Book Review: Magical Mouse Schoolhouse

Like most parents, I can’t stand it when my kids ask to watch TV because “there’s nothing else to do.” I understand that my kids may get bored of the same toys or activities day after day, and sometimes I just run out of steam trying to think up new activities to keep them occupied. Well, I think that problem has been solved! MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE: Learn While You Play at Walt Disney World Resort, written by blog owner of Magical Mouse Schoolhouse Jodi Whisenhunt, offers 80 (eighty!) activities for you and your kids to do and learn from! What’s even better is that they are ALL Disney related!! It’s certainly more fun for my family if we can incorporate Disney into our learning!

Each chapter is written about a specific attraction found in one of the Disney theme parks or water parks. The chapter will begin with a brief history of the attraction, and include some fun facts – facts that even I had never heard of! Did you know that Tinker Bell (during her flight from the Castle during Wishes!) is sometimes “performed by a small-statured teen-aged boy, because the flying harness requires a performer weighing ninety pounds or less”? You’ll read that and more Tinker Bell fun-facts in Chapter 15!

The second half of each chapter is called “Today’s Takeaway” which suggests an assignment to complete, a family activity to do, or a recipe to make!  A fun family activity suggested in Chapter 49, titled “Camp Minnie-Mickey” is to have your own Summer Campout any time of year.  If weather does not permit, hold your campout indoors – even make your own S’mores in the oven (recipe & instructions included!)  Jodi even mentions a fun twist on giving your S’mores a citrus-tasting twist!

Magical Mouse Schoolhouse can be used by families with kids of all ages! There are plenty of activities and lessons geared towards little ones – such as making your own fossils using play-doh or trying 3 different recipes to make bubbles. Older students can attempt assignments such as making your own 3D pictures (using photo editing software), or making your own motion powered generator. There really is something for everyone within this book!

Toward the back of Yong Feng Shangdian (China pavilion) sits a weathered copper bowl on a pedestal, holding water… What else does this bowl do? Why can’t you see feeding troughs, barriers or fences on Kilimanjaro Safaris in Animal Kingdom? In Shark Reef, at Typhoon Lagoon, you’ll encounter nurse, leopard and bonnethead sharks – what about them makes it safe for you to swim with them? You’ll find out the answers to these questions (and you’ll learn so much more) in the excellent book Magical Mouse Schoolhouse!

Magical Mouse Schoolhouse can be purchased for $12.97 through Amazon, Barnes & Noble or CreateSpace.

And if you’ve read this far… be sure to enter for a chance to win a free copy of Magical Mouse Schoolhouse next week!  Contest will be held right here on WDW Hints from Sept 4th through Sept 10th!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Magical Mouse Schoolhouse to review. My reviews are not influenced by receiving a review copy, nor am I compensated any other way for reviewing books. I may provide affiliate links where books can be purchased, but I do this of my own volition.