Pet zipline

Yesterday the kids came up with the idea that we should make a zipline for their pets to ride. After much trial and error (in school, we call that "scientific experimentation"), we finally got a decent zipline going.

First, we tied a piece of yarn between the floor lamp and an electrical cord. That worked well for one pet, but when the kids piled all their pets into a bag and tried to send them down the zipline, the lamp fell over and got dented.

Then we tried a big heavy rope tied onto a joist in the ceiling. Not good. Noah got a rope burn, and it was a very bumpy ride for the pets. We needed a smoother line.

Noah thought an extension cord would be good. After tying up the big blue extension cord, we discovered that the carabiner didn't slide down it very easily, making for a very slow trip down the line.

Next, we tried fishing line. It was very fast, but not strong enough, and too flexible. It bent all the way down to the ground under the pets' weight.

We finally decided to go back to the yarn, since it worked best. We tied it between the joist and a rocking chair in the other room, and the pets went flying!