What is amazing about a trip to the redwoods with a group of 4th graders and their parents is the lasting impact. Our students made their trek to the trees in October and they where still talking about it in April and May. When our students were asked to write about a memorable event that had happened to them quite a few chose their trip to Big Basin.

During the afternoons of state testing my class and I reflected on our experience in the trees through art and poetry. This year through the magic of netbooks students were able to access pictures of trees and other flora and fauna on the internet to enhance their artwork. Imagine my surprise when the students suggested, "Let's use the netbooks so we can look up our own pictures to use to paint." It was an ah hah moment for me! They showed me how much they remembered and where able to locate information quickly and easily.