provide ideas that Girl Scout troops could possibly use for a Thinking Day celebration.

In our Service Unit's Thinking Day celebration, troops select a region to represent.  One year, a country is chosen.  The following year, a state is selected.  To educate other Scouts and their families about the respective area, troops create a booth and include games, crafts, and/or snacks that relate to the country or state they selected.  In this post, I will share what my daughters and I did as we prepared to "visit" different countries at EPCOT.  Depending on the ages of the Girl Scouts, the following ideas could easily be incorporated in plans for a troop's Thinking Day booth.  These ideas could also serve as a springboard for something more sophisticated for the older crew.

I chose four countries:  Norway, Mexico, Canada, and China.  My girls were 3 and 4-years-old at this time, so our lessons were short and sweet.  Each lesson began by finding Ohio and the EPCOT country on a globe.  We then became familiar with the country's flag.  With my girls sitting next to me, I did a quick online search for facts about the countries.  I shared fun tidbits I thought would peak their interest.  We made a craft that related to our discussion and ended with a themed but super-simple snack.

NORWAY:  
The girls glued cotton balls to a polar bear coloring sheet like this one before enjoying "antique snowshoe pretzels" (Snyder's of Hanover Butter Snaps Pretzels).  

CANADA: 
After learning about Canadian wildlife, the girls made moose antlers.  They traced their hands on construction paper, cut them out, and taped them to the headband I measured for them.  Looks like we learned about Norway and Canada on the same day!  Since I already had an open bag of those "snowshoe" pretzels, I didn't have to come up with another snack.

CHINA:
Panda masks!  We used white cardstock and black construction paper to make these adorable masks.  I had them look at a picture of a panda bear before cutting out the black eye patches and nose.  We used a circle cutter to make the eye openings and ears.  Their favorite part of this lesson was watching a live feeding on Panda Cam.  While they enjoyed the live telecast, I quickly heated some store-bought egg rolls in the oven for our snack.

MEXICO:
This was my favorite lesson!  The girls made ponchos by painting brown paper grocery bags.  I cut a hole in the bottom of the bag for their heads.  I made slits down both sides of the bag for their arms.  They painted the bags using bright colors.  When they were finishing the project, it was almost time for lunch.  I decided to make them black bean quesadillas to celebrate the end of our Mexican lesson.

While I will admit EPCOT proved to be a complete bore for these little ones that year, my husband and I were glad they were familiar with a few of the countries we visited during our trip.  In any case, we had fun learning!  It's important to point out that our girls (now ages 10 and 9) absolutely love EPCOT thanks to Agent P's World Showcase Adventure.  Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!