Disney Interactive: Wilderness Explorers
Walt Disney World has really upped their interactive activity game in the past few years, and today I'm writing about one of my favorites: Wilderness Explorers (CAW CAW RAWR!)
If you have seen the Disney movie "UP", you know that Russell is in a youth program called Wilderness Explorers. It's how he meets Carl, in fact, because he has to earn a badge by helping someone.
Likewise, Wilderness Explorers at Walt Disney World is also based on a badge earning system. You get to join the troop, meet troop leaders, learn about wildlife and the environment, and earn badges (stickers).
Wilderness Explorers is based at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Crossing the bridge between the Oasis and Safari Island, you will find troop leaders under an orange umbrella that are waiting to sign up new explorers. They give you a book, a troop badge, and teach you the pledge. Conveniently, when we were there, a Photopass photographer was also there to take pictures of the us taking the pledge.
Before I get too excited, I should say that Wilderness Explorers is definitely geared towards kids who are in the elementary to middle school range of ages. But the adults with the kids can join the fun. We even got our own book but chose not to collect badges because we didn't want to get in the way of any kids.
Let's talk about earning badges. You don't have to go in any particular order. In fact, if you are just in area of the park and see the "WE" sign, that means a Wilderness Explorers stop is near. That's how we did many of our badges. However, the book is really great at describing stops as well and showing what the badge looks like. My daughter, who is all too familiar with earning badges through Girl Scouts, saw some she thought were interesting, so we had to seek those out.
So what do you do to earn them? Well, lots of things. Anything from riding Kilimanjaro Safari and writing down the name of your ride vehicle, to talking to a Cast Member to learn a fun fact about an animal or to learn about conservation. In fact, this is what I love most about Wilderness Explorers: That every stop involves Cast Member interaction and talking to Cast Members at Disney's Animal Kingdom is so great because you can see how much they care and how excited they are to impart information and share their love of the environment.
Also, to earn some badges, you need to fill out a few questions in the booklet. Short things, but things that can get the kids thinking, and reading, and writing. If your child is missing school for your vacation, this is one of many educational activities at Walt Disney World that can help to keep their skills sharp. In fact, some science teachers may be happy to see the filled out booklet.
Be advised, Wilderness Explorers is almost entirely outside, so rain or heat may cause a delay in exploring. Also, with 30 badges to earn, it can take a very long time to complete everything. Don't expect to complete all badges on one visit. Bring the booklet back next time and pick up where you left off!
The wilderness must be explored! CAW CAW RAWR!
Have you tried Disney's Wilderness Explorers? Tell us about it in the comments or on our Facebook page. And if you like this blog, as always, we want to spread the Disney know-how as far and wide as we can, so share the link with a friend. See you next week!
