Join us as we explore Belize with Around the World with Disney Movies. We will explore the culture, food, music and traditions of Belize with crafts and activities. We paired this study with our Peter Pan movie night. You can get all the details to create your own Peter Pan dinner here.
About Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a timeless classic! The stage play (1904) and novel (1911) by J.M. Barrie tells the tale of Peter Pan, a young boy who never grows up and can fly. Some believe the author may have based Peter’s character on his older brother who died in an accident the day before his 14th birthday.
Walt Disney created an animated version of the tale of Peter Pan. The story tells of Peter’s adventures on the mythical island of Neverland where he is the leader of the Lost Boys and interacts with fairies, pirates, mermaids, and Native Americans. In pursuit of his rebellious shadow, Peter flies into the London bedroom of Wendy, John and Michael Darling. Enchanted, the three children accompany Peter and his fairy friend Tinkerbell back to Neverland where children stay perpetually young. When Peter Pan’s enemy, Captain Hook, causes trouble the children begin to miss their old life and return to London to be with their parents.
Where is Neverland?
Neverland is a fictional island, but by studying visual clues in the book and film The Film Theorists believe they have identified an actual location that matches key geographical characteristics — Turneffe Atoll in Belize.
By analyzing visual clues, The Film Theorists discovered that Peter Pan was heading southwest across the ocean, indicating that his destination was somewhere in the Americas. In the movies, Neverland is an island surrounded by lagoons, only three of which can be found in the western hemisphere.
Remember the crocodile scene involving Captain Hook? The crocodile shown is a large saltwater species only found in the Caribbean.
A fascinating piece of evidence that Turneffe Atoll is Neverland is that Captain Hook is based on a real pirate named Blackbeard who used the atoll as a base of operations in the 17th century.
The Turneffe Atoll is part of the Belize Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere. The Turneffe Atoll is the largest atoll in Belize and consists of several lagoons and mangrove forests. It is part of a protected marine reserve which is home to more than 500 species of fish and 65 species of sea turtles, manatees, and dolphins.
Food
There are many factors that make Belize’s food special: availability of fresh seafood, the influence of Mayan, African, and Spanish cultures, and the celebration of indigenous flavors. Belize is bordered by Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean sea and its diverse population results in a variety of delicious foods.
We chose to try some common Belizean dishes for our Peter Pan dinner to experience the flavors and culinary traditions of the country.
Avocado Ceviche
Ceviche is a very popular dish throughout Latin America. Traditionally it uses raw seafood that is cooked without heat using fresh lime juice. We made a delicious vegetarian Avocado Ceviche from Cookie and Kate that uses citrus fruits, avocados, and cilantro. It was delicious served with chips as an appetizer.
Tropical Fruit Salad
We continued our tropical theme by creating a fresh fruit salad of papaya, kiwi, pineapple, blueberries, and strawberries. In honor of “the second star on the right” we cut the pineapple into star shapes with a mini star cookie cutter.
Rice & Beans with Veggie Kabobs
Rice & Beans is the national dish of Belize. It typically includes white long-grained rice and red kidney beans with coconut milk, sage and other spices. Belizean rice & beans is usually served with three other elements: some kind of stewed meat, potato salad or slaw, and fried ripe plantain. For our dinner we opted to try Caribbean vegetable kabobs. The meal was hearty, flavorful and enjoyed by all!
Fun Activities
Our family is in the process of traveling around the world through Disney movies. Peter Pan is our tenth stop! To see our other destinations click here.
Our family enjoys learning about the culture and geography of each destination in our Around the World with Disney Movies series and this was no exception. We are experiential learners and love immersing ourselves through listening, reading, and hands-on activities! Below are some resources that we recommend.
Music
The music of Belize has a mix of Creole, Mestizo, Garìfuna, Mayan and European influences. Enjoy this video of music and images of Belize from Cre8ivmind.
Read about Belizean musical styles and instruments at Belize Hub.
Art
The jaguar is an endangered species worldwide and Belize is the only country that has a jaguar preserve to protect them. Create a jaguar drawing with this tutorial from Art Projects for Kids.
More than half of Belize is made up of rainforest. Enjoy this chalk pastel rainforest animal art lesson from Deep Space Sparkle.
Belize is home to the second largest coral reef system in the world. It stretches continuously from Cancun to Honduras. Create an air dry clay coral reef with this tutorial from Artful Parenting.
Hands-on Activities
Learn about the Amazon rainforest and its animals by making a rainforest habitat diorama with this tutorial from First Palette.
Fry jacks are a popular breakfast or snack dish in Belize. They are light & pillowy and easy to make. Try making them as a family with this recipe from African Bites.
Belize is home to fascinating Mayan ruins. Create a Mayan temple model with sugar cubes using this eHow tutorial.
Belizean Geography, Landmarks & Culture
Did you know that Belize is about the size of New Jersey and is the only English speaking country in Central America? Learn more by watching this Introduction to Belize video from Tomas Gongora.
Go on a Belizean jungle and beach adventure with Travel with Kids. Explore underwater life and Mayan ruins in this Travel with Kids TV video.
In ancient times Belize was the center of Mayan civilization. Explore ancient temples in Belize’s Mayan ruins with National Geographic.
Belize is a favorite place to scuba dive and snorkel because of its long, unbroken barrier reef. Enjoy the incredible underwater life of Belize in Underwater in Belize from Froude Photography.
Did you know that Belize is the only place in the world with a national park set aside just for jaguars to be protected in the wild? The national animal of Belize is the tapir. Enjoy learning about their wildlife with this video from Best Destinations.
Recommended Books
- The Kapok Tree by Lynn Cherry
- The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell and Connie McLennan
- The Magic School Bus Presents the Rainforest by Tom Jackson
- Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World of Wonder by Jason Chin
- The Cat in the Coconut Hat by CJ Gillett
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