(Written by Jack, Ana, and Serena)

Today is Friday, which means our projects at the end of the day are where they will be when parents come on Saturday. It's our last big push for the finish.

In the morning before work begins there is a certain level of tomfoolery and goofing off. we started with licking banana slugs we found in the wet morning grass.

After our morning fun, its time to get back to our projects. Before we get to work, we have a planning meeting to figure out what everyone is working on. Caroline helps reorganizes the Piki and Kablooi team into different, smaller teams to tackle the problems we need to solve to get the bridge, treehouse, and zipline working.

Once we split into teams there is frenzy of activity down in the work site. One group figures out how to attach the bridge to the treehouse while the other starts building a crows-nest above the base platform.

Aya and the Nooi team are working on getting their suspension bridge up and working. Here, she problem solves with a finicky drill.

Lucas takes a turn at drilling. These holes will be used to put paracord through, providing support for team Nooi's suspension bridge.

CR-7 can't resist clambering upon the track. We've finally measured the track to 306'!

Team Nooi has been hard at work on their suspension bridge. They're putting the finishing touches on their piling (the tower that stands in the center of a suspension bridge from which the cables run down).

Lucas saws off a bit of 2x4 that is preventing his team's piling from sitting flush on the the base they've built for it.

Switching over to team Kablooi, we find Ryker and Jack cutting wood for the crows-nest they're building for the treehouse.

Zyla and Ava take a break from work and use their newfound whittling skills to create some sharp pointy sticks (a Tinkering School classic).

Take a look at our little village. With the sun shining bright overhead it's quite picturesque here.

Team Nooi grabs help from other teams to transport their piling.

The crows-nest team has now finished the triangular supports for the bottom of the platform, and it is time to attach them to the tree. First we had to measure out where wanted our platform to be, we started to put the platform lower on the tree when Gever encouraged us to move higher and put the platform up past the brach in our way. we did to that, which made our tree platform higher than another platform in Tinker City.

During morning snack a group of staff and kids play a game of cards, cards are a common part of the social fabric within the group.

Nooi team prepares to raise the pilling for cable stay bridge. Aya and Liora begin knot rope for lifting up the heavy pilling.

Miles checks with the the team pulling the piling up with rope tied to the top. and slowly but surely the piling rises towards its full stature.

Look at our city skyline - with the bridge piling up, the windmill spinning, and the crows-nest being stabilized, it's quite the sight to behold.

While working out past the rising tide Nooi team has to be careful not to step in the water and get attack by laser sharks - if attacked, they get 5 minutes of dish duty, in service to the collaborators who have to rescue them. They developed a system of rapid deploy bridges for maneuvering across the water.

Portrait of a Tinkerer: Lilly

Miles supports the piling. The paracord suspension cords are a rainbow of color.

Aya gazes down from the windmill platform.

Caroline stretches upward.

Portrait of a Collaborator: Jack

A team's been hard at work anchoring the zipline to the Sky Tower. Michael tests its strength.

"I've been whittling on the railroad, I've been whittling on the railroad..." Caden practices with his new knife.

Michael does the first test run on the first human-ridden zipline ever created at Tinkering School.

Ana and Serena carry over the ladder that Ana helped Ava build. The ladder connects the tree platform to the crows-nest.

It's Friday, and so after dinner, we hop on the back and sides of Gever's big truck, and ride up the hill for our campfire.

Getting to ride on a truck this way tends to draw lots of grins.

Something about gathering around a campfire draws us all closer.

And then we light the fire, and watch it burn. As we let it settle, we talk and enjoy each other's company.

After it burns down, it's time for another Tinkering School tradition - throwing sawdust into the fire. When done right, it creates a cool array of sparks.

And then one final experiment. Milk bottles are made out of HDPE, which burns clean. We attach one to the end of a stick, light it over the fire, and watch it melt as it burns.

Today, we were on fire. Tinkerers worked hard to get bridges up, throwing their energy at the project. They've displayed teamwork, tenacity, and talent. Our fire tonight is a celebration of our togetherness and accomplishment. Tomorrow, parents arrive.

Session G: Day 6 - On Fire