Fourth Grade is the year that many schools send their students to visit our state capital, and our school is no exception. This year, my name was one of a few pulled out of a hat, so I was lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) enough to tag along and be in charge of a group of four children to tour the capital building and then the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
The weather started out rainy, but spirits were bright! Here are Ben and his best buddies, Ethan and Jake in front of the capital, and then my group of very nice kids, which included Ben, Brandon, Marinna, and Emily.
When we went inside, we started off with a photo shoot on the steps under the rotunda.
Lining up…
A quick smile for the chaperones before the official photographer takes a turn:
Say cheeeeese!
Ben is the shortest boy in the third row from the top. Maria, your daughter is in the top row. Jodi, your son is in the third row from the bottom.
Then they sat down and got a short history lesson from our tour guide. As you can see, they were thrilled.
After that we got to tour the capital building, and it was gorgeous. Our tour guide told us that it was (unofficially) the most ornate capital building in the entire United States! GO PA! In your FACE, North Dakota!
The Senate Room:
The Judicial Room (I can’t remember the official name):
The PA House of Representatives:
After a quick lunch, we headed to the State Museum of Pennsylvania. We were given Scavenger Hunt sheets that we needed to answer as we worked our way through the museum. I handed my camera over to Ben and somehow he set the camera to take two photos per click, one with flash, one without, and he took a photo of EVERY SINGLE EXHIBIT (times two, remember!)
Here are some of his most delightful photos:
And that is 9/188 of his photos! (Bonus points to you for spotting me peeking around one of the exhibits at him!)
When we passed through the Native Pennsylvania American section, the children were shocked that there were some naked butts portrayed. They really couldn’t get over this and giggled and pointed and giggled some more until I maneuvered them out and into Colonial America where all butts were securely covered.
Can you spot the bare butt? No, it’s not the large dude…
It was the tiny dude painted onto the mural behind him. Shocking!
My group also posed with William Penn The Large and Solemn. I wonder why it looks like a tiny man is climbing up his chest. We probably should have read the dang plaque. 
And by then we were museumed out. The kids pulled out the electronics while we waited for all the groups to meet around the base of William Penn The Petrified and Climbable.
Then we boarded the bus where three good buddies squeezed into a seat together…
…for even more electronics. Sheesh. Maybe they were playing something educational, like William Penn: Ginormous Founder of Pennsylvania and his Tiny Climbing Minion of Doom!
The end.
1 comment:
Great pictures; I had no idea the capital building was so beautiful inside! My boys have both been on this field trip and they both report it to be boring; obviously they didn't have a fun parent chaperone like you! I laughed when I read that your guide said the capital blding is unofficially the most ornate; after Max's trip to the capital, he told us that his guide said it was the "third most best capital building in the US." That sounded like such an outlandish Max fact (he is prone to making things up), and we have teased him about it for years. At least now I know that part of his story is rooted in some truth.
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