We were provided 4 tickets, 5 past passes per person, snacks, and a $25 gift card to facilitate this post. However, all opinions shared in this post are 100% our own.
Over the weekend we went to visit the Flower & Garden festival at Epcot. While it is a really fun event where you can enjoy incredible food, beautiful views, and some fun rides, it’s also more than that. You can also find some incredible educational offerings from Disney. I’m going to share a few of the educational options at The Flower & Garden Festival you definitely need to check out with or without your kids. Do you have one to add? Let me know. I’m sure I missed something since they offer so much!
Educational Options at The Flower & Garden Festival
These are some of the highlights from our experience. You might find more or different options.
Learn about conservation
Statues like the one above are a great option for teaching children about the impact of trash and a lack of care for our environment can cause. The statue above is built out of trash pulled out of our oceans in an attempt to teach park guests about where their trash ends up.
This would be a great place to have a conversation about recycling and proper disposal waste.
Conservation Resources for Kids
Are you looking for resources to go with your visit? Here are a few bloggers who share some great projects and lessons you can do before or after a trip to the Flower & Garden Festival.
Water Pollution Experiments from JDaniel4’s Mom
Making Paper from Schooling a Monkey
Polution activities from Natural Beach Living
Egg Carton Seed Starters from Babble Dabble Do
Milk Jug Bird Feeder from The Highland Home
Printable Recycling Game from Adventures in a Box
Learn about Bees and Pollination
Many of the flowers invite bees to come and pollinate. This year’s festival also features countless beehives throughout the festival. This is a great way to talk to kids about bees, pollination, and their role in honey production. It’s also a great way to discuss safety around bees and the importance of planting bee-friendly plants in your yard.
Bee Resources for Kids
Honey Bee Anatomy Printable from The Homeschool Scientist
Life Cycle of a Bee Layer Book from Only Passionate Curiosity
Create a Mason Bee House from P&G Everyday
Honeybee Unit Study from Life in the Nerddom
Learn more about edible plants.
Living with the Land is a great ride any time of year but it is extra special during Flower & Garden festival. This ride gives you the opportunity to tour the greenhouse on a boat ride and hear a bit about some of the different growing methods that are being used to make the most of our current growing environment. Want more? You can book the behind the seeds tour and learn even more about the plants, planting methods, and more!
Visit the butterfly garden
The butterfly garden is a fantastic place to see butterflies but it is also so much more. You can also learn at many of the small learning stations that show more about the life stages of a butterfly. You can even see a large collection filled with multiple chrysalides that are in different stages of development.
Butterfly Resources for Kids
5 Ways to Protect Butterflies from Global Guardian Project
Butterfly Life Cycle Project from Priceless Ponderings
Butterfly Math and Science Activities from Around the Kampfire
Moth and Butterfly Life Cycle Printable from The Natural Homeschool
Spend some time checking out the different gardens.
Each garden area in Epcot has a different set of plants that they feature as well as some of the most gorgeous topiaries. Make sure to look closer at topiaries. They will be made with different types of plants. For example, the Piglet pictured above is made with succulents for the body.
Sensory Plants
In one of the playgrounds, you will find this amazing sensory plant area. These plants will have a variety of smells, feelings, and even sounds. Take your children for a sensory walk thru this area and learn a great deal about different plants. Not only will you be able to see a variety of plants, but you will also be able to learn about plants you can plant in your area.
What else can you do at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival?
Meet your favorite characters
A lot of the characters you have come to love will be at the Flower & Garden Festival. The lines and meet and greet times will vary depending on the character. For Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Sadness, and Joy don’t look at the time outside exclusively. Check with cast members to find out what the actual wait time is for that character. For the characters that meet in the world showcase, check the times for their meet and greets and plan to get there a bit earlier if you want to avoid longer lines. We always enjoy meeting Belle in her non-princess attire and Alice is a really fun meet and greet!
Do the scavenger hunt
Every year the Flower and Garden Festival has a themed hunt that you can enjoy. These scavenger hunts cost around $6.99 and at the end, you will receive a pin or patch or some other incentive. This year we received patches. This is a really fun way to keep kids engaged while walking around the world showcase.
Try Festival-Specific Food Options
I have food allergies so many of the options weren’t a fit for me. That said, there were some amazing food options at each of the individual areas that you won’t want to miss. I saw a whole section for dole whips and had I had more time, I would have picked up a dole whip, grabbed a chair by the playground, and let the kids play. Make sure to budget for some delicious foods you will definitely want to try while you are there.
Take advantage of fun photo spots
There are so many great places to get a fun Disney photo. Not only are there all of the amazing topiaries that would make amazing photo opps, there are countless gardens, butterflies, and so much more! Make sure to grab a few photopass memories that you won’t want to forget.
Looking for more?
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