Palo Alto Tender Tracks Day 5, Sept. 27, 2011

New Moon
Duck Pond, Palo Alto

What a beautiful and very fun and alive day.  We are truly in Indian Summer.  I think the weather is making up for all the coldness we had this summer!

Aleki began the day with his, at the present, seperation struggles. When Dad finally left I needed to hold him. He didn’t like that so his legs moved with a desire to run and his body did and finally I was able to let him go. He ran behind the Redwood stump.  I invited all of the children to come over and ask him if he would like our company.  We all very tenderly went over and asked him but he wanted to be left alone. I let him know that we were right here for him and only a voice a way.  He came shortly after when it was snack time and from then on he was filled with ease and smiles and even gave me a big hug later on in the day.  Healthy attachement was transfered and made.  Aleki had a grand time at the Duck pond and even though he pronounced that we there to “share not scare” he was delighted to stir up the ducks a bit!

Caroline looked like she was comforted by the love we gave Aleki and she joined in all the circle songs and games right after that.  She and Grace had a fine time today with Audrey singing to her, making cordage with her and being just the three of them for quite awhile while the rest of us went on a wonderful adventure at the duck pond.

Grace was filled with much joy, ease and excitement to be back at Tender Tracks.  Bodhi said hello to her at the  very beginning of the day and she didn’t respond.  I said something to let her know he said hello and then she looked at him and gave him a hello. I brought in a little fun and then the two of them began to laugh and Grace took him right in where before she seemed a bit disinterested and he seemed a bit disheartened.

Bodhi was quite happy today, very playful with all the children and filled with a lot of smiles. As with Grace, he was reaching out to children to play and engage with.

Lucy took the cordage Audrey and I made in the morning and went straight to putting it on her stuffed animals leg. She liked this very much.  She had a lot of fun gathering feathers at the duck pond for her own Feathered Rope.

Anjalie was filled with exuberance and practicing waiting her turn and using those most magickal of words when you want someting  “Please!”  She and Lucy really wanted to touch a duck today and Lucy almost did!

Jasper was a bit feisty today yet also very playful and participatory.  He really liked our adventure we went on at the duck pond and playing in the trees.  He and Giulio got in a bit of a tussle.  I came into the bushes with Giulio crying and Jasper stating that he was King of the Ants, with a very strong voice.  Giulio said Jasper hit him.  Well, it turned out that Giulio hit Jasper but he was trying to get the ants off of him because he doesn’t like the ants and he didn’t want them all over Jasper.  Jasper didn’t know this and just retaliated.  All was made right, tears were put to rest and figuring out how to play so they didn’t get in the Ants pathway and still have fun got determined.  Phew!

Giulio really had such a fun day and he seems to like having Kashi in the class and to play with. He is truly blossoming socially.

Kashi was just filled with his usual life and aliveness.  He was interested in most things and smiling the whole time.

Circle time was sweet.  They had Peace Pie with Tender Tracks Yogurt. Then a wonderful story about “Earth Namers”  a magickal being that came down on a Feathered rope on Turtles raft before there was ever Earth.  Long story short: Earth Namer made the Earth and all things in it. The people were made as loving guardians of all beings and they were also left to name everything.  So, the story was a lead into going to the Duck Pond to gather feathers and to make rope/cordage from Cat Tails leaves and to begin to notice much more what is around us and to name it.  I also brought out our very own Nature Book where we put things in it, named them as we saw fit and then I put contact paper over to hold these items in our book.  This is a precursor to the individual books they will be getting and making later on this year. Don’t tell them about this please!

There were many wonderful games on logs, with ducks and so much observation of the beautiful colors, shapes and designs on the feathers.  Aleki found more large feathers there then I have ever seen any one find.  Lucy and Anjalie were SO interested in touching the ducks.  Most went feather foraging with Audrey and then all but Caroline, Grace and Audrey went on an adventure that the rest of us took.  On the adventure we found pickle weed to eat and heard about the Salt Marsh Mouse that only lives around here and eats that weed.  We then found great Palm trees that Kashi named “The Broom stick houses” because they all found great broom sticks there.

