Soarin’ Around the World

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Take off on this virtual hang-gliding tour around the world.  Riders are raised up in the air in front of an 80-foot IMAX dome and experience “spectacular aerial footage, pleasant scents and graceful motion raise the soothing sensation of flight to incredible new heights.”

This attraction is on both coasts in Epcot and California Adventure parks.  You can read more on the Disneyland or Walt Disney World websites.

Homeschooling with Soarin’ Around the World

Scenes on the ride include a flight over the following locations (click links to read a bit and see pictures):

• Switzerland’s Matterhorn
• the Arctic Ocean with a leaping whale
• the Sydney Opera House in Australia
• Germany’s Neuschwanstein castle
• a herd of African elephants
• the Great Wall of China
• Egyptian pyramids
• India’s Taj Mahal
• hot air balloons in Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border
• outrigger boats off Fiji
• the Iguazu waterfalls on the Argentina-Brazil border
• France’s Eiffel Tower

Your family might enjoy a fun game based on Neuschwanstein castle (rumored to be the castle that Walt based Sleeping Beauty Castle on).  It’s called Castles of Mad King Ludwig.  It’s a tile-laying game in which each player is building their own castle, one room at at time.


Use these printable maps to locate each of the featured locations.

Check out this free printable world geography pack.

This Dover history coloring book, Around the World, includes many of the landmarks in the attraction.

You might enjoy this short video on the science of hang gliding.

Since it’s such a quick trip around the world, you might like to watch a ridethrough of the attraction in preparation for your visit (or if you don’t have a trip in the works).  It’s not exactly like being there, but still a fun ride (pun intended).