Monday, March 10, 2008

Wannado City!

(I'm having trouble with uploading pictures today. It won't let me load more than one at a time, so my blog is actually backwards. Bear with me!)

I took Becca and Eli along with a group of other home schoolers to Wannado City. We have been wanting to go for a long time, and a group rate made it very affordable. So, off we went! At Wannado, kids do what they wanna do. Actually, they go to work. There are several dozen job opportunities. I think we made it through half of them. Each job pays 20-40 wanna bucks. These dollars can be spent at places like the Cookery, where they get to make and eat a cookie, Wonka Factory, where they make a gross (in my opinion) candy bar, rock climbing, little fair rides, etc.

This boat is outside as you are walking up to the front entrance. It is attached to the wall.


Like I said, this blog is backwards. Becca and Eli are counting their money at the end of the day. You can keep the cash, or put it on a debit card and bring it back anytime to use it in the future. Their idea was to work and give the money to their little brothers for the rides since they are geared for younger kids.



This is the cookery where they made a cookie with icing. Eli made one for me. Yum!


Outside the salt mine. Since the parents can't go in with the kids at most of these places, I don't know what it looks like inside. The kids dug through dirt to find "salt".


Wonka Factory. They were given a perfectly good chocolate candy bar and "ruined" it by spreading sugary goo on it and "gluing" more candy on top.


One of the streets where the fire truck and ambulance made their rounds.


Becca and Eli after putting the fire out at the fireworks factory.


Smoke, er mist, at the fire.


On the back of the fire truck.


Inside the fire station waiting their turn.


This was in the emergency room. Becca is learning how to give an x-ray.


Waiting in the hall in the hospital. They are checking out their articles they wrote for the Miami Herald.


Their favorite place was the rock climbing wall. They went twice even though it cost them $60 wanna bucks apiece.


Becca, getting ready to ring the bell at the top.


Suited up and ready to climb.


Another shot of the street.


Here they are inside the Dentist office. The kid on the reclined chair is a dummy. They got to clean her teeth and use the drill, too.


Inside the Miami Herald office, typing up their story about the bank robbery.


Waiting to interview the officer about the robbery. They were given a pencil, pad and a list of questions to ask her and a press badge to wear around their necks. Then they went back to the office, typed in their ID and password on the computer and submitted their story.


The first place they went to work was Publix. It cracked me up to watch them, because it seemed so childish. We always use the self check out at Super Walmart and the kids know how to do it, too. So to them, this checkout at Publix was a little silly. But they did have to return items to the shelves and straighten out cans and boxes, so that gave them a little perspective on other jobs withing a supermarket.


Wannado City was a little different than I expected. If you are planning on going, don't wait until your kids are too old to appreciate it. It took Eli and Becca a little bit to get into it and enjoy themselves. I think the perfect age would be around 8. 13 would be on the outside age. Everything is kid sized. All the counters and chairs...you name it! All scaled for kids. I even noticed that the adults that work there are mostly on the small side, too. I think that helps the kids feel bigger. We will definitely have to go again!

5 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

I've never heard of it - where is it? Looks like a really neat place.

Allana Martian said...

It's connected to the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall in Ft. Lauderdale.

Sarah said...

This sounds like such a fun learning experience. Great pictures :)

~Sarah

loree2000 said...

Looks like they had a blast. My cousin has taken her kids there.

Anonymous said...

we went to visit my big sister
as she is being an au pair in fort lauderdale as she has taken the kids to wannado city (the kids she is an au pair for) she decided to take me
it was great i had the time of my life looks like ur children did too!!