Our first stop was the Washington Monument.   We did not go up, but did our observing from the outside.  We walked around the base, counting the flags and pondering the significance of the number (50).  We also observed the largest stones were at the base.  Also, the kids learned that when you leaned against the monument and looked up, you couldn’t see the top.

The children were unsuccessful in their attempts to topple the monument.

Soon, we were ready to walk down towards the Reflecting Pool, to get to the Lincoln Memorial.

The girls were very patient in letting me take their picture at every stop.

It was not crowded and the kids had fun running around a bit.

A monumental bunch.

At the top of the steps of the Lincoln, there is an inscription where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood when he gave his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech.

The kids enjoyed sitting there, looking out, thinking about their own dreams (one had a dream for “ice cream”).

Wendy took this picture, looking back towards the Washington Monument.

Inside the Lincoln, we examined the statute and observed that he was seated, unlike other statutes we saw.  We also noted the shape of his hands.  One is shaped like an “A” in sign language, the other like an “L”.

After soaking up the Lincoln, we rode our bus over to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt  memorial.  It is different from the others in that it is a series of open rooms, commemorating his 4 terms as president.  Much of the significance of the details was lost on the kids, but they sure loved the water and rocks.

Our last stop was the Jefferson Memorial.   The path around the edge of the Tidal Basin was closed, due to flooding.

But we were able to take the high road.

At the Jefferson, the kids laid on the ground and looked up, observing the inside of the dome.

We checked out the Jefferson, then caught the bus back to school.

It was a fun, if not exhausting day!