18 replies to this topic

[Michelle Townes Lofton]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  So excited!! I want to do it all!  And, I already have a question

 

Do you anticipate getting enough people to do the Kingdom Keeper Quest on Tuesday, 11/19?  I would love for my kids to participate in that.  However, it is the same time as the Principles of Animal Behavior tour that I was going to register my 5th grader to attend since we took the Ocean Discoveries tour (through Y.E.S.) in 2011.  

 

Since grade levels are so fluid in the homeschooling world, would I be able to bump him up into a middle-school class with his sister?  

Edited by Michelle Townes Lofton, 01 March 2013 - 04:32 AM.

[Robin Harrison Axelberd]

A question from me, too! I have two children who will likely attend How Things Move - would one parent be sufficient to chaperone the both of them? Thanks!

[Dianna]

Michelle, the Kingdom Keepers Quest isn't an educational program. It's an add-on activity/quest that is based on the Kingdom Keepers books. Here's a link: http://www.disneyyou...m-keepers-quest

 

Principles of Animal Behavior is very different, so you won't have any overlap. I think we'll have enough to do the Quest - we don't need many.

 

Regarding grade levels - they're not as fluid with Disney for insurance reasons (different programs have different behind-the-scenes components, and insurance factors often play a role in what ages can participate). That said, sometimes I have some flexibility, so when you register, let me know in the comments sections if you're requesting flexibility in the grade level guidelines and I'll let you know if there's any leeway for the program(s) you want.

 

Warmly,

Dianna

[Dianna]

Robin, it's best to have two parents with the How Things Move program because of the rides they do. Sometimes they'll let one parent chaperone two children, but the year before last, they wanted a one-to-one ratio and some parents/children were turned away when there was one parent/two children. So that's why we require a one-to-one ratio now. The Synergy program would be better if you want a two-to-one ratio. I can't guarantee a chaperone spot (it's first registered, first served), but it doesn't require one to one.

 

Warmly,

Dianna

[Robin Harrison Axelberd]

Thanks, Dianna.

[Michelle Townes Lofton]

Thanks for clarifying! I'll register Thomas in his right age group.

 

I was thinking that we had to meet as a group for the Keeper Quest on Tuesday, the 19th at 10:00 and that the Animals class was on the same day from 8:30-11:30.  So, we can do the Quest whenever we have time?  I guess the Keeper Quest is more like the Kim Possible quest (which we've done and enjoyed).  

[Dianna]

Michelle, I'm sorry I misunderstood. You're right - you have to meet as a group to do the quest. Hmmm... how about if I push up the time of the Quest to 1:00 pm? That will give everyone time to finish with their morning program (regardless of which one they choose that day) and each lunch, I think.

 

What do you think?

 

Warmly,

Dianna

[Michelle Townes Lofton]

Sounds good to me!  Thanks, Dianna.

[Dianna]

It's changed!

 

Dianna

[Jennifer Berry]

So can we use the age recommendations on the Disney info site, or do we need to stick with what's on your site. I noticed some have a broader age range than what you posted and I'd like to take advantage of that. For instance the Principles of Animal Behavior is listed as being for ages 7-13, and I have an 11and turning-9 year old who would love it, but I wasn't sure if your 3rd-5th Grade designation would cover the 11 yr old? Although he would also enjoy the La Nouba backstage as well! Thanks for your time, Diana!

[Dianna]

Jennifer, you'll need to go by the age ranges that I have at my site. When a public school class arranges to participate in Disney's programs, they target the programming for that one specific grade. Since we're homeschoolers, they give us a broader range, but they still need to be able to target the information. We've found that the narrower we can make it, the better the experience for all the students.That said, if your student's grade differs by one level for any class, email me and we'll see if there's some flexibility for that specific class.

 

For the La Nouba backstage class, they're very strict about that one because it's behind the scenes and there are insurance issues. 

 

Dianna

[Jennifer Berry]

Oh, I get it now.  I guess part of my confusion is that we don't have strict grade levels for our kids, they're at different grade levels in different subjects, so if someone (like our church) needs a grade I usually just take their age and subtract five from it on the assumption they would have started Kindy at age 5.  But it's also totally normal these days to start at 6, so I guess I could use that number, too?  I just don't want to have to email you and bug you for every single class , so I'm trying to figure out what the best guidelines are going to be for me to make my plans.  Thanks again for dedicating so much time to us!

[Aunt Stepody]

Are any of the classes full? We are considering joining all of you this year. We did the individual Yes class one year, and we had a blast.

[Dianna]

None of the classes are full yet, so no worries. Welcome!

[hsmama]

I am new to this group,and hoping to go on this trip also!  One of the reasons I wanted to go along so much was the opportunity to do Kingdom Keepers,which you can only do with t agroup,so I assumed we'd never get to do it,and both sons have loved that series of books- so thanks for all the effort and info here!

[Dianna]

You're welcome, hsmama! I think my daughter and I will do Kingdom Keepers this year, too.

 

Warmly,

Dianna

[hsmama]

b/c a class has stated 'grade levels' does that mean the ages are flexible? my 14 y.o. wants to do the zoologist program,he's in 9-10th grade......would that be ok? ( he has taken h.s. level science classes since the 7th grade,so he's familiar with this kind of thing)

[Dianna]

hsmama, this is covered in my FAQ thread here: http://www.carolinah...s-updated-5613/

 

I'm catching up with my emails now and will email you in just a few.

 

Warmly,

Dianna

[chinclub]

Anyone else having a class schedule conflict?  We have one child going to Animal Kingdom on Tuesday morning and the other going to Magic Kingdom.  We figure one parent and child can hop a cab, since we are staying off site, to get to Animal Kingdom but I thought if someone else was going that way maybe we could meet up and car pool?