They zipped on the way out.....

of 4th grade!  The tradition at the end of 4th grade is a visit to the school forest.  As the students do every year, they have fun on the "low ropes" course learning how to work together as a team to conquer the different abstacles and hike to the top of the hill for different environmental lessons.  The highlight of 4th grade, however, is to do the zip line!    This is, of course, very much anticipated by all.  Some with excitement, some with dread, some with fear.  If you know Emily and Erin, I am sure you know what kind of anticipation each one had the days leading up to this exciting trip!

#1: Mrs. S checks all of Emily's straps before sending her up the pole. 
#2:  Emily heads right up the pole without any obvious hesitation
#3: Mrs. H hooks Emily to the zip and works VERY patiently to convince her
she is safe to head down!



#1: Mrs. S checks over Erin's straps before she heads up the pole
#2: Unfortunately the picture doesn't show the ear-to-ear grin that Erin wore the entire
way up the pole!
#3:  The moment she had been waiting for!  To jump!! 

 The day before heading out to the school forest, Erin, Trevor and I worked hard to convince Emily that shouldn't let this opportunity pass her by.  Finally, I told her that if she didn't make it all the way UP the pole, that was OK.  Just as long as she set a goal to make it a certain way up the pole so she could at least say she had tried.  Imagine our surprise when she started up the pole and never even hesitated!  That is, until she reached the top when she would have given just about anything to be back down on the ground!  After several minutes of a very patient teacher talking to her, she did take the zip line down.....and loved it! 

Erin, on the other hand, just couldn't WAIT until it was her turn!  When it was her turn to head up the pole, she never even looked down for good picture!  If she had just an inkling of fear, no one around her could tell! 

I was very glad to be able to chaperone on this trip (thanks to a terrific group of teachers/support staff @ school).  I taught a few different groups out at the forest and was able to get away long enough to watch both of the girls go down the zip line.  And even go down the zip line myself for the 3rd time.  Like Emily, though, I still have a moment of fear at the top.  Eeek!