A little girl with pigtails, a big smile and a backpack stuffed with school books is becoming a fixture at the state Capitol.

Millie Bristol, a homeschooled second-grader from Mandan, studies at the Capitol while her mother, Gwen Bristol, covers the Legislature as a reporter for the Minot Daily News.

"It's kind of boring," Millie said of the long hearings.

Sometimes it can be fun. One day, Millie came away from a hearing with her hands full of candy given to her by the legislators.

Bristol said Millie does her math or reading lessons during the hearings, but she's learned that a three-hour hearing is too long for her daughter to sit through. When they need a break, they take a tour of the State Heritage Center, which has a number of educational displays.

"It's more of a field trip education," Bristol said of her daughter's unique classroom.

Millie and her mom have also found a number of favorite spots at the Capitol, such as the Prairie Room. "We love the Capitol," Gwen Bristol said.

Millie has learned some of the basics of state government. Gwen Bristol has talked with Millie about the three branches of government and discussed what the legislators are doing at the hearings that Millie sometimes finds a little dull.

"I don't know how much of it she'll retain," Bristol said.

Bristol also homeschooled her older daughter, Esther, 11, who now attends a Mandan public school. Esther wanted to continue going to a public school, while Millie still wants to spend more time with her mother. Bristol thinks Millie might also be more interested in going to a public school when she's a little older and wants to spend more time with children her age.

Bristol said it will be fine with her if Millie eventually decides to go back to public school, though she'll miss spending so much time with her daughter.

Bristol said homeschooling has given her a way to be closer to her children, through teaching.