Several times a year Epcot is the host to several International festivals that provide a great way to introduce even more learning opportunities at Walt Disney World. Today we’re visiting the Flower and Garden Festival that takes place at Disney’s Epcot and throughout World Showcase every spring.
Studying Plants & Nature at the Flower and Garden Festival
As we talked about in the nature studies post, Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival is a great place to observe nature, learn about the plant life cycle, how Disney uses resources for sustainable farming, and even visit the butterfly garden.
Visit the Butterfly Garden
While birds tend to steer clear of the parks because of the sheer number of people there, you will see lots of butterflies during the festival. In fact, there is an entire tent house set up as a butterfly forest that you can walk through.
It’s simply amazing to walk through the display and have the delicate creatures flitting around you. This is a great place to discover plants that the butterflies love and see them in different stages of chrysalis.
Topiaries
Different locations have topiaries of different characters with the entrance dedicated to the year’s theme. Some of the designs you’ll see are:
- Mickey- usually at the front of the park
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs- near Germany
- Lady and the Tramp- in Italy
- Mary Poppins- England
- Beauty and the Beast – France
- Elsa in Norway
We like to walk around looking at the different topiaries and try to decide how they made each one. We talk about what kind of plants they used, how often they water them, what it takes to get them in that shape, and how long it took from start to finish. If you have questions about the displays, you can usually ask a cast member in the the festival center for more information.
We have been blessed to have seen the topiary shapes pre planting being transported on Disney property. This visual has helped the kids learn how the topiaries get their shape.
Classes & Demos
In addition to special event merchandise, there are classes and demos on gardening that you can watch and participate in. Lectures on proper use of fertilizers, how to grow flowers, and even water saving measures are a few of the lectures we’ve sat in on in the past.
Some are free to participate in, while some do cost money. The ones that cost money normally involve more hands-on learning. These classes, videos, and demos are quite extensive and could make up an entire botany course!
Spring Science Ideas
Here’s how we make the Flower & Garden Festival our science course for the spring. The festival usually runs from mid-February to mid-June. Over the course of those months, we use our annual passes to visit the park often, taking in the demos, art classes, and lectures.
The children are encouraged to take notes and ask questions. Out of everything they learned, they pick 2 or 3 topics that really inspire them to continue their studies. They are then required to do a lab or project out of at least 2 demos.
For instance, Logan listened to a lecture on orchids. He chose that as his demo project. He saved his money and purchased an orchid then took care of it using the techniques he had learned at the festival. He kept notes from the festival then added to them as they were completed on his own orchid.
He has done this with orchids, his vegetable garden, and his succulents. Madison and JoJo have used what they learned in their butterfly gardens in much the same way but on a smaller scale because they are younger.
Other Opportunities to Learn at the Flower & Garden Festival
There are also several areas out in the parks for the children to get hands-on learning and ask questions. The Cars themed play area is fun as well as the Outdoor Area presented by Lowes.
The Land pavilion has the wonderful ride, Living With The Land, that takes guests on a boat ride through Disney’s gardens and explains how the Walt Disney Company uses their resources in the restaurants on property.
For an additional fee, there is a Behind the Seeds tour as well that’s filled with interesting information. It’s relatively inexpensive for a Disney tour as well.
There is no shortage of things to do or learn about botany during this festival. It’s a great time to visit Epcot and learn about the world around you.
