Field trip to Disneyland? Woohoo!
For the past year, Walt Disney Co. has been hosting student trips at its Anaheim theme park, Disney’s California Adventure. The program now is in full swing, taking students ages 8 to 17 through history and science programs at the park.
The programs meet California or national standards for educational field trips.
“Youth travel today almost has to include an educational component for schools to justify the field trips,” said Derek Wilson, manager of group sales for Disney’s Youth Education Series.
The program has been a hit with teachers and students.
“These kids wouldn’t likely get a chance to go to California Adventure otherwise,” said Mike Mebs, a Carson elementary school teacher.
Mebs last month took a group of fourth graders to the park for Disney’s California Here I Come history program. It was his second trip with a student group.
“The timing was great with our curriculum,” he said.
In Mebs’ case, the school covered the cost of the trip.
So far, 200 or so groups have taken part in the field trips. A majority have been from Southern California schools.
For most, it’s all about the two- or three-hour hands-on lessons, though each program includes at least one ride as part of the lesson plan. Those bare-bones packages run $25 per student. There’s a 25-student minimum to take part.
For Disney, the program brings visitors to California Adventure, which has struggled to meet expectations since opening in 2001.
At entry-level prices, 200 groups of 25 would bring in $125,000 in annual revenue for Disney. Other packages include one- or two-day park passes ranging from $43 to $86 per student.
At the high end, each group of 25 pays $2,150 just to attend. That doesn’t include spending inside the parks on food or souvenirs. Groups from out of state could stay at Disney’s three hotels alongside the parks.
Disney has to sell teachers on the educational merits of the program, and not just as a day in the park.
The company posts materials online for downloading before and after the visits. Teacher materials for the history program include a review of state facts, geography, history and biographical lessons as well as follow-up classroom activities.
The company offers four programs:
– California Here I Come, exploring California history for ages 8 to 10.
– Animation Magic, teaching the basics of creating animated figures. The program can be customized for ages 8 to 17.
– Properties of Motion, designed for middle and high school students to illustrate how the principles of physics play a part in theme park rides.
– Energy and Waves, designed for middle and high school students to illustrate how the energy of light and sound are used in theme park rides.
About 100 Disney workers have been trained to lead the sessions.
Knott’s Berry Farm has had a similar,though less extensive,program for the past 10 years. Called Physics Day, it’s geared to middle and high-school students and is staged one day each spring.
The program includes a guest speaker and a list of science activities students need to complete during the day. Once they’re done, they have free time in the park.
Knott’s typical groups range from 50 to 150 students. The largest group last year was 400. The Knott’s program runs $23 per student.
