Welcome to the BadShoe.com’s
World Showcase Passport & Scrapbook!
Attached are sample pages of a book we designed to help our
kids enjoy Epcot’s World Showcase and maybe even help learn a thing or two while
having some fun.
World Showcase is a permanent Worlds Fair with pavilions,
movies, food, shopping and a few rides featuring 11 countries from around the
world. It is staffed with college age interns from these countries.
Unfortunately, at first, the kids didn’t find Epcot as interesting we did. This
is where the book came in.
We made four pages for each country. Each page at each
country is an opportunity for an activity. A sample of each type of page is
linked here. We find a willing Cast Member (Disney speak for employee) from each
country to help us explore there home country with the book as a talking tool.
Cover
Page
Click here to see a .pdf file of the Morocco Cover
Each country starts with a cover page with a map and pictures of sights from the
country. We use this as a tool to find out where the Cast Member lives and to
ask about what their home is like. We ask the CM (Disney Geek speak for Cast
Member) to mark their home town on the map.
Passport Stamp
Click here to see a .pdf file of the Germany Passport Stamp Page
Disney has a program where kids can get a passport stamped at each country.
(Check you map for times) The program is called Kidcot. Kidcot stations can get
over run but they can also be fun. Typically there is a little craft the kids
can do. We collect passport stamps on the grey Mickey where Jiminy Cricket is
pointing. When we get the stamp we put the sticker we have made of the country
flag on the page.
Help Figment
Find the Country
Click here to see a .pdf file of the Help Figment find Canada
page
Find the county on the world map and color it in. This helps get a feel for
where each country is. Again we have make stickers (Avery is great!) After the
kids have done found the country on the map the put the country sticker where
Figment is pointing.
Fun Facts
Click here to see a .pdf file of the Norway Fun facts page
Fun information comparing each of the countries, admittedly the activity was
having the kids collect all the facts and it was a way we could look forward to
the trip, but we print them any way. There have been some changes since we first
made these but we make updates. The CIA web site is a great source.
Other Struff
Click here to see .pdf
Blair studied Harriet Tubman at school. She was one cool American. We integrated
his homework on the Underground Railroad into our book as a connection between
the Canada and the US. We have taken the opportunity to combine homework and our
interest in other Epcot countries as well. One reason why we are so willing to
pull the kids out of school to go to Disney World.
Finding a good Cast Member is the Key.
This is the art of the deal; Kidcot stations can be good we
have had some great times there with our books. At times the CM have been
surprised to see someone who has taken more than a passing interest in their
home.
However the Kidcot stations can also be a mob scene and it
is at times hard to get a CM to pause and talk. We tend to pick on some bored
looking intern working retail or straitening t-shirts. They will be happy for a
diversion. Typically we ask if they can show us their home on the cover page
map. Nine time out of ten, they will be curious and start flipping through the
book. All you have to do is keep asking questions, preferably essay questions
like:
