Welcome to I Heart WDW. I’m so glad you found your way here.
This site is for families who love Disney, but who also want their vacation to feel like more than a checklist of rides, restaurants, reservations, and “don’t forget the sunscreen” reminders.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good plan. I love a packing list. I love knowing where the snacks are, what time we need to leave the room, and whether everyone has the shoes they can actually walk in.
But I also believe Disney can be something more.
It can be a family memory. It can be a conversation starter. It can be a way to notice the world a little more closely. It can be a reason to read a book, study an animal, try a new food, talk about a country, or ask one of those wonderful questions that sends everybody down a rabbit trail.
That is the heart behind I Heart WDW.
This is where Disney planning meets family learning, practical printables, and memory-making.
Hi, I’m Penny
I’m Penny Cooper, and Disney has been woven into my family’s story for a long time.
I homeschooled my son from kindergarten through high school, and one thing I learned pretty quickly is that education does not only happen at the kitchen table.
For us, learning was part of the way we lived. It happened at home, at the grocery store, in the garden, at church, on trips, in conversations, and yes, at Walt Disney World.
We lived in New Jersey, so our Disney trips were special. They were vacation. They were family time. They were something we looked forward to and planned for.
But because learning was already part of our family rhythm, it naturally came with us.
That did not mean I was handing out worksheets in the middle of Main Street. Goodness, nobody needs that.
It meant we noticed things. We asked questions. We followed curiosity. We let Disney become one more place where learning and memory-making could sit right next to each other.
My son was also involved in Scouting from Tiger all the way through Eagle Scout, so family adventure, character, service, leadership, and practical life skills were a big part of our life too.
Today, I also own Embrace The Magic Travel, a family-focused, Disney-forward travel agency. So I come to Disney planning from several angles: mom, homeschooler, Scout parent, planner, printable creator, family memory-keeper, and travel advisor.
That mix is what makes I Heart WDW a little different.
Why Disney Became Part of Our Learning
One of my favorite Disney learning memories happened on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Haunted Mansion.
My son learned how Imagineers created some of the ghostly effects, including the ballroom scene. What fascinated me was that it was not just “Disney magic” in some mysterious, untouchable way. It was old-school stagecraft, illusion, reflection, lighting, and clever design.
The same kinds of ideas magicians had used for years could create something that still made people stop and wonder.
And in an age where everything feels like computers, screens, and now AI, there was something wonderful about realizing that awe can still come from simple materials used in a brilliant way. With the right setup, a child could understand it. He could even try to recreate a version of it at home.
That is the kind of learning I love.
Not forced. Not formal. Not turning vacation into school.
Just curiosity meeting experience.
We did other tours too, like Behind the Seeds at Living with the Land. Those experiences helped us go beyond the typical vacation and see Disney as a place full of design, science, storytelling, agriculture, history, culture, and problem-solving.
That is part of why I created this site. I wanted to help other families see those possibilities too.
Disney, Scouting, and Family Adventure
Scouting was another place where Disney became a natural extension of how our family already lived.
When my son was in Cub Scouts, we would look at the requirements and electives for his level, whether he was a Tiger, Wolf, Bear, or Webelos, and notice how many of the family activities could happen almost anywhere.
Some families might take a walk around the neighborhood and look at trees, flowers, rocks, or animals. We could do that at Disney.
We could walk through a resort and talk about how the landscaping matched the theme. We could compare plants we saw in Florida with what we had back home in New Jersey. We could notice how a resort used color, architecture, music, and nature to make you feel like you had stepped into a different place.
It was still a family vacation. It was still fun. But it was also observation, comparison, nature study, design, conversation, and sometimes even a completed Cub Scout requirement.
I was originally inspired by another site, years ago, that shared ideas for earning Cub Scout electives and requirements during a Disney trip. That site is no longer around, but the idea stayed with me.
Over time, I started incorporating those ideas into our own trips, and now I want to pass that along to other families.
