Washington: Malia and Sasha Obama get to see their new rooms at the White House, capping a busy few days looking into their new life in the US capital that also involved visits to potential new schools.

At the invitation of first lady Laura Bush, the daughters of President-elect Barack Obama were touring the White House with their mother and grandmother yesterday.

Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, along with their mother, Michelle, were expected to spend a short time touring the First Family's residential rooms at the White House, said Mrs Obama's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld. Mrs Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, was also with the group.

"The first lady graciously invited Mrs Obama, her mother and the girls to visit what will be their new home," Lelyveld said.

"Of course, Mrs Obama greatly appreciated this invitation to provide an opportunity for the girls to feel at home and become comfortable in this transition process."

The visit was strictly private, with no media coverage or photos.

Earlier in the day, the family visited their top choices for schools "to make sure we find the right fit," Lelyveld said. She would not name the schools. "Their move to Washington is her top priority," she said.

A small motorcade was parked outside the Sidwell Friends school yesterday for about 40 minutes, and a similar motorcade was at the back entrance of Georgetown Day School on Monday. The Georgetown Day motorcade left after a group of people emerged, but Michelle Obama was not seen among them.

Ellis Turner, associate head of school at Sidwell Friends, would not say whether the Obamas had been there.

Source : PTI