Disney Nature Chimpanzee

Disney

Bean and I watched Disney Nature's Chimpanzee today as part of her homeschool unit on African animals. This is one of the most sensitive and beautiful nature films that I have ever seen. Narrated by Tim Allen, Chimpanzee tells the story of Oscar, a young chimpanzee and his family group. The film covers their heartache and triumphs as they live amongst the wilds of a rainforest in Africa.

The relationship between Oscar and his mother, Isha, is beautiful. Bean was amazed at how much chimpanzee children are like human children. They play, get in trouble, don't like bedtime, and love their mothers. Much like humans, chimpanzees learn how to survive by watching their family members go about their daily lives; gathering food, making and using tools, finding places to sleep, and protecting each other. By the end of the film, you will have a greater understanding of these amazing creatures.

Disney has created a fantastic Educator's Guide with activities, games, and educational sheets to help teach children more about chimpanzees. The guide has activities for several different age levels and would be a great supplement to keep kids talking about chimpanzees and the natural world. The guide can be downloaded from Disney's Chimpanzee website here. At the Chimpanzee website, you will also find a photo gallery, video clips, and more. Disney also has links to the Blu-ray, DVD, Chimpanzee Book that offers a behind the scenes look at the making of the film, and even 13" Oscar plush. When you purchase the Oscar plush, a $1 donation will be made to the Jane Goodall Institute to help them protect chimpanzee habitats, educate schoolchildren, and care for orphaned chimpanzees.

This film is by turns happy and sad. I won't spoil the story, but be aware that there are attacks by rival groups, and even some deaths, that my be hard for young children to understand. I would recommend previewing Chimpanzee before sharing it with young children, but I think this film is a wonderful way to help introduce children to the wonders of the natural world.

Wilderness Explorers Game at Animal Kingdom

An Explorer is a friend to all, 

be it plants or fish or tiny mole.

Well, it looks like Disney is planning on adding interactive games to all its Disney World parks. This past week they have been testing a new game based on the Wilderness Explorers in UP. This animal based game will take place in Animal Kingdom park. So far, the exploration zone is limited to the Africa portion of the park, but they have plans to expand throughout the park if the test is successful.

To start the game, you find a booth and pick up a folder and a pair of paper fold-able binoculars. (I've used this type of binocular in the past and they work surprisingly well!) The folder includes a map with locations marked for each of the activities. To play the game, you answer the questions on the map and follow the trails to the various locations. As you complete each section, you can earn a badge. Badges can be collected from Cast Members at the various booths. Currently, the badges are just stickers, but they are considering making real badges available for a small up-charge.

While the game is aimed at teaching small children Wilderness Explorer skills, adults will probably learn something as well. I'm looking forward to playing this game with my family and learning more about the world around us.

Photo of the Week

I love the Twinings Tea Garden at the Flower and Garden Festival. Various plants used in their teas are grown in teacups behind the Tea Caddy shop.

Photo of the Week

A patchwork quilt of flowers at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival.

Photo of the Week

I just love the displays at the Flower and Garden Festival. I manage to miss the official festival every year, but I sometimes get to see all of the fabulous floral displays before the festival starts.

Photo of the Week

Every week, I will pick one photo taken by my family on a Disney World trip. This weeks photo of the week comes from The Seas with Nemo and Friends at EPCOT. After riding through on a clammobile, my niece loves to go to the shark room and play with the sharks. There are several little stations for kids to learn about sharks and our oceans. All three of the sharks from Finding Nemo can be found in this room. Kids of all ages like to climb inside Bruce's mouth and wave to the people on the other side. It's quite funny.

Free goodies at Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom has some free goodies, but they are mostly for kids. You will still find the same stickers, buttons, maps and times guides. Then there are some that are unique to the Animal Kingdom. At Guest Services, you can request a copy of Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety Safety Challenge and set of Safety tip cards. There are 15 safety cards humorously detailing what to do and what not to do to safely enjoy a day at the Animal Kingdom. The tips include "Don't wait too late to hydrate", "Follow the rules of the jungle" and "Have fun in the sun, don't get overdone". The safety tips are quite smart and putting Timon and Pumbaa into each situation will help kids enjoy learning the rules of the jungle. 

Another fun kids activity is the Kids Discovery Club. There are six Discovery Club stations throughout the park, one in each land. At each station, kids will learn about animals and the environment through games and quizzes. In Camp Minnie-Mickey, kids place their hands inside a hollow log and try to identify the item in the hole, such as a turtle shell or a pine cone. On Discovery Island, kids learn about insects and arachnids, such as tarantulas, and can try out "bug vision" with a special bug eye mask. In Asia, kids learn about Siamangs, tigers, and frogs and try to identify them based on what sounds they make. (During the summer months, there is an extra freebie available at this station. Last summer, after the presentation and stamps were given, each child was given a coupon for a free bottle of water for every member of their party. They were trying to encourage people to stay hydrated.) In Dinoland, kids help reunite jaw bones with dinosaur skulls. In Africa, kids follow clues to track and identify an animal. At Rafiki's Planet Watch, kids do a scavenger hunt to identify wildlife that can be found in their own back yards. At the end of each activity, the Kids' Discovery Club Membership Card is stamped. Once kids have collected all six stamps, they take an oath to protect animals and the earth and to respect nature and are given the final Rafiki Ya Wanyama stamp. They also receive a Kids' Discovery Club Activity Guide full of games to learn more about our world. Each station only takes a few minutes, although you may need to plan carefully to make it to every station before the park closes as they are spread throughout the park. It actually took us 4 separate trips before we were finally able to complete the card in one day. 

Another fun freebie, that may no longer be available, was the Disney Where Dreams Come True Magical Moment Certificate. The first time we received one of these was when we rode Dinosaur. We were selected as the family of the hour and the four of us got a car to ourselves. They also gave us a certificate to commemorate the honor. 

Another fun thing you can pick up, although cast members would prefer that you didn't, is a pair of bug glasses from It's Tough to be a Bug. We had a pair that broke, so we saved them. We took the legs off and the lenses out and used them in a scrapbook with photos in the lenses. Unlike the other 3D glasses, the Bugs Life ones look like bug eyes, so they are rather cool.