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From the Lincoln Memorial to the numerous memorials paying respects to our fallen heros, Washington DC offers children the opportunity to gain an appreciation of the history subjects they've heard and read about in school.
Take Arlington National Cemetery. A visit to Washington DC is not complete unless it includes this somber destination. No, it’s not fun or exciting, but it is absolutely thought provoking. It is located on a high hill, overlooking the Potomac River, right across from Washington, DC, and it is easily accessible by foot from the Lincoln Memorial, merely walk across the Memorial Bridge. The extensive grounds are immaculately maintained, they must have at least a hundred landscapers and grounds keepers to keep the cemetery pristine. The first stop is the Visitor’s Center, near the entrance, where you can get guidebooks and maps.
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More Memorials and Monuments... The Washington Monument rises tall and brilliant, its whiteness emphasized by the green grass and colorful flags that surround it. It stands at the heart of Washington, D.C., near the center of a cross formed by four of America‘s most famous buildings: the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the Jefferson Memorial...
Jefferson Memorial. Thomas Jefferson-political philosopher, architect, musician, book collector, scientist, horticulturist, diplomat, inventor, and third President of the United States-looms large in any discussion of what Americans are as a people. Jefferson left to the future not only ideas but also a great body of practical achievements...
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Monument. Located along the famous Cherry Tree Walk on the Western edge of the Tidal Basin near the National Mall, this is a memorial not only to FDR, but also to the era he represents. The memorial traces twelve years of American History through a sequence of four outdoor rooms-each one devoted to one of FDR‘s terms of office...
The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865). The Lincoln Memorial was built to resemble a Greek temple. It has 36 Doric columns, one for each state at the time of Lincoln’s death. A sculpture by Daniel Chester French of a seated Lincoln is in the center of the memorial chamber. Inscribed on the south wall of the monument is the Gettysburg Address...
Korean War Memorial. From 1950 to 1953, the United States joined with United Nations forces in Korea to take a stand against what was deemed a threat to democratic nations worldwide. At war‘s end, a million and a half American veterans returned to a peacetime world of families, homes, and jobs - and to a country long reluctant to view the Korean War as something to memorialize. But to the men and women who served, the Korean War could never be a forgotten war...
The World War II Memorial is the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during the Second World War. The memorial, established by the American Battle Monuments Commission, honors all military veterans of the war, the citizens on the home front, the nation at large, and the high moral purpose and idealism that motivated the nation‘s call to arms.
The Second World War is the only 20th-century event commemorated on the Mall‘s central axis. The memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world...
A trip to Washington, D.C. is an opportunity to show your children where their country came from in tangible lessons. Everywhere they turn, they will be aware of the pulse of Americana. If you are going to go on vacation, why not sneak in some education while you’re at it? They will be having so much fun they won’t even notice.
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