« Let's visit another city, too, Pleeeeeeeez!

Washington, D. C.

Capital of the United States of America

This is the White House. Photo by Nishkid64-Wikimedia Commons The President of the United States lives here. On September 11, 2001, a part of the Pentagon, headquarters of the U. S. Department of Defense, was badly damaged when an airplane flew into it. On that same day, the Twin Towers were completely destroyed in New York City when two airplanes flew into them, and, an airplane crashed into a field south of Pittsburgh in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Many people lost loved ones in these three numbing tragedies, and many were injured.  This was a sad day for the United States of America and for countries all over the world!

Washington, D. C. was named in honor of George Washington who was the first President of the United States. D. C. stands for “District of Columbia.”  Washington, D. C. is not a state. Washington, D. C. is located on the banks of the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. President George Washington chose the location for the Capital himself in 1790, and in 1800, the Capital was moved from Philadelphia. Do you know who is President of the United States today?

What color is your house?  The President of the United States of America lives and works in a white house appropriately called the White House.  The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D. C.
 
Sometimes, you can tour parts of the White House.  The White House has a lot of rooms with many colors, shapes and directions!  There is a Green Room, a Blue Room and a Red Room, and there is also an East Room for example!  The President works in the Oval Office, but it is not on the tour.  After all, we wouldn’t want to bother the President at work!  The White house even has a West Wing and an East Wing.  Does your house have wings?  What color is your room?   If you took people on a tour of your house, what would you show them?

~~~~~
 

Laws are made in the Capitol which is a building ending in -t-o-l-.  Capital, ending in -t-a-l-, refers to the city.  Spelling can sometimes be tricky!  We could see the Capitol on Capitol Hill if you were here in the Capital City with me!
 
Did you know that the Library of Congress is the biggest library in the world?  It includes three large buildings near the Capitol!  I wonder how many books it holds, and how long it would take to read all of them?
 
The Washington Monument, which was built in honor of George Washington, stands tall.  It is 555 feet (169 meters) high which makes it the only structure in the city that is taller than the Capitol dome!  And did you know that original copies of both the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are on display at the National Archives?  I know that you would like to see them!
 
The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center which was built in memory of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who was the 35th president of the United States, presents music of all kinds, dance, opera and drama.  Should we get some tickets?
 
If you were here, we could visit all of the above places and more!  We still haven’t seen the Lincoln Memorial with its large statue of Abraham Lincoln.  You can look here in the meantime for an interactive experience online!

We haven’t seen the circular Jefferson Memorial or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial yet either.  And, there is a zoo in Washington, D. C., the National Zoo!   Would you like to go?  The National Gallery of Art, (Take a look at their children’s site.) the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Air and Space Museum are just a few more of the places that we shouldn’t miss!  AND, in early spring the National Cherry Blossom Festival is spectacular!  In the spring of 2012, a centennial celebration was held.  The cherry trees were a gift from the city of Tokyo, Japan, and over the years their beauty has been enjoyed by a lot of visitors!

 

 

The Mall
Photo by “Ad Meskens”
Wikimedia Commons

 
 

Did I mention the Mall?  No, it is not a shopping mall.  It is a wide grassy space that extends from the Capitol to the Washington Monument!  It is quite long!  We could see ourselves in the Reflecting Pool if you were here, see our “reflections” that is!  I wish you were here! Love, Oma

~~~

Help SOMEONE you know learn about this famous place!
Click on the gamecard postcard below to place your order,
and Heckery Dekkery Dot will send it on its way to help YOU get the travel game underway!


It's  FUN!  And, it's EDUCATIONAL, too!

Who will win?

Everyone wins when children learn more about the world around them!


~~~

Thank You:
http://www.britannica.com
http://kids.britannica.com
Britannica and Britannica Online for Kids are excellent resources for information.
 
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com

A special thank you goes to my daughters Alicia and Janella for their valuable input and to my husband Barthold, to Eveline, and to the Damen der Englisch-Gruppe in Marburg for their help with the German translations. ~~~ All photos on this site were taken by me on my travels unless otherwise indicated. ~~~   Please ask a parent or another grownup to travel with you whenever you visit on-line sites. It’s much more fun than traveling alone!