WASHINGTON — From now on, children at a family shelter in southeast Washington, D.C., may get a kick out of the fact that they are swinging and sliding where two of the country’s most famous children once played.

On Monday, as part of their move from the White House, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama personally donated to the shelter the play set they surprised their daughters with eight years ago, when the girls were 10 and 7.

Most of the families at the Jobs Have Priority Naylor Road Family Shelter are headed by young African-American women, according to the shelter’s website. The average family at the 28-apartment shelter has two to three young children, and many have at least one child with a mental, developmental or physical disability.

The Rainbow-brand structure, which has a plaque that says “Malia and Sasha’s Castle,” has a slide, a fort, a climbing wall and rope, three regular swings, a tire swing, and a picnic table etched with the names of all 44 presidents, according to Teen Vogue.

It was first offered to the family of President-elect Donald Trump, who has a 10-year-old son, Barron, but they declined, CNN reported.

The Obamas arrived at the shelter a little after 3 p.m. Monday and pitched in with a half-dozen school-aged children painting an indoor mural of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and butterflies.

Advertisement

After a few moments, Michelle Obama quipped, “We are painting in silence … Does anyone have any good jokes? Age appropriate?”

Later, the Obamas, accompanied by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, walked onto the playground, where eight children were playing on the structure.

“Hey, guys! . . . It’s Barack Obama!” the president said, echoing one of the children.

First families with children have frequently added play equipment to the White House grounds. Caroline Kennedy’s pony, Macaroni, roamed freely on the grounds, and Amy Carter had a treehouse.

As the president pushed two girls on the swing Monday, he noted that Sasha was not much smaller when the family moved into the White House.

“Brings back memories,” he said.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.