LEGOLAND Florida Makes Learning Fun With STEM Focused, Interactive Educational Programs

LEGOLAND® FLORIDA MAKES LEARNING FUN WITH STEM FOCUSED, INTERACTIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
LEGOLAND Florida provides interactive entertainment for families with children ages 2-12 .

LEGOLAND® Florida sparks imagination and creativity beyond the walls of the classroom and makes learning fun this year with hands-on and interactive field trips. Just in time for the 2012-2013 academic year, Central Florida’s newest theme park rolls out eight dynamic, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focused educational programs for grades K-6 including new curriculum using WeDo Robotics LEGO® Education Set especially designed for grades 1-2 and continues to offer free field trips to Polk County 2nd graders.

From learning about how structures are made and what makes them strong in Tall Towers to Amazing Machines where students build their own amazing machine equipped with gears, levers, pulleys and motors, teachers can find just the right program to match what they’re learning about in the classroom.

Due to the overwhelming success of last year’s second grade program, LEGOLAND Florida is bringing it back to ensure that all 2nd graders in Polk County Public Schools will get the chance to participate in one of the eight programs free of charge.

“Research shows that early exposure to math and science, primarily before 3rd grade, increases the likelihood that a child will continue in that field. By showcasing math and science in a fun and interactive way at LEGOLAND Florida, we aim to ensure a positive view of these sometimes difficult subjects,” said Kim Isemann, Director of Sales and Marketing. “We’re proud to offer Polk County 2nd graders an opportunity to visit LEGOLAND Florida and experience our education classes.”

With eight educational programs incorporating STEM and the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, LEGOLAND Florida is dedicated to affordable extracurricular education.  Each of the eight programs is seasonally priced and starts at $8 per student and includes a 45-minute educational session and a full-day at the park. Field trip reservations are limited per day and can be booked by appropriate school officials by calling 1.877.350.LEGO      .

Field trip programs include:

–  Tall Towers (Grades K-3): Students learn about how structures are made and what makes them strong and then test their creation on an earthquake table.

– Funtastic Gears (Grades K-2): Students build a theme park ride using gears to alter the speed and direction.

–  New! Robotics for Young Beginners (Grades 1-2): Students will build a Florida alligator and make it move to learn introductory concepts of robotics using motors and sensors. Program uses WeDo Robotics LEGO Education Set.

– Get Moving (Grades 2-5): Students build a car and predict which car will win the race and why – all while learning about friction, inertia and wind resistance.

–  Energy Lab (Grades 2-6): Students build a solar-powered car where they collect, store and transfer the solar energy to power their vehicle.

–  Amazing Machines (Grades 3-6): Students build their own amazing machine equipped with gears, levers, pulleys and motors.

–  Dr. Heartbeat (Grades 3-6): With students at the helm, “Dr. Heartbeat” and other NXT-bots complete a variety of life-saving operations and medical procedures using a computer, light & sound sensors and motors.

– Adventure Bot (Grades 3-6): Students can go on a mission using Adventure-bots to retrieve golden marble treasures and hide them from the treasure hunters using a computer, light and sound sensors and motors.

These dynamic educational programs and more than 50 rides, shows and attractions specifically geared toward families with children ages 2 to 12 can be found daily at LEGOLAND Florida. To find out more, visit www.legoland.com.

LEGOLAND Florida – Winter Haven, FL
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LEGOLAND Florida – My Thoughts and Hopes

LEGOLAND Florida….Oh, LEGOLAND Florida…I have struggled about how I feel about you, and I have to be honest and say that after some careful consideration I am still confused about how I feel about us. So let’s take this one step at a time…

Rides & Attractions

There are ten themed zones at LEGOLAND Florida that are chocked full of Rides and Attractions that offer “Pink Knuckle” thrills.

“The entire LEGOLAND experience is designed for families with kids ages 2 to 12, so there’s no longer any reason to delay the decision to take that first family theme park vacation,” said Adrian Jones, LEGOLAND Florida general manager. “Our highly immersive rides and experiences are designed to encourage children and their parents to play together, and are perfect for creating cherished memories for every member of the family.”

One thing to consider when looking at the number of Rides and Attractions at LEGOLAND Florida is the age group that they are designed to entertain. This means that a lot of their rides go at a slower pace, and are not very thrilling. Another careful consideration is the size and scale to which they are built. The Rides & Attractions were definitely sized for children to enjoy, the seats are smaller and the details are at lower levels which at times made it uncomfortable to experience for adults.

The Safari Trek vehicles are pretty tiny...

Our interactions with the Model Citizens of LEGOLAND Florida manning the Rides and Attractions were amazing! Since a lot of the Rides and Attractions require guests to ‘work’, they are great at cheering you on to pedal faster or push harder.

