Magical Mouse Schoolhouse by Jodi Whisenhunt

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, then surely you’ve picked up on some of the things that I’m passionate about:

1. Disney!  I love Disney.  I’d live at Walt Disney World if it were an option (and I pray that someday it will be!)

2. Homeschooling.  We’ve been homeschooling since my oldest was in Kindergarten and there’s no end in sight – since Ian’s only in first grade this year.  I know the time will pass much too quickly though.  I love the extra time it allows for me to spend with my kids – and that I can learn right along with them!

3. Reading.  I’ve been an avid reader since I was very young.  Anytime I can lose myself in a good book, I’m there!

Now, what do you get when you take these three things, put them in a jar with a lid, and shake them up?  Well, let me tell you . . .

You get a book called MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE: Learn While You Play at Walt Disney World Resort. This book was written by my blogging friend – fellow Disney-lover and homeschooling mom – Jodi Whisenhunt. 

For the past several years, Jodi has been writing a blog by the same name – Magical Mouse Schoolhouse. After the prodding of friends to “write a book  based on the blog”, Jodi has done just that.  And the results are awesome!

So, what can you expect to find in Magical Mouse Schoolhouse?

The book is divided into 7 sections – one for each of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World resort, one for each of the 2 water parks, and one for “extras”.

Each park section is divided into 15 chapters.  Each chapter is devoted to a specific thing about that park – such as a certain attraction or a bit of information.  The water park sections each contain 5 chapters of similar content, while the last section contains 10 chapters of additional information that doesn’t pertain to a specific park. 

Each chapter starts with the information section.  I love these because Jodi writes in a personal style, so some of the chapters share her family’s personal experience with a certain attraction or topic.  In any case, they are always thorough and informational.  Then, the second section of each chapter is what Jodi calls “Today’s Takeaway”.  There is where the “homeschooling” comes into play in the book.  These takeaways are extensions of the topics – they cover areas such as science (biology, zoology, physics, etc.), home economics, the arts (drama, photography, etc.), physical education, social studies, family fun, and much more!

There are activity ideas for preschoolers, right on up through high school level.  While Magical Mouse Schoolhouse doesn’t claim to be a full curriculum, it is filled with TONS of supplemental learning ideas – enough to expand your homeschool classroom for a long, long time! 

I’m one who likes to bring Disney home with me after our vacations – and we spend a long, long time planning our trips too.  That way, we always seem to have Disney with us, even when we aren’t actually there.  Using the ideas in this book will be one more way to have a touch of Disney in our lives when we are feeling separated from the parks. 

Even if you’re not a homeschooling family, you can certainly benefit from this book.  Taking the kids out of school for a Disney trip often means you need to show some learning was taking place on your trip --- use some of the ideas in this book to present to your child’s teacher, then follow up by showing proof of the learning!  And, if you’re a classroom teacher, you can also utilize these ideas with the students in your classroom – because we all know that sometimes both you and the kids could use a break from the traditional textbooks! 

Reading, Homeschooling, and Disney all rolled into one resource!  You might guess I’m pretty excited about it!

You can purchase your own copy of Magical Mouse Schoolhouse at Amazon.com.  It’s available in both paperpack and Kindle editions. 

NOTE: I received a free copy of this book with the intent that I would read it and share about it on my blog.  I only share honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.