June 7, 2012
Franklin Middle School Washington, D. C. Trip

Our final day in D.C.:>:)
With all of our bags packed and breakfast completed, we headed toward the bus, to find a different driver named Nate Dog!! Of course, Road Dog was still with us and the kids were excited to have 2 funny and very likable drivers for the day. Ask your child to retell one of the jokes Road Dog told the kids, they were very funny!!

As we approached Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s home, the kids were really impressed with the extent of the property and the grounds. The kids were able to spend quite a bit of time walking the home and the grounds. It was a warm, beautiful day and after our tour, everyone enjoyed a cold drink or an ice cream cone. Some people enjoyed more than one ice cream cone......I will let you figure out who that person was!

After lunch at the Union Station, we were headed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Some students wanted to go to the Smithsonian Art Museum, so I took them over and we were able to see works of art by many well-known artists. The kids really liked getting to see many famous pieces of art and even bought some supplies for school next year.

Finally, we visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian American History Museum. We saw the Hope Diamond, the First Lady Wing, Mammal Exhibition, the Scarecrow’s hat and shoes from the Wizard of Oz, and more. So much to mention and such a great time. A person could spend a month in the museums and still not see everything. Very interesting and I highly recommend visiting these museums.

Our trip is drawing to a close and at the airport, as the kids said goodbye to Road Dog, they were able to get something to eat, relax, and play a few games of cards. We talked of our favorite sites and reminisced about our adventure with the kids.

Our bus ride to Springfield was fine, but it is those last 30 minutes that seem to take forever. Ever feel that way?:>:) Parents were waiting in the parking lot, lots of hugs and goodbyes and by 1:30 a.m., everyone should have been home, snug and secure. Would you like to make a bet Mr. Knoepfle stopped off at the McDonald’s for one last sneaky snack? ::)

Final thoughts:
These ‘learning experiences’ are such ‘life experiences’ for the students. Traveling with friends, learning about new cities, etc. are great opportunities and these kids are very fortunate to be able to do these trips.
The tour guides, Diane and Bill, continued to be complimentary regarding the good behavior and manners of our students. It is so nice to see our students be respectful and kind to each other and also to the strangers in the museums and sites.
Everyone was also very impressed with the knowledge of our kids. Almost every time a question was tossed out to the group, someone could answer it. From dates of events, naming the different flags of the embassies, to the important people in our history, these kids could answer or certainly compete with one another trying to answer the question. It was great to witness!!

Another wonderful opportunity for us to experience and I know these kids will not forget this trip any time soon. I was fortunate to help chaperone and very proud to be a Franklin Falcon!

I hope you enjoyed the blogs! See you next year in New York City!!!
Angela