We went to the observatory once years ago for a tour they did for their anniversary I think. It was pretty neat to see. Although, be aware that it's at a very high elevation and I believe you aren't supposed to take kids under 14 (not totally sure of the exact age) up there. Our adult friend that went with us ended up getting sick from the altitude. Like I said, it's been a while, but I believe they have hot chocolate up there and set up the telescopes for people to look at different things. The people working there were very knowledgeable and able to answer questions. People I have talked to who have gone recently have really enjoyed it. Sorry I can't be more help on that one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh and I wanted to add that Captain Cook monument on the Kona side has AMAZING snorkeling. We like to rent kayaks and paddle out there (cheaper than taking a boat). We often see dolphins jumping as we paddle out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi! I have lived on the Big Island for the past 15 years [emoji4] If you want to stay in a condo I recommend looking on VRBO although many have a minimum stay. If you end up in a hotel, the only ones with real beach access are the Hapuna Prince or Mauna Kea Resort. They on the Kona side, but not in Kona. They are pretty expensive, but they are right on the beach. Even if you don't stay there you should definitely make it to either Hapuna Beach or Mauna Kea beach. You need a beach pass to get into Mauna Kea because they limit the number of cars that can park there, so go early or on a weekday for a better shot at getting a pass. For theHilo side, descent hotel options are limited. If you can find a house or condo rental on VRBO for 3 days I recommend that. If not the Hilo Naniloa is descent and it's right near Coconut Island, which has a small (and I mean really small) sandy area where you can go in the water. Much of the Hilo side is lava rock on the shoreline. I recommend driving to "4 mile" beach in Hilo. There are ALWAYS sea turtles there to see. Also, if you like hiking consider making the track out to Green Sand beach on the south side of the island. It's a full day adventure, but it's really cool to see. The volcano is amazing to see right now. So I would definitely go spend a full day at the volcano park. There is tons of her king there. Go to the visitors center first and you can ask about the best place to see the current flow and get hiking maps. Feel free to ask me if you have any other questions. Tamara Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you the heads up!

I have a date with google maps tonight. Got my friend's address and am looking forward to familiarizing myself with the area. The apartment we are in is in Falls Church....so I gotta look at the maps but I see some city driving in my future? LOL

Thank you so much for the books recommendations!

We are actually staying at a friend's apartment. They won't be there but offered to let us stay at their place to save money on hotel 😠I am not super familiar with the area, but she told me they are about a 10 minute drive from the White House, so I guess right in the middle of the city? I am assuming it will be easy to get to a metro stop from there. I know my kids would love the science center or children's discover museum type places too.

