Salem — An operator hit the controls and fire blasted through a gigantic hot air balloon.

When he the saw the blast, Reamark Harris turned his head quickly, wearing an expression of fright.

Soon, though, as he rode in the hot air balloon's carrying basket with three other children, Harris was smiling as he ascended 40 feet in the air. His mother, Tonya, snapped pictures from the ground.

Later, Harris, a fourth-grade student at Salem School, smiled when relaying news about his joy ride.

"Well, it was good. You can feel the breeze when you're going up," said Harris, 9. "It was really hot. You could look up and see the fire reflecting."

Harris was one of 23 students from Salem School to take a turn riding in a hot air balloon on Bingham Field. The students completed Principal Cynthia Ritchie's "Problem Solver" learning exercise, which called for students to come up with various business plans and ideas for real-life situations.

For example, one month the children had to plan an event - a fundraiser, a birthday party, a pool party, etc. They were tasked to research how much supplies would cost and what other factors would play a part.

In another problem solver, students had to pick a pet and ascertain the costs associated with owning a dog, a cat or pony.

Ritchie coordinated with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donna Leake on the exercise and Leake suggested rewarding students with the hot air balloon. It was meant to symbolize a light bulb going off - or the creation of an idea, Ritchie said.

Students qualified to ride in the balloon by completing three of five problem solvers in a five-month span. They also feasted on pizza before taking a ride skyward in the hot air balloon, which was provided for the evening by Remax.

"They were all real-world situations where they could apply their learning from school," Ritchie said of the problem solver exercise. "Even elementary kids have great ideas. I wanted to provide an opportunity to let them shine."

Karen Erikson, a parent of two Salem School children, called the exercise a "fabulous idea." She sat on a blanket with her daughter, Lindy-Ann, 7, and her son, Kyle, 10, was one of the first kids to take a ride in the hot air balloon.

Erikson said Lindy-Ann chose a parakeet for her pet in one problem solver. Kyle chose a lizard.

"We did a poster form (for the problem solver) and it was enlightening for me, too, to see how much it would cost for a year," Erikson said.

Ritchie said this was the first year that she implemented the problem solver exercise. Other challenges included: 1. What kind of car would you like to own someday? 2. Plan a trip. 3. What would you do with $40?

In this last exercise, one student suggested a plan to buy yarn and knit hats for premature babies.

"They really came up with amazing ideas," Ritchie said.

jeff.johnson@theday.com