I love any opportunity to create teaching moments with my kids and when they can be fun AND Disney related?  Well, that's a winner all around.

I think a big part of the fun in a trip to Walt Disney World is the preparation and excitement leading up to the departure.  It's a big part of the reason that I do what I do - if I'm not planning my own trip to a Disney destination, I get to plan trips for other people!  Here are just a couple of the things that I've done over the years to help my daughter get in on the fun.  These are things that we've done since the time she was about 18 months old and they are still favorites now that she is soon to turn four.

• Create a countdown chain.  We make a simple paper chain out of construction paper starting at anywhere from 30 to 50 days before our departure.  When she was little we used this activity for counting and color recognition reinforcement and now we use it for pattern identification (red, yellow, blue, green, red, yellow, blue, green), practice using safety scissors and counting all the way up to 50.  There are lots of little lessons that can be built into this very simple project!  Every morning the first thing we do is remove a link and talk about how many more days we have to go (subtraction concepts along with teaching about the passage of time).  As the final bonus for this project: you won't have to answer the question, "When do we leave to see Mickey?"
• Magic Wand/ Pirate Sword Snacks.  Depending on whether your children prefer princesses or pirates (or both!) you can make a fun crafty snack to help get into the Disney mood.  All it takes are pretzel rods, melting chocolates (available at stores like Hobby Lobby) in your preferred color scheme - we do pinks and purples for wands and reds and blacks for swords plus some sprinkles.  Melt the chocolates following the directions on the package and then use craft sticks or butter knives to spread it on the pretzel rods being sure to leave enough uncovered for holding at the bottom.  Let the kids decorate their swords and wands with sprinkles  and let the chocolate harden on waxed paper.

What things do you do in your family to help prepare for your vacations?