For Kids, By Kids: The great outdoors

In our March 20 For Kids, By Kids issue, the youth speak for themselves. Here are third and fourth graders at the Learning Community in Black Mountain, writing about their outdoor adventures. (Art by India Jade Nell)

I woke up on a Saturday morning and … remembered that I’m going kayaking with my dad [on the French Broad River]. … I gobble my breakfast up in a matter of eight minutes! Then I bolt back upstairs and open my closet and pull out some jeans, a yellow shirt and some blue flip flops. … I asked my Dad, “Did you pack the stuff?” “Last night, Sweetie,” he answered. We jump in the car and we arrive. We put the kayaks in the water. I climb in, I start to paddle. My hair blows in the wind. I feel amazing, and that’s the only thing that matters. — by Elle Brown, third Grade, The Learning Community

We got our tubes in the water and we hopped in. … We got started. We had to get the hang of tubing. We wanted to go to the middle of the river. We were at a little intersection, we went right. But that was a dead end! So we went left. It was like a little tunnel [and] we thought that we were lost! So we turned back around, but we didn’t know how to get back. [But] we got back to the little intersection and went back to dry off. We sat in the grass and ate lunch. We had fun tubing on the French Broad River! — by Bea Perez, third grade, TLC

When I first stepped on the trail with my mom it was magical. I started running — my mom and I ran for 2 ½ hours. We played chase and we weaved through the trees. My mom and I listened to the birds sing. Finally, we lay in a pile of leaves before we went home. — by Fields Wright, fourth grade, TLC

In my opinion, Asheville is the most awesome place to camp. Do you like to camp? If you do, then Montreat Campgrounds and Briar Bottom are two of the greatest. If you like adventure camping, Montreat Campgrounds is the best. At Briar Bottom there are trees for hammocks and flat spaces for tents and fire pits. At Montreat Campgrounds you have some hiking trails, flat space for tents, trees for hammocks, and a fire pit. Camping is fun, so come on over to Asheville! — by Jackson Zeh, third grade, TLC

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About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

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