Fun things to do counting down to your trip?

[AmandaChan]

What are some fun things that you do with your family leading up to your trip, sort of like a countdown?

[Dream'nDisney]

When the kids were younger, they made a paper chain countdown clock. Each day, they took turns tearing off one of the loops of the chain.

[sara114]

When the kids were young, did the calendar thing with disney stickers on each day before going to bed.

As they got older, I had a "chore" list that they could earn their spending money. This might have included packing suitcase, gathering all usual items, etc. Also was things like cleaning room. Somehow it is easier to do chores for spending money.

[NJGIRL]

When the kids were younger, they made a paper chain countdown clock. Each day, they took turns tearing off one of the loops of the chain.

That is a great idea!

[E-OR]

We got this years new Disney DVD and watch it often. I have the Unofficial Guide to WDW and am reading every chance I get, go on the WDW boards to read and learn new things, and I also got a box that we put things in to it that we want to take on our trip.

[Disney-4-Me]

We always had a countdown on the calendar for the last month.

I also involved my sons in preparation like designing envelopes for Mousekeeping and filling them with the tips, one for each day of our trip.

As they got older I had them make their own packing list too.

[kcrc]

We, too, have done the paper chain countdown. We printed out a large scale map of Disneyworld. Then, each link of the chain contained the name of a ride, show, or restaurant we would be doing while on our trip. My 2 kids very nicely alternated removing a link from the chain each day, and then taping the paper to the correct place on the map where the ride/show/restaurant was located.

Today, we are actually starting a new 50 day countdown for our upcoming trip. What I did this time, since my kids are a couple years older (13 and 8), is give them a little more trivia-like questions for them to figure out together. Some of the things are pictures of locations within the World, that they have to identify. On some days I ask them to scour maps of each park and find something new to try this trip. I also have some trivia-like questions, such as "Tell me one thing Madame Leota says" or "Who receives a page on the TTA?" or "What is the highest ranking you can receive on Buzz Lightyear?" Some of the days I will put a "hidden Mickey" in our house that they must find. Other days, we're going to try out recipes for some of our favorite Disney foods.

If anyone is interested in the things I threw together, just PM me and I will be happy to share!

Sometimes, I'm not sure if I do the countdowns for the kids or for myself!!!!

[EpcotChic23]

This year I am sending out an e-mail with facts about Walt Disney World. This is the last week of it we are leaving Sat!!