“A day of traveling will bring a basketful of learning.”
~ Vietnamese Proverb
The weekly updates have shared a few peeks at the recent trip to Washington, D.C., but today we want to share more photos from this memorable American History expedition!
As you can imagine, this week of travel brought many baskets full of learning! It was truly a culmination of everything we have studied this year in American History. Not only did the group spend time in Washington D.C. exploring museums, memorials, and monuments, touring the White House, viewing our nation’s historical founding documents, and more, they also spent part of the week visiting Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, Mount Vernon, and Gettysburg.
We are enormously grateful to Cindy Hilton, of Simply Culture Boutique Travel (and a SLOCA parent), for organizing this unforgettable trip for our group! Here is a sampling of photos from the many highlights of this amazing journey to the US Capital and beyond (click on collages to enlarge slightly):
Above: Stopping at the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia, the group saw re-creations of the ships that sailed from England, a Powhatan Indian village, and the colonists' fort.
Above: In Colonial Williamsburg, we stepped back in time to learn about all the trades and jobs in this colonial town during the 1770s. The group photo above was taken outside the Capitol building in town, where the House of Burgesses met, and court was held. Students enjoyed 6 hours of guided tour time, observing, and sometimes participating in the different trades. We saw the wigmaker, blacksmith, brickmaker, farmer, printer, gunsmith, carpenter, jailer, apothecary, and were part of a regiment, just to name a few! There were many other highlights in Williamsburg, not pictured here.
Mysterious hashtag left on a cafe's chalkboard wall outside of Colonial Williamsburg…
Above: Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, was breathtaking. While we weren't allowed to take photos inside, we did try to capture the outside and some of the beautiful grounds. The top left photo is the back of the house, and the top right photo is the front. A group of older students is pictured in the middle, sitting on the back steps. You can read what is inscribed on Thomas Jefferson's gravestone here on the middle left (nothing about being the President!), and the middle right shows a row of beans planted from seeds that can be traced back to those originally brought to Jefferson by Lewis and Clark! There's a pond shown on the bottom left, in which Jefferson kept fresh fish until he was ready to eat them (and which reflects the house quite nicely), and on the right a view of part of his extensive gardens, where food is still grown today and seeds are collected each season in order to preserve the Jefferson varieties.
Above: An evening walking tour of the D.C. Monuments was definitely a highlight of this trip!
Above: After spending a little time in the Gettysburg museum and Cyclorama (look it up!), the remainder of the day in Gettysburg was filled with rich historical detail provided by a very fun tour guide, as we drove around and got out at the different locations where the three days of this battle were fought. The kids lined up to march a reenactment of Pickett's Charge, and we stood on Little Big Top and took in the view (they had recently done a controlled burn there, which only enhanced the feeling that this was a gruesome spot). We were also surprised by the innumerable monuments and memorials scattered all around the countryside in this area.
Just for fun, here’s a video of the kids reenacting Pickett’s Charge in the battle of Gettysburg (in slow motion!):
Above: One morning was spent at Arlington National Cemetery, where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and 4 of our SLOCA kids got to be a part of the Wreath Laying Ceremony there. It was a powerful experience. In the center is John F. Kennedy's gravesite, and the middle right is the home of Robert E. Lee. The bottom right photo is the amphitheater at the cemetery.
Above: The group spent an afternoon at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. They toured his house and grounds, enjoyed the picturesque setting right on the Potomac River, saw a tree he himself had planted, and the tomb where George and Martha Washington are buried.
A smaller group who still had energy left after a very full day headed out one evening to take the Metro into downtown Washington, D.C., see the White House at night, and visit the Washington Monument up close. The kids just had to touch it with their own hands, and then lie down and contemplate it (and take photos of it!)
This group was very fortunate to be able to take an inside tour of the White House! It was self-guided, but Secret Service agents were posted in each room to answer questions.
Above: The top left photo is a Gutenberg Bible at the Library of Congress, which is a magnificent building – a small part of it is pictured in the middle left. The Library of Congress also housed Thomas Jefferson's library of books, shown in the bottom two photos. The top right photo is at the National Museum of American History, where we saw the original and awe-inspiring Star Spangled Banner flag, though we were not allowed to photograph it. The capitol building is shown in the middle, many other amazing places that we visited are not shown. On the last day we had free time and most families visited different museums or attractions. (Calvin and I found a fun sculpture on the roof of the National Gallery of Art – a giant blue rooster! It's called “Hahn/Cock” by German artist Katharina Fritsch.)
To celebrate a fantastic week, on the last night of the trip we enjoyed a dinner/dance cruise on the Potomac River. We ate while cruising along at sunset, viewed the monuments next to the water at night, and danced on the top level of the boat. The views were stunning, the weather was warm, and a good time was had by all!
Those of you who are going on the D.C. trip this summer, get ready for a spectacular adventure! Thanks again to Cindy for being our extraordinary leader and organizer!
