How much can you fit into one day?

Answer: A lot!

After around 14 hours of touring today, we are finally back at the hotel and settled in to get some rest. I will try and remember everything that we did and saw today.

I never get tired of visiting Arlington National Cemetery. I can think of nothing more moving for young Americans to experience. I hope that they were each able to grasp the magnitude of the sacrifice surrounding them. We attended the changing of the guard ceremony, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony with three of our kids - Jasmine Asker, David Arnold, and Luke Sembler - and Mr. Burgess representing Swift Creek Middle School. They did a wonderful job.

Leaving Arlington, we headed into DC for the first time. After a quick group picture in front of the Capitol, we headed inside to take a look. The kids had a little time to spend in the gift shop before our guided tour through one of the greatest buildings in the world. We then had lunch in the Capitol cafeteria. After lunch, we took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress for a quick look around. It was then off to a photo stop at the White House.

Just as Lincoln did so many years ago, we left the White House and headed over to Ford's Theater. The kids were treated to a detailed explanation of the events that led to our 16th president's assassination. It's funny how much better that story plays at the very spot that it occurred then what I can do in my classroom. There's nothing like experiencing history up close and personal.

It was then off to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. You never know how a group of 7th grade students will react to something like this. We chose to keep the kids in their small chaperone-led groups (thanks Mrs. Bigelow for that suggestion) for this stop and that forced them to spend a little more time taking it all in. I think that most of them got the point of this powerful museum.

What's more interesting than one group of kids at the Great American Buffet? Three groups of kids there at the same time. Let's just say that everyone ate well.

Dinner was followed by stops at three memorials: Jefferson, Iwo Jima (Marine Corp), and Air Force. All three are great after sunset, and offer amazing nighttime views of the District.

Whew! That is a lot to cover in one day and one blog post. We have another long day scheduled tomorrow, beginning with Mount Vernon in the morning. I'll again put up as much as I can on Facebook throughout the day. Now for some pictures and video.