It was after 10 p.m., and my boys were dozing off on either side of me. But as the taxi approached the city, I could see the gleaming monuments, bright lights reflecting off their white marble surfaces against the dark sky.

"You should wake them up," my husband said from the front passenger's seat.

I did, and they opened eyes to the striking height and brightness of the Washington Monument at night.

"It's even bigger than I thought," said my drowsy 6-year-old. He had spent the past couple of weeks perfecting his line drawing of the Washington Monument on yellow squares of Post-It Notes. They were a study in three-dimensional drawing, with the careful edges of two sides of the monument showing, along with the circle of U.S. flags at the base, smaller at the back, larger in front.

My 10-year-old spotted the U.S. Capitol just beyond, also bathed in light. In the darkness, these structures -- the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol -- glowed like the moon.

It was a dramatic start to a weeklong family trip to Washington, D.C. Stories of American history, along with news of politics and presidential elections, had begun to seep into my school-age children's understanding. We were eager for a trip that would connect real places and people to what my boys were learning from books and the news.

Washington, D.C., is always busy with tourists, so traveling there with children requires some strategizing. We went the first week in April, spring break for many schoolchildren, and the height of cherry blossom season. And, according to one tour guide, it was the week that all the ninth-graders in the country were visiting the capital on class trips. She was exaggerating only a little, it seemed. Luckily, we came prepared with a few tricks for making the trip fun and educational, while keeping our sanity amid the crowds.

Plan ahead

Many government sites require advance tickets, often obtained through your representative's office. We had scheduled a tour of the Capitol through Rep. Keith Ellison's office, but had called too late to get tickets to visit the White House. And the advance tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument were already sold out on the National Parks website several weeks before. Contacting your representative's office by phone or e-mail is easy -- just do it weeks, even months ahead of time. (Same-day tickets to the Capitol and the Washington Monument are distributed in the mornings and go fast.)

Stay close to food

We booked a hotel near the Dupont Circle Metro station, an area rich with cafes, groceries and bookstores. At the end of a busy day of sightseeing, having those comforts close to our beds was ideal. We quickly learned that taking time for a midday break was important. Given the choice between a cafeteria line and a real restaurant, we chose the latter. That was our chance to retreat from crowds and lines, and just sit and talk about what we had seen. When sitting down to a slower-paced meal was not an option, we would at least linger on a park bench or in a museum cafe with a coffee or an ice cream cone.

Wake up early

Lines are inevitable in Washington. We realized that if we really wanted to see something, it was worth arriving early. When we wanted to see the Supreme Court justices hand down opinions, we set the alarm clock and ate breakfast while waiting in line. Our efforts paid off: Our ears perked up as we listened to Justice Kennedy read from an important environmental law opinion. Words my children recognized -- greenhouse gases and global warming -- grabbed their attention. The next morning over a more leisurely breakfast, my older son held up a newspaper with a front-page story about the opinion we had heard.

Arriving early also proved effective for getting into the National Archives, which houses the Declaration of Independence, among other important historical documents. We joined a line that already snaked around the corner half an hour before the building opened. But with our coffee, newspaper and books, we were ready. And early in the morning, before growing weary of crowds, the guards and the other tourists were still cheerful.

Travel light

Oversized bags are not allowed in many government buildings and museums. No bag larger than 14 inches wide, 13 inches high and 4 inches deep makes it past security at the U.S. Capitol, I learned from its website before we left town. Also, food and water bottles are often not allowed.

Take tours

Another thing we have learned traveling with our curious, but still young children: Take advantage of tour guides and audio tours. We gained more from a knowledgeable tour guide than from reading the little signs and brochures along the way.