Thanks avian to everyone one who has responded. I am keeping a running list and starting to look things up on line and try to par it down, lol. So many fun possibilities! We will have a car, but yeah, our plan is to avoid driving if possible since we are NOT used to city driving at all. Our major highway on our island is one lane in each direction, lol. I am hoping we can get most places using public transportation. We are thinking of trying to go too a DC United soccer game. My son is REALLY into soccer so it would be a cool opportunity for him to see a professional game. Again, no access to that sort of thing where we live. Anyone ever done that? Thanks again, all this advice is awesome! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Making a huge list of things! I am so excited to sit down with my family and figure out what we want to do. Thanks you all for the great tips and ideas! I am SO excited [emoji38] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Again, thank you so much everyone for the great info! Wow! I didn't realize it was still that cold there! Lol. We are used to 80 degrees year round, so that will be an experience in itself. I am secretly hoping it snows a little so the kids can see snow fall! My husband actually got sent over for a conference, so we decided that the kids and I would fly over and he would extend his trip so we could make a family trip of it. I love the idea of going to see some theater. We really have no access to that where we live and I think the kids would love it. Literally the most exciting thing at our local zoo is the feral pigs, so yeah, I think the zoo will be a must. I really want to take them to some museums because, again, we just don't have anything like that where we are. It feels like there are so many to choose from there I don't know where to start! I would't have really thought of mount Vernon for kids, but I know nothing about it, and many of you recommended it, that we will have to check that out. We sort of planned this so last minute, I wish I had more time to do some US history with the kids before we go...we literally haven't done any. I am hoping I can read them some books about some specific things we might be able to go see so at least they will know what they are looking at. Are there specific monuments or historical sites that you would say are more worth it for young kids (8 and 6)? I would also love to take them to do stuff like ice skating, or places like itrampoline, or I guess just normal kid fun type things that we don't have available to us here. Any suggestions on that type of thing? Thanks again for all the great information! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Going to read through all of this more carefully while my kids are at soccer practice this afternoon [emoji6] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you everyone! Super helpful. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We are taking a vacation to Washington DC in March! Yay!! We will be there for 9 days. We live in a small town in Hawaii, so this is a big trip for us and a very big change from our norm. My kids are 8 and almost 6. Any recommendations for things we must do or see while we are there? How cold is it usually around that time (end of March)? We live in a warm tropical place so I am trying to plan clothing we may need to purchase before we go. Thanks so much! Tamara Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DS8 wants to be a professional soccer player DD5 wants to be a chef and an astronaut Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Right after we finish school. At that point the kids are itching to go play and do their own thing so they are more likely to leave me in peace for a good chunk of time. [emoji6] Then I get my shower in while they are watching their one 30 minute show for the day so I won't be interrupted. It's routine for them now and they know they only get that video if they play and let me get in my workout first. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I used to do switch each day like you are doing and it was driving me crazy to have projects going for both history and science at the same time. It felt really choppy, and I agree, planning for both at the same time was hard. This year I started doing 2 weeks science, then 2 weeks history and I love it! I think I am going to push it to 3 weeks science and 3 weeks history for the next rotation. It totally makes my planning easier. What I have done so far is when we finish our 2 weeks of science, I request all science books at the library for the next science block (this way science is still fresh in my mind and the library has 2 weeks to gather them for me and I just go pick them up). I also jot down any supplies we need for projects or experiments on my shopping list, and then I have 2 weeks to gather those together too. Then we do our 2 weeks of history and at the end of that 2 weeks I prep for the next history block in the same way. So I am always 2 weeks ahead in my planning and don't feel like I am scrambling at the last minute. It's worked out great. As far as retention goes, it is nice that when you are in a subject you are really in it. They seem to remember things ok and I try to plan our stopping point somewhere that sort of makes sense. So if we are doing sound in science I try to just finish up everything we have to do on that topic so when we come back to science 2 weeks later we are on to the next thing. I say give it a try. You can always go back if it doesn't work out [emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I signed up! Looking forward to it [emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So we had a family of 8 rsvp yes to our wedding. We saw them two days before and they told us how excited they were to attend, see you there, etc etc. then they didn't show up. That put us out about $500 in catering fees for their plates. Not to mention that we had limited seating in the place we chose and could've invited other people from the list of friends and family we had to cut. It was extremely annoying. We didn't do anything, but dh's parents ended up confronting them about it (without our knowledge)- it was dh's aunt and family. It caused quite a rift between his mom and his aunt for a while. Btw, they didn't come because they didn't approve of the fact we were getting married outside on the beach and not in a church, so it's not like it was some last minute circumstance. They were aware of that for months and had told us they had come to terms with it. I would never have sent them a bill...but really people, it's hard enough to plan a wedding, don't add to the drama. If you rsvp yes, you should really make every effort to to be there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My kids play club soccer, which is competitive, but for the most part the parents stay pretty positive or limit their comments to their own kids. Although it probably helps that our league allows refs to fine parents if they get too crazy on the sideline. Our club makes it very clear that they will not pay fines given to parents and that your kid won't be allowed to play until YOU pay your fine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hawaii. Tons of people do it here. As long as your kid has never been in the school system it's really easy to do. Though, even being official here is as simple as turning in a letter saying "I am homeschooling".

This is pretty much how it is here. They have to speak Spanish to each other and that been the rule since birth. Once in a while they slip, but at this point it's pretty rare.

I do our for fun read aloud chapter book first thing in the morning because it is a sure way to lure my kids away from their toys and into the school day with smiles on their faces. I move straight from read aloud into our school schedule. I read aloud for content subjects while they are having snack (this way I don't snack with them when I don't need those extra calories ;-) We also read aloud before bedtime. They each choose one picture book or one chapter from a book. DH also reads a chapter or 2 from which ever book he is reading aloud to them at this time.

My kids both started at age 4. My husband has been coaching year round soccer for 4-6 year olds for 3 years now. What you describe is just how many of them are at that age. DH tells me his goal is for them to want to come back and move on to the next age group loving soccer and being ok with other kids stealing the ball from them (in other words they don't have a total melt down when that happens). All of those kids are working on sportsmanship and being able to handle situations on the field in a way that they don't cry for every little thing. IMHO that's what sports are for at that age, working on those skills. I would totally put him in.

I just read and answer their question as they naturally come up. Sometimes I will ask them a question if there is something in particular I want to point out to them. They are usually playing with Legos, rolling around on the couch, making bead necklaces, etc while I read. They rarely just sit, but they often ask me good questions or have comments related to what I am reading, so I know they are hearing me. :-)

I actually have no clue how to change a tire. We do have Geico roadside towing, which I have used before, though never for a flat tire. The one time we did get a flat tire we were camping and lucky for me dh was there to put on the spare. ETA: I do think it would be something useful to learn around the time you learn to drive.