My biggest problem with the Rides and Attractions at LEGOLAND Florida was that their load/unload process was extremely slow. I am hoping that this is just because this is relatively new process to the model citizens of LEGOLAND. However the Rollercoasters had only one car running, except for the LEGO TECHNIC® Test Track Coaster, and the automated times between cars on other Rides and Attractions were slow, like on The Lost Kingdom Adventure.

The ride vehicles from 'Lost Kingdom Adventure'.

One thing to definitely experience is the Factory Tour in FUN TOWN. There you will be able to watch a short fun film about how LEGOS are made, followed by a very cute re-enactment of they are REALLY made. As a bonus, at the end of your tour you will receive a very special and free gift.

The special LEGO from The Factory Tour.

Zoe absolutely enjoyed the Rides & Attractions, and at the end of the day that is what matters the most! Her favorites were Coastersaurus, AQUAZONE® Wave Racers, and The Ford Driving School.

Shows

Our day at LEGOLAND Florida was super full and went by entirely too quickly!

With our hectic schedule, we only got to watch The Pirates Cove Live Water Ski Show at Pirates’ Cove.

The view as you walk up to Pirates' Cove.

Pirates’ Cove is nestled along the beautiful shores of Lake Eloise, and is the home to some swashbuckling LEGO ‘mini-fig’ pirates who star in “The Battle for Brickbeard’s Bounty”, a live action, water-stunt show that is full of action, fun, and most importantly water-skiing!!!

Who knew these guys could ski so well???

The show itself was really entertaining and cute! And the water skiing elements were really well placed and executed. I can’t imagine how hard it is to get those flips right all of the time!!!

Yowsas!!!!

 

The dread Pirate Brickbeard!!!

My only wish was that the story featured Miranda as more of a strong female lead who didn’t have to be ‘saved’ when things didn’t go as well as she hoped with Brickbeard the Pirate.

Come on Miranda! You can do it!!!

Dining

There were definitely a lot of counter service options at LEGOLAND Florida, from burgers to healthier entrees using ingredients that are locally grown.

Another option was an all you can eat pizza and pasta buffet that was really reasonably priced.

The signature snack of LEGOLAND Florida is Granny’s Apple Fries that can be found in FUN TOWN. These are Granny Smith apples that are lightly fried, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and served with icing. I didn’t get the chance to try them…but I will next time!!!

Also, there is a real coffee shop located just inside of the Market Restaurant in THE BEGINNING.

Services and Model Citizens

LEGOLAND Florida offers all of the things that you would come to expect from a theme park.

Stroller rental is located at the front of the park, $9 for a single and $14 for a double, alongside of the locker rental area, package pick-up, and photo (pictures are taken on rides and by photographers located around the park) area.

The Annual Pass Center is also located inside the park at THE BEGINNING with Lost Parents and Ticket Upgrades.

First Aid is located near The Factory Tour in FUN TOWN, and there is a Pet Kennel located outside of the front gates.

Again, every Model Citizen of LEGOLAND Florida that we encountered was extremely helpful and friendly. This was a gigantic plus, and made things more enjoyable!

My Favorite Part…

I have to say that my absolute favorite part of LEGOLAND Florida was the MINILAND area.

I could seriously stay here all day and take pictures!!! The detail and craftsmanship that went into this area is absolutely mind blowing!!!

I will be doing a post in the near future of all of my favorite pictures, but here are a few to tide you over…

From the Kennedy Space Center

 

Key West

 

Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, DC

 

PIRATES!!!

My Biggest Concern…

The cost of admission, $75 plus tax for ages 13+ and $65 plus tax for ages 3-12/60+, seems a little steep. While it is less than Disney, I feel like it is a little too high once you factor in travel and daily costs of visiting a park that is 45 minutes away.

Also the Annual Passes are a better value if you plan on visiting often, but without a payment plan I have a feeling a lot of people might balk at the purchase price. In Florida, where many of us have several annual passes, we are used to having this option, and hopefully it is one that LEGOLAND Florida will re-visit and offer in the future.

What I’m Hoping…

I really hope that LEGOLAND Florida succeeds and continues to grow! I really enjoyed a lot of our experiences during our day, but I feel like there is still a lot of tweaking that still needs to be done in terms of park operations.

Also I am looking forward to experiencing the upcoming Special Events at LEGOLAND Florida around the holiday Season.

In Conclusion

While I loved a lot of what LEGOLAND Florida had to offer, I find that I am still wanting more from my time there.

Maybe this will come from spending more time there…or maybe having a better idea of what to expect…

Right now, I know that I need more time to think and I want to see what more you are willing to bring to the table before I make my final decision.

 

 

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