Disney

Greetings all,

We are well settled into life in Orlando now, all proficient at catching
the public buses, buying food at the supermarket or fast food places ...
pizza seems to be the regular fare for many, take away or microwaved.
Tonight some are playing table tennis in the common room, while others are
into cards. A swim after a day out is a popular option ... or just
collapse on your bed!

We started our YES programme at Disney at 7.15am, and not surprisingly the
'magical' Disney educators struggled to illicit the enthusiastic responses
that are the norm from our American counterparts. I assured her that it
was not that these students weren't keen, just that on top of the normal
Kiwi reserve, they were very tired. Anyway, the programme itself was very
good and included an excellent hands-on experiment where they ran marbles
down model roller-coaster track and had to predict how much potential
energy would be required to get the ball to loop-the-loop vs go over a
hill, or round a corner. Then she took us on various roller coaster and
log flume rides, where again they had to make predictions about speeds,
heights and angles, before and after the rides.

Then the kids dispersed to various rides in the Magic Kingdom and
Hollywood Studios and we saw them again at 5pm at the bus stop. All
arrived a few minutes early so we could catch the earlier bus ... great to
be able to rely on them to turn up on time. They had found rides and shows
they were happy with, and several girls were laden with assorted Disney
stuffed toys. A happy bunch.

The Magic Kingdom park was absolutely packed today, and baking hot in the
afternoon. Lots of families ... I would have thought a nightmare with
toddlers, but there were hundreds of push chairs, and thousands of kids.
Some spectacular street theatre and parades with fireworks over the magic
castle capping off each show.

A big day tomorrow with High school, springs and basketball game ... so
I'm off to bed now! Thank you for your comments on these 'letters', it is
good to know they are being read, and I do pass on any messages to your
children.

Cheers

David