8th Grade Field Trip to Washington DC (cost, decide, son)
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DC is something everyone should experience at least once.. I lived in Fairfax and Manassas, VA.. So, 'school trips' to DC were the norm.. But, we didn't go for the monuments because most everyone had already done that, being 15 miles from DC.. 8th grade, we had a trip to the Washington Post for my journalism class.. 9th grade for my Stagecraft class, we went to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to see a play.
Even here in SC.. It's common for high schools to do a DC trip. The electrical Co-ops even stage a trip for high school seniors throughout the state. In addition to the Honor Flights, which are day trips for WWII vets(Yeah, they're a bit out of the demographic we're talking about, but..)
The problem I have is that with a class trip, you simply cannot see all that needs to be seen there, at least not devoting the time that's needed.
Air and Space is now TWO museums.. The one on the mall which has the moon rock, Apollo 11 command module, Spirit of St Louis, etc.. That's 4 hours MINIMUM.. Then you have the Annex(Udvar-Hazy) out at Dulles, which has the Shuttle Discovery, a Concorde, SR-71 Blackbird, and so much more.. That's easily another 4 hours.
American History museum.. Again, let's just say for every Smithsonian you need 4 hours minimum.. Archie Bunker's chair, Dorothy's slippers.. The Francis Scott Key Star Spangled Banner.. Bad news for those of you who went long ago.. They've removed the pendulum. Julia Child's kitchen is there..
Natural History museum.. The dinosaur and gemology displays will be a massive hit to middle schoolers.
Washington Monument is closed for the foreseeable future from the earthquake damage.. I know they're talking about it being opened up again this summer, but.. No guarantees. though, you can still see it, you just can't go to the top and see all the "State Blocks" from the elevator. Lincoln memorial and reflecting pool.. Jefferson memorial really needs to be seen, but it's difficult to get to and often overlooked. Iwo Jima memorial (Technically the Marine Corps Memorial). Arlington Cemetary has JFK's gravesite and the eternal flame, changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington House and if you get lucky enough to be there around Veterans Day, memorial day or 4th of July.. They put out flags on EVERY grave there.. Completely amazing.
Mount Vernon I think is must-see, but it's 'so far' outside DC that it's often skipped.
The National Zoo.. Incredible.. Probably your only chance, unless you're from or go to San Diego to see Pandas and if you're lucky, you'll see when they allow the 'O Line' operation. They allow the oragutans to cross about 100 feet overhead between enclosures.. . And all this (perhaps not Mt Vernon) is free. It costs nothing to go to any Smithsonian museum, and the Zoo is a Smithsonian Museum.
All this.. And we haven't even talked about touring the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.. FBI doesn't do tours anymore.. There's the Newseum, Ford's Theater, the Capitol.. So much more.
Then there's Ben's Chili Bowl.. I've never understood that one. They call it a 'landmark' tho.
They have, perhaps, the best public transportation system in the US. The subway is clean and safe.. You WILL be cited for eating anything on the subway. Trains run out to the far suburbs (Not subway, but commuter trains)
Not only should you let him go.. You should then plan a second trip with the whole family and spend a week there. Then do it again the next year where you do the DC thing to revisit the things you really liked, pick up the things you couldn't get the first week, then do a trip south through VA for Monticello, Luray Caverns and the like.
As you can probably tell.. I'm a big fan of DC.. If not the politics and crap there.
You wouldn't want to LIVE there though.. Ever.. lol. The cost of living in the area is insane and the traffic will make a nun scream "Goddammit!".. And avoid elevators if at all possible. How to politely put this.. There are a large number of visitors from all over the world.. Some of which come from places where attention to personal hygiene and use of hygiene products is not as common as it is in the US..
Oh man, I want to see ALL of that! I've been wanting to go my whole life. Luckily, being in St Louis instead of the West Coast, it should be easier now. We wanted to go for our 10th anniversary, but our youngest was too little to appreciate it at the time. I told him to consider this a scouting trip for the family.
I really don't think I have the temperment to marshall all those kids. Besides, there are a lot of SAHMs in our area. Usually we get too many chaperones on field trips.
I'm from California and know multiple schools that do this. It is pretty common. It wasn't a "field trip" like everyone gets on a bus and goes. It was an optional, first week of summer thing. I went to DC. Some do DC and NY. I have a family member who chaperones every year.
When I taught in Connecticut I helped to chaperone the 8th grade trip to DC. We usually took over 200 students each year. We had a great time, the students were supervised really well, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
In the hotel at night, the students were in single sex rooms, 4 to each room. We did a head check before locking them in for the night, there were guards in the hallways making sure no one left their rooms. After every museum and activity we did a head check, etc... Plus, each child had the cell phone number of all the teachers on their person.
The only issues we really had were: students violating the no laser pointer rule (law in DC) and students getting caught for shoplifting.
Oh man, I want to see ALL of that! I've been wanting to go my whole life. Luckily, being in St Louis instead of the West Coast, it should be easier now. We wanted to go for our 10th anniversary, but our youngest was too little to appreciate it at the time. I told him to consider this a scouting trip for the family.
I didn't know schools around here did a DC trip. When I was in 8th grade all we did was go to Jefferson City to tour the capital building and the state penitentiary. It was a fun trip, but definitely doesn't compare to going to DC.
It's a pretty standard trip for 8th graders living in NJ - there was a lots they could see and do and they enjoyed it to the hilt. Not sure how it worked w/ the chaperones or other details but it was definitely an educational fun trip highlight to be remembered (and fortunately not very expensive as they took buses). Wouldnt mind going again myself some day, it's changed a lot since I went many yrs ago.
The thing is.. I re-read my post before, and just thinking of some of the things I missed.. Vietnam Vets Memorial, the new WWII Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the National Archives, Supreme Court, walking by the White House.. Just a few miles outside of DC, you've got the Manassas (Bull Run) Battlefield..
All told.. I'd certainly encourage that ANY time you, or your kids, have the opportunity to visit DC.. Do it. 8th Grade is a great time to do it as well, because if I recall, that's when you have American History.. At least, I did.. And to learn about it and then see it.. Makes it more 'real' somehow. Plus, in a few years, they'll have the US Government classes..
And there's things that you just don't tend to know unless you've been.. Seeing that the Washington Monument is two different colors.. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, where MLK delivered the "I have a dream" speech. Being able to touch a rock that was brought back from the moon. Walking through Union Station, where many presidents traveled from. Being in the theater and seeing the presidential box where Booth shot Lincoln.. All these tactile things that bring it home so much more so than reading it in a book.
The downside.. They might run into a politician. Or decide to become one.
My relatives took their two young teenagers to D.C. for the first time last spring, and told the kids they could earn extra $$$ ahead of time by writing two-page reports on anything associated with Washington: a person, place, or thing.
Their older teen earned around $50 (at two or three dollars per report), while the younger teen raised close to $75! While this was their spending money for the trip, you could try the same tactic for actual travel expenses.
Of course, the real pay-off is that the report-researcher necessarily learns far more about the person, place, or thing they select, so that when they actually get to Washington, the experience will be much more meaningful and "real". It's a slightly sneaky - and very effective - way to encourage the good habit of research and resulting self-education.
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