There’s no better place to learn about American History for homeschooling families than Disney’s Magic Kingdom. There is a whole land dedicated to early American History called Frontierland and Liberty Square. With hands-on learning in this interesting area, you never have to struggle to teach American History again.
Attention to Detail
I love the Walt Disney Company‘s attention to detail in all the small things. In the photos below you can see the sidewalk that goes from the Haunted Mansion into Frontierland. Any guesses as to why it’s colored like that?
It’s because in Colonial America, there were no sewer systems. People would empty their chamber pots out the window in the morning. The urine and feces would run down the middle of the street. The streets would have clay or brick on the sides but be brown in the middle. It’s disgusting but true.
Places to Study American History at Magic Kingdom
The Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell outside the Hall of Presidents is cast from a mold of the actual Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. For families who may never make it to see the actual Liberty Bell, this is an amazing opportunity to see it up close as well as see the detail that went into making something so important to our Country’s history.
This replica is as close to the real thing as some people are going to get. Knowing that it’s cast from the same mold makes it an excellent idea to study it up close. It certainly makes history come alive for my visual learners.
The Big Book of American Presidents: Fascinating Facts and True Stories about U.S. Presidents and Their Families
Who Is Barack Obama? (Who Was?)Who Was Richard Nixon?Who HQ 3-Book Collection: Presidents (Who Was?)Who Was Franklin Roosevelt?Who Was Ronald Reagan?Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?Who Was John F. Kennedy?Who Was Woodrow Wilson?What Is a Presidential Election?: with Activities, Stickers, and a Poster! (What Was?)Who Was Andrew Jackson?Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?
The Hall of Presidents
The Presidential Seal in the Hall of Presidents is the same exact one that is in the Oval Office with the Great Seal of the United States instead of The President of the United States. The shutters are crooked on the buildings because when wood got wet from the snow and rain in Colonial America it would swell then shrink making them different sizes. That attention to detail is phenomenal.
The Hall of Presidents show is a great place to cool down and learn at the same time. Not only is the air conditioned attraction cool, it has plugs for recharging cell phones. The Presidents are true to themselves in their character and dress.
Some history buffs may notice that Grover Cleveland, located on the far right, is not as large as he was in real life. If they made him true to form, Disney animators felt he would look out of place and draw attention from the other Presidents.
The Hall of Presidents makes learning about the Commander in Chief in our history studies connect more when we have an idea of what they look and act like. If you have visual learners like I do, this helps cement their learning in a way just reading about the former leaders could.
Tom Sawyer Island
In this land, there is Tom Sawyer Island which is fun to explore, as well as a great literature read to add to your American History & Language Arts lessons. There is a mill there along with the caves to explore. You can take the trail to the soldier’s fort to touch and look at the cannons.
My favorite part is the raft you have to take to get over to the island. It’s a great discussion too along with experience about how the early settlers crossed the Mississippi. The children love to run through the caves acting like Tom and Huck.
There is a ride on the paddle riverboat around Tom Sawyer Island. While it’s not on the same excitement level as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, it is a good experience for the children. It helps to cement the idea when they are reading their books about life on the Mississippi with an experience they can experience thus making comprehension easier
More Early American History Learning in Magic Kingdom
There is so much to experience in this area from the colonial times to pioneer times. Here are a few ideas:
- You can stick your head in the stockades and take a funny photo.
- Eat an all American meal with a town crier in Liberty Square.
- Shoot laser rifles at the shooting gallery.
- Ride Splash Mountain
- Ride along on an old time train for Thunder Mountain
- Take a slow-moving ride on the Liberty Belle Riverboat
- Eat at Sleepy Hollow which sells funnel cakes
American History at Epcot to enhance your Magic Kingdom studies
After touring Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom, make a special point to stop in America at Epcot’s World Showcase. We like to make comparisons between the two lands and what we know about our history.
Epcot’s America pavilion also has a great show, the beautiful building to explore, a gift shop that’s fun to look at the items and interesting books. The best part is catching a show by the acapella group The Voices of Liberty. They’re amazing!
How do you learn about American history in your homeschool?
Check out the other ways you can do educational activities at Disney Parks!
