Smithsonian – 3rdculturechildren

Learning about Culture and Presidents at the National Museum of American History, Washington DC.

George Washington Statue at National Museum of American History – Washington, D.C.

This is the last post of a series – images and stories from our experiences during the US Home Leave. Before we arrived to our newest work and life adventure, we got to spend some time with family back in the US, sharing our stories and experiences of the past two years living and working in Brazil; do a bit of traveling, spend some great quality time with our kids at parks in Delaware and Virginia… and visit the National Mall in Washington, DC. A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! :All of that will be presented here… one at a time, though! 😮

Sixth stop: The Presidents Hall, at the National Museum of American History, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.

Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Snapshots from Home Leave: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem [National Museum of American History, Washington DC]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Images from an exciting visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, in Washington, DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Snapshots from Home Leave: An afternoon at the Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Google Maps the Smithsonian (androidtravels.com)

Snapshots of The Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Washington DC.

Well, we’re in La Paz, Bolivia, now. But before we arrived to our newest work and life adventure, we got to spend some time with family back in the US, sharing our stories and experiences of the past two years living and working in Brazil; do a bit of traveling, spend some great quality time with our kids at parks in Delaware and Virginia… and visit the National Mall in Washington, DC. A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! :All of that will be presented here… one at a time, though! 😮

Fifth stop: Halls at the Museum of Natural History, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.

Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Images from an exciting visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, in Washington, DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Snapshots from Home Leave: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem [National Museum of American History, Washington DC]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Snapshots from Home Leave: An afternoon at the Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Google Maps the Smithsonian (androidtravels.com)

Snapshots from Home Leave: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem [National Museum of American History, Washington DC].

Third stop: The Star-Spangled Banner Exhibit, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.

unfolding the Flag — Getting ready to unfold the Flag and sing the National Anthem. Curious eyes follow every step of the way. All visitors become part of the interactive visit to the Museum of American History – at 3pm, the performance starts…

singing the Anthem — Our children watched, mesmerized, the visitors below, singing and honoring the National Flag – what a great way to share with them information about the greatest symbol of the country… learning should never stop… a live experience they’ll always hold in their hearts!

Next time, our fourth stop, where we’ll share images and comments of our visits to several halls at the Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian). Children’s curiosity is endless! 😮 We had the pleasure of being joined by a dear friend, whose patience and care for my children are priceless… Thank you very much, Cherise! ♥

Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
On The Star Spangled Banner (flamingdarts.wordpress.com)
Washington DC Holidays (ebookers.com)

Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC.

First stop: The Butterfly Garden, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.

We had the pleasure to visit the $3million butterfly exhibit at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The exhibit “Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution” features a 1,200 square foot tropical butterfly garden with approximately 400 butterflies. In the exhibit’s main hall, visitors learn about the co-evolution of butterflies and plants.

The butterfly garden at the Smithsonian is located on the Ninth Street side of the National Museum of Natural History building.

Four distinct habitats — wetland, meadow, wood’s edge and urban garden — encourage visitors to observe the partnerships between plants and butterflies.

The garden is a joint project of the Horticulture Services Division and the Museum with partial funding from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

The garden, on view at all times, is a perfect complement to a visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo on the second floor of the Museum. [Stay tuned for upcoming posts on other visits to the Smithsonian wonders!] 😮

As a Biologist, mom/teacher and former volunteer at the Natural History Museum (2004), I can say the visit, the explanations, and the teaching/learning combinations are well worthy a day trip with your own children, class students, friends, or simply, a ‘curious soul’… We had the pleasure of being joined by a dear friend, whose patience and care for my children are priceless… Thank you very much, Cherise! ♥