Uphill And Downhill

The Teddy bears were all sat outside sunning themselves in the garden but Crackers was a little bit bored of just sitting around doing nothing.

"Would anyone like to go for a walk?" he suggested.

Some of the bears were content to stay right where they were but Boo and Scary jumped up.

"We would!" they cried together.

"As the sun isn't too hot yet," said Crackers, "I thought we could climb that little hill in the park," he suggested. "There should be a great view from up there."

"OK," said Boo.

"Sounds good," said Scary, "it will be nice to stretch our legs a bit."

So they set off to the local park. There were lovely flower beds there, big trees, long, grassy lawns where you could picnic and a Bowling Green and Tennis Courts, a pond and lots of paths to explore. They visited regularly and always found something different to do. But this time they made directly for the small hill on the edge of the park. It wasn't too steep but to little bears it seemed a long way to the top.

"Come on!" encouraged Crackers. "Race you to the top!"

Crackers set off with Boo running close behind. Boo was about halfway up when he began to run out of steam and bent over to catch his breath. When he looked up again he saw that Crackers, just a little bit ahead of him, was doing exactly the same!

"Phew!" exclaimed Boo, "that's really tiring."

"Maybe we shouldn't have run," suggested Crackers. "Let's get to the top a little more slowly."

Boo agreed but then had a sudden thought and started looking round desperately.

"Where's Scary?" he asked.

Crackers looked ahead of him. No Scary there! Then he looked across the hill. No Scary there either! Eventually he saw Scary very slowly climbing the hill below them, staring down at the ground all the time.

"Now that's sensible," he declared. "Look Boo - there's Scary! He'll catch us up in a minute and we can all reach the top together."

So Crackers and Boo waited for Scary and they all slowly continued to the top together, Scary still staring at the ground.

"Hurray!" exclaimed Boo and Crackers at the top, with a belated "hurray" from Scary.

The three of them enjoyed a few minutes looking at the view and pointing out other places they recognised from their high vantage point.

"Are you all right?" Crackers asked Scary. "Why have you been looking at the ground all the way?"

"Well," said Scary, "I was thinking about a fun way to get back down but I needed to make sure it would be safe."

"Ooh!" said the two little bears, "we like the idea of a fun way down, especially if it isn't as tiring as climbing up!" They all laughed.

Scary explained. "I thought rolling downhill would be a fun way to go back. I was looking to make sure that there were no rocks or big holes to hurt us, and no places for mud to stick to our fur."

With a long-drawn-out "Aaaand………" the other bears waited for Scary's decision with bated breath.

"It all seems perfectly OK - as long as we go down the same way we came up," declared Scary.

"Let's go!" shouted Boo, getting ready to roll.

"Just one more minute," said Scary, "A couple of things to remember. Firstly, either cross your arms in front of you or hold them above your head as you roll. And, secondly, if you need to slow down or stop, just move your arms and legs into a star shape and you'll soon slow down and stop."

With these wise words Scary suddenly lay down on the grass and propelled himself down the hill, only moving into a star shape right at the bottom. Boo followed a little more gingerly and stopped half-way.

Crackers came next and stopped next to Boo, checking that he was OK, and then both of them set off to the bottom where Scary was waiting. As Scary helped them up (sometimes all that spinning can make a little bear very dizzy), they were giggling and laughing, having thoroughly enjoyed their speedy trip downhill. Then they all hurried home to tell the other bears what they had been up to.

You could try rolling downhill too! Don't forget you will have to climb the hill before you can roll down it!

Always make sure you check the ground first and it's a good idea to take an adult with you - you might even be able to persuade them to join in! Have fun!