Disney's Christmas Carol Train Tour Visits Omaha

Disney's Christmas Carol Train Tour pulled into Omaha to the Durham Museum Friday but it is not too late to see it before it leaves for its next destination. The Christmas Carol Train exhibit will be open Sunday, August 30Th from 9:00AM until 4:00PM. Admission is free.

You might be wondering what this has to do with homeschooling.

Everything!

The exhibit begins at the train which can prompt a discussion on modes of transportation and types of fuel as well as the tour's next stops so you can slide a bit of geography in there as well. The back of the flyer has a map of all the stops and was very interesting.

The first car on the train has the period costumes, portraits of the characters in the Christmas Carol movie, a scale model of Big Ben and artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum in London, England.

The second car has computer screens with touch screen technology that enables the user to pick locations of the movie and concept art to look at in more detail.

The third section details the technology behind the making of the movie. Motion capture methods are explained via television monitors and there is a mannequin wearing a motion capture suit.

In the fourth car visitors can use touch screen computers to morph their face into that of one of the movie's characters. The image is emailed to the visitor at a later date.

The final car has a virtual fireplace and a dining table set with a (unfortunately artificial) Christmas dinner with all the tradition fixings and a lovely snowy London backdrop.

After exiting the train the next part of the exhibit is the 3 D theater that was lined with street lamps and holly. Each visitor is given a sturdy pair of 3 D glasses to wear (but not to keep) for the showing of clips from the A Christmas Carol movie by Disney. While standing in line there is a snow machine to add to the atmosphere. Outside of the theater are quite a few booths of concessions and product marketing from Disney, Amtrak and Hewlett Packard.

A field trip like this is perfect for homeschoolers. It is free and it prompts discussion on great topics such as geography, transportation, history, literature, economics, technology, weather, holidays, traditions and science.

So if you get a chance, see the Disney Christmas Carol Train Tour before it leaves town but even if you miss it the Durham Museum is a wonderful field trip destination all year round and a Home Educator membership is only $40.00 per year.