Culver Kids Report From the White House

Lili Lipsic age 7

Kid Scoop Media Correspondent

I was really excited when my mom asked me if I wanted to go to Washington DC with my friend, Lila, so we could be reporters for Kids Scoop Media. Our job was to report on the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. It isn't on Easter- it's the day after Easter. I was excited to go to the house where Abraham Lincoln had lived and get to be a reporter.

We got to Washington a few days before the Egg Roll. At one the places we went, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, I saw beautiful dresses that the First Ladies had worn. I saw a really pretty white dress that Melania Trump wore when Donald Trump became President. At the museum I also saw the china that the former President's had used. I wanted to tell Mrs. Trump when I saw her that I liked her white dress and wanted to ask her what her china looked like, since I did not see hers in the museum.

Before we left for our trip, I found out that Mrs. Trump asked that me and Lila be part of her personal press pool. That means we would get to follow her around at the Easter Egg Roll. I was hoping I would get the chance to ask her about her china and tell her I liked her dress.

When we got to the White House on the morning of the Easter Egg Roll, were escorted to the entrance to the press room, where all the other reporters were waiting. We got to take pictures at the podium where Presidents stand when they talk to the reporters. After we waited there for a while, someone from the White House came to take us to the reporters who were going to follow Mrs. Trump with us.

We stood around and waited more outside. After a while a band came out marching and playing music. They were wearing military uniforms. They just played music. There wasn't any singing. Then President Trump, Mrs. Trump and the Easter bunny came out onto the balcony. President Trump gave a speech. He talked a lot about himself. After the speech, they walked over to where I was standing. When the Easter Bunny got close to me, I could see that it wasn't the real Easter Bunny- I saw a zipper on its back. President Trump walked around and took pictures with some of the kids doing the Easter Egg Roll. After Mrs. Trump blew a whistle, the kids started rolling Easter eggs with big spoons like you would cook with. The Easter eggs were all different colors. You were supposed to use the spoon to push the egg across the lawn. I saw one kid cheating by using his hands. After we saw this group of kids do the egg roll, we walked to another area, just with Mrs. Trump (President Trump and the Easter Bunny went somewhere else), where she read a book to a lot of kids. The book was about what you want to be when you're older and being whatever, you want to be. After that, we walked to another area and saw kids playing Easter egg hopscotch. Eggs were drawn in the boxes, so the kids knew where they were supposed to jump. Not as many kids were there as were at the story, but there were still a lot of kids. After that, while we walked back, we saw kids rolling down two hills wearing their nice clothes. It looked like it was some sort of a race and that they'd get their nice clothes dirty. We also saw some sort of a big tunnel made out of really big Easter Eggs. It didn't look like a game, but just something for kids to run around. After that, Wes brought me and Lila back to our moms. We didn't get a chance to talk to Mrs. Trump.

We went back to the press room and met some reporters. We met Ron, a cameraman from MSNBC. He was really nice and had worked as a reporter there for a long time, since when President Nixon was the President. I asked Ron how old he was when he had his first job as a reporter. He was 20! I'll only be 7 in May. Ron said he got there at 4:30 am that morning, way earlier than us. Ron has been on Air Force One lots of times for his job. He said they can make any food on the plane and there are 2 full sized kitchens on the plane. You can even get ice cream and candy on the plane. He said all of the Presidents have special M & M packages with their signatures on them they can give out. I wish I had gotten one! Rodney showed us the cameras they use on the news and all of the different angles they record. He introduced us to lots of other reporters. When I got home, I saw one of them, Kristen Welker on the NBC News!

It was a really fun time getting to see the White House and report on the Easter Egg Roll. I'd like to do it again. I think other kids should do it too. It's really fun to be a reporter. I really liked meeting all of the grown-up reporters the best. They were all really nice and asked us lots of questions. I just wish I got to tell Mrs. Trump I liked her white dress and ask her about her china.

Lila Desai

Kid Scoop Media Correspondent age 7

Reporting at the White House with Kid Scoop Media

By: Lila Desai, Age 7

I got to go on a special trip to Washington, D.C., with my mom and my friend Lily and her mom. We went with Kid Scoop Media to be kid reporters for the White House Easter Egg Roll!

To get ready to go to the White House, we went to the National Museum of American History. I wanted to learn more about Mrs. Trump because we were invited to be in her press pool and we might get to meet her. I really liked seeing her dress. It was my favorite of all the first ladies' dresses.

When we got to the White House, we went through security with Michelle Mayans, Executive Director of Kid Scoop Media. Then a man walked us down the White House driveway toward the Press Briefing Room. The lawn was very green and the trees were old and big. There were cabana-like tents on the lawn for the news networks to report from with a view of the White House behind the reporter. I got to look in the NBC tent and be on camera!

As we walked down the driveway, we passed the West Wing. There were lots of cameras set up on tripods in case some news happened. When we got in the Press Briefing Room I was surprised how small it is. We met Michelle's friends and got to see the back room and a coffee machine Tom Hanks gave them. We also saw big metal boxes of electronic equipment with lots of buttons and screens that people were using to make TV.

When it was time, we walked with all the other reporters through a fancy hallway to the South Lawn. We passed the Rose Garden and walked to the press area. Then Miss Annie, from m the First Lady's Office, took us to be with the First Lady's press pool. There were about 15 adults and us kids.

First the bands came. They stood in straight lines in front of the balcony and played songs. Then the Easter Bunny and Donald Trump and Melania came out. He talked for a few minutes and then came down the stairs. There was a lot of noise from cameras clicking. There were lots of reporters around me with big video cameras and microphones on long poles. There was a reporter talking in front of a camera with a bright light shining on her face.

We watched kids play the Egg Roll. Donald Trump was right in front of me! You can see us on YouTube, which I think is so cool! When the president and first lady blew a whistle, kids started rolling eggs with sticks on the grass. Then we followed our group around the lawn. We saw kids doing craft activities. They had hopscotch where instead of rectangle boxes, it was eggs. From there, I could see a little lake. They had eggs on a stick for a snack. I saw kids in cute outfits.

We didn't get to ask any questions to Mrs. Trump, but we were happy anyway. Before we left the White House, we met reporters who we see on TV and took photos with them. We met Kristen Welker from NBC, and she signed my press badge, "Follow your dreams!" We also met Hallie Jackson NBC's Chief White House Correspondent, Kaitlan Collins from CNN, and John Roberts from Fox. They were all nice and took photos with us. This was a really special opportunity and I'm so glad I was able to report at the White House!