white house tour prep

touring The White House tomorrow.

wanted to make sure they wrapped their little busy minds around what they were doing.

didn't have a ton of time to plan.

this has all been planned 'on the fly'.

I'm thinkin' that all my plans should be 'on the fly'.

we haven't done too bad!

White House Pop Up Cards:

(found here)

from left to right:

Samantha, Lydia, Sophie, Nora

they free handed the buildings - I demo'd step by step but never touched their papers.

they traced all their drawings with a marker, cut off the excess bottom and detailed the top.

um...I love these!

(I used this coloring page for my example to draw from)

 that sweet model behind Sophie was given to us as a gift a while ago.

I had been saving it for just the right time!

woo hoo!

perfect project!

took us like an hour to put it together (which is forever for us ).

I see it's also on Amazon.

 Nora...our #2 budding stand up comedian.

a little over the girls head but still neat.

and instant.

and perfect for my 'on the fly' plan:

and a book...of course!

my mom sent us this book forever ago, it was cute and helped explain a little:

(this was all done over several days by the way...ha! like we could do all that in one day ;-)

some fun facts:

• There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.
• At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
• Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane.
• With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.
• The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.
• For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.
• George Washington picked the site and helped oversee the building but John Adams was the first president to live there.

and a little 'extra' on the side:

George Washington LOVED dogs.

You may know that.

But did you know any of their names?

Like:

Sweetlips or TrueLove?

and it's 18 acres.

with the pool/tennis courts and putting greens.

Have you been to DC?

Um? Where IS that 18 acres exactly!?

it's freakishly small looking for 18 acres!

more scoop on what it's like to tour tomorrow.

no cameras allowed though :-(

shoot. I can't even bring my purse!