Science Olympiad Visits DC: Day 3 Adventures

Our third day in DC challenged us to be flexible. One of our students sprained his ankle. Dr. Kevin wanted him to stay off of it as much as possible, so we ended up bringing a wheelchair with us today. The Metro construction and repair meant that portions were shut down, so we had to take shuttles at some points.

The first destination today was the White House. Due to heightened security, no one is able to enter the White House for tours. However, we did take some time for some photo ops so that the kids could have a snapshot of their first visit to the executive branch’s home and workplace.

Next up on our itinerary for the day was the National Art Gallery where we saw every imaginable type of art from sculptures to paintings. A vast majority of the group said their favorite piece of art was a piece by Chuck Close. It was done completely by finger-painting, using oil paints and really is quite fantastic.

                                 A painting by Chuck Close entitled "Fanny/fingerpainting."

                                             Imitating some of the sculptures ...

We ate lunch in the National Art Gallery’s café, which enabled everyone to pick and choose their food. We snapped up a couple of tables and enjoyed a leisurely lunch before stopping off in the gift shop and then heading out to our next destination.

Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson kindly arranged for us to have an appointment for a tour of the US Capitol building. We began our tour by watching a brief movie which explained the history behind what goes on inside the Capitol on a daily basis and how it was established when our country was founded. When the movie was finished, we headed up the theatre stairs to meet our tour guide, Mr. Carb. He passed out headphones to everyone in our group so that we could clearly hear him when he was showing us around the Capitol. During our tour we learned that each state chose two statues of important, deceased people to represent their state. These statues are displayed throughout the Capital and can be changed out, but only after ten years’ time. In addition, we learned about Constantino Brumidi and how his artistic talents are represented in murals on the Capitol’s walls as well as on the vaulted or domed ceilings.

                                                      The kids in front of the Capitol.

Due to the increased difficulty of travel thanks to metro repairs we did not have time to make it to the National Gallery this afternoon. Instead we headed back to the hotel where we told the kids about a little surprise we had for them.

As a special treat, we took the kids out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory which is located two floors below our hotel in the mall. They absolutely LOVED it! We ordered endamame and fried zucchini for appetizers so that the kids could try something they had never tasted.  Not all of them liked the appetizers, but they at least took time to sample them and expanded their food pallets in the process. Most of the kids ended up ordering a meal and sharing it with a friend or two so that they could taste multiple dishes. What was so special about our Cheesecake Factory dinner is that it was another first for some of our students who have never previously eaten in a sit-down restaurant.

Ms. Haddon and a couple of students awaiting our dinner to be served at The Cheesecake Factory.

When we wrapped up dinner, the whole crew headed up to the hotel to shower and write in their journals. Taking time to write in their journals is allowing the kids some quiet time to reflect upon what they have seen and learned throughout the course of their DC trip.

A little journaling before we played games …

After the journal writing and showers were completed, everyone gathered in one room and played games. Here are some action shots of our game infused night:

Everyone else is tucked into bed, happy as clams with full stomachs and sweet dreams ahead resting up for our fourth and final day in DC tomorrow. Good night!