Because the real point was never to make Disney “count” for something.
The point was that scouting, homeschooling, family travel, and everyday learning were already part of our life. Disney simply gave us another beautiful place to live that out together.
What You’ll Find Here
I Heart WDW is built around a simple idea:
Disney can help families plan well, learn naturally, and make memories that last.
You can use this site in a few different ways, depending on what your family needs right now.
Plan Your Disney Trip
If you are planning a Walt Disney World vacation, this section is for the practical pieces.
You’ll find help with Disney planning timelines, packing lists, park day organization, resort and dining thoughts, paper planning binders, printable planning pages, family travel tips, and deciding whether to DIY your trip or get planning help.
I love technology, but I still believe there is a place for paper planning.
Sometimes you need one spot to compare dates, flights, resorts, budgets, dining ideas, outfits, stroller details, and all those little notes that keep floating around in your head.
That is where the planning tools and printables come in.
Add Learning to the Magic
If you are a homeschool family, an afterschool family, or simply a parent who loves weaving learning into real life, you’ll feel right at home here.
Disney is full of learning opportunities when you know how to look for them.
You’ll find ideas for Epcot and World Showcase learning, geography and map skills, Animal Kingdom science and conservation, Disney movie mini unit studies, culture, food, music, storytelling, and simple ways to make learning feel natural instead of forced.
The goal is not to turn your vacation into a school assignment.
The goal is to help your children notice more, wonder more, remember more, and connect what they are seeing to the wider world.
Explore Scouting-Style Family Adventures
I Heart WDW also includes Disney-inspired scouting and family adventure ideas.
Because scouting requirements change over time, you should always check current official Scouting America resources if you are trying to complete a specific requirement.
But even when requirements change, the heart of those activities still matters: character, leadership, service, nature, safety, teamwork, family adventure, and trying something new.
This part of the site is here to help families use Disney as inspiration for meaningful activities, conversations, and experiences.
Shop Printables and Planning Tools
Many of the ideas on I Heart WDW connect naturally to printables.
Some are for trip planning. Some are for homeschool-style learning. Some are for movie nights, countdowns, activities, or family memory-making.
The goal is to make things easier, prettier, and more organized without turning your family life into one more complicated project.
You can use the free resources, browse the shop, or pair a blog post with a printable when you want something ready to use.
Work With Penny
Some families love planning every Disney detail themselves.
Other families want help sorting through all the options, making decisions, and building a trip that actually fits their family.
If you want Disney planning help, you can work with me through Embrace The Magic Travel. My planning style is family-focused, thoughtful, and practical. I help families think through the trip they actually want, not just the trip everyone online says they have to take.
That might mean Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Universal Orlando, or another family vacation that fits your season of life.
Where Should You Start?
If you’re new here, choose the path that sounds most like you.
| If you want to… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Plan a Disney vacation | Plan Your Disney Trip |
| Add learning before or during your trip | Disney Homeschool |
| Find family adventure or scouting-style ideas | Scouting & Family Adventures |
| Get organized with paper planning tools | Printables |
| Get help planning your vacation | Work With Penny |
You do not have to use everything here.
Just pick the path that helps your family right now.
My Hope for This Site
My hope is that I Heart WDW helps you slow down just enough to make your Disney experience more meaningful.
Not perfect.
Not overplanned.
Not packed so full that everyone is worn out by lunchtime.
Just thoughtful.
A Disney trip can be magical because of the rides and fireworks, of course. But the memories that last are often smaller and sweeter than that.
A conversation you did not expect.
A question your child asks in line.
A detail you notice because you were not rushing quite so much.
A family joke that gets repeated for years.
A moment when learning and wonder show up in the middle of vacation.
That is the kind of magic I want to help families find.
So take a look around. Start with the section that fits your family best. And if you need help turning all the ideas into an actual plan, I’d be glad to help.
Welcome to I Heart WDW. Let’s plan, learn, and make some memories.
