Upper Elementary Trip to Washington D.C.
Every other year, the 5th and 6th grade students at Mercy take a trip to Washington D.C. as part of their curriculum. Read below for updates on their recent journey!
Dear Mercy Friends,
We have returned to the hotel after a marvelous day. It all started with the breakfast buffet down in the small kitchenette and patio area.
- At 8:30 we boarded our Lakefront busses which took us to the Lincoln Memorial. From there we walked to the various memorials nearby.
- We then boarded the bus and went over to the National Archives.
- Next stop was the Capitol Visitor's Center. We walked underground to the Library of Congress. (see attached photo).
- We had lunch in the Visitors' Center around 2:00. It is safe to say everyone was quite hungry by this time! I think we all agreed that the food was a true pick me up for the majority.
- We then walked across the hall to the Theater and watched the E Pluribus Unum movie. We were then connected to a Capitol docent who gave us a terrific tour of the Capitol Building.
Wait- there's more.....
- We walked to the front of the Capitol Building and had a group photo.
- The busses picked us up and took us over to the Air and Space Museum. The kids had a full hour there and then play time on the Mall. Chaperones treated the kids to ice cream and icees - this was also a welcome treat, as the temperature here was in the upper 70's. Our bus drivers surprised us with our lunch coolers that had iced water in them - another gracious and well received time!
- We boarded the busses around 6:30 and went to Buca DiBeppo for our dinner. They graced us with salad, fettucine, spaghetti, chicken parmesan, bread and butter and cheesecake to top it all off.
I am being told by some of our chaperones that their fit bits and I-phone step trackers show that we walked upward of 14,000 steps today.....or for those who appreciate a mileage count approximately 5.5 miles!
We had many laughs, two birthdays, and great stories told by Cindy, Howard and the Capitol Building docents.
All in all day two was a great show of engaged learning, great weather, endurance and phenomenal people.
Day 3
We have put in over six miles of walking as we see the wonderful parts of Washington D.C.
After a true life experience of D.C. traffic jams, we started off with a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. We walked from there to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Our next stop was the White House. What a treat! After going through security checks, we entered and enjoyed having access to this amazing place. Many photos of the various rooms were taken and each room was discussed.
We took group photos outside of the White House and then had the buses deliver us to the Holocaust Museum. The children's exhibit, Daniel's Story, was very well done.
At this point, lunch was on the docket. Where better to eat good food than the Department of Agriculture! This definitely recharged us.
We thank the agenda builders of this trip for remarkably having delicious meals at just the right time - as we feel depleted from all that we have taken in mentally, and expended physically, our bodies have needed those meals!
After lunch, we walked 2-3 blocks over to the African American History Museum and had an hour to explore. Our tour guides then walked us over to the American History Museum. The children were able to spend a good hour there enjoying a wide variety of exhibits.
Our last stop today was the Fish Market for dinner in Old Alexandria. We had a bonus half hour at the park by the waterfront. The kids enjoyed tag games, swings, a rainbow sculpture and loads of fresh air.
So.... tomorrow we will be going to Arlington National Cemetery, more Smithsonian Museums, Ford's Theater, Dinner at Union Terminal and the Spring Hill Rec Center.