This was such a sweet, explorative and nature connecting day.  Yeah!!!

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Marin Tender Tracks Day 2, Sept. 14, 2011

The children came in fine spirits and Leo wanted to eat straight away under the shelter that is there at the picnic tables.  However, the yellow jackets were quite excited for a potential participation in their meals and, the children were NOT!  So they took a few bits and then off we went to find friendlier grounds to eat.  But first,  “Where is the sun?” I asked, and “Which way do we all wish to go?”.  The children closed their eyes, turned round and round and then pointed to the direction they felt their bodies, minds and hearts wished to go.  Most were in the same direction and off we went.  We only got a few paces when there was a very inviting Redwood tree that could be climbed in and up to and explored. Then there was another and then there were feathers found and interesting leaves. But oh my, what did our ears bring to us?  Some kind of graceful music and that we searched out only to find a beautiful little waterfall coming below another wonderful Redwood tree.  Up we went, past here and onto a trail.

We found ourselves at the dam part of the lake and watched the ducks and Comorants and discovered beautiful yellow buttercups and wild mint.   Singing along we went down the path until Ben discovered a beautiful opening with a bench that lured him into the thought of a great place to eat and Sedona remembered seeing frogs here with her family.

There we stayed very peacefully eating, telling stories, quietly, quietly trying to sneak up and/ or find frogs, discovering beautiful plants and hearing stories.  It was most peaceful, calm and unifying especially for that time of day.  Between 1 and 3 is what can be called the “Laying close to the Earth time.” It is a time when all of nature takes naps (2 to 4 typically but we were very close to that hour). So there we were, being very, natural.

They finally finished eating and our resting appeared complete so they ran up the hill and down the path to find other marvelous adventures.

Simone and I were in the back holding hands and noticing so many plants, while Leo, Sedona and Ben ran ahead.  There was a fork in the road and Sedona and Ben took the high road.  Simone and I caught up with Sedona and Leo and went down the lower road but, WHERE WAS BEN?!!!  He took the high road and I called him back.  There was a gentle conversation about having us stay together or at least within sight and hearing so back on the trail we went, together with more unity of this new group in place.

We didn’t get far when we came across another beautiful Redwood burnt out log of interest so we explored but then, “Can’t we go further??”” There was not much time but I said we could go for five more minutes to see what we will see.  We didn’t get very far here because we came across “Wish baby seeds” ( Thistles loosing their fluffy seeds.)  We made wishes, played with them and then they wanted to gather the dried Snake weed that they called “cacoons.”   Simone had a hard time gathering them so Sedona went to help but wasn’t too successful so I went to help and then they all had their “cacoons” and off we went.

I started to sing “you are my sunshine” in response to something that was said and Leo, Ben and Sedona thought that was stupid or babyish.  However Simone loved it and wanted to sing it so, with an honoring of their dislike yet a request to share their desires with gentleness, they agreed and Simone and I went ahead and sang quietly yet enthusiastically enough to satisfy all.

We had to figure out which way to get back and notice landmarks. Some were clear on this others not and mostly their was the challenge of working together to find our way.

We did, we came back, we had a good bye circle and thank you’s and then, off they went.

A very beautiful second day I believe.

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Nourishment

Each day after being with the children allow yourself about 10 to 30 minutes to sit with and journal about your experience.

Below are some guided suggestions that will support your experiences of the day.

First, find a spot either inside or outside that you can get comfortable, relaxed and have a sense of ease.  Close your eyes and go inward.

Make room for all your senses to be awake and present. Then, ask yourself this question…

1.What was nourishing today?

 

Spend some time with this. With your minds eye scan the day. As you do, notice if any thoughts, feelings, images, sensations or memories arise.  Stay with those as long as you like and then journal when you are finished.

Continue doing the same thing for the next question.

 

2. What was not nourishing today?

 

Go back inside and scan the day. Notice if any thing, place, feelings or situations with the child(ren) come to mind and ask yourself..

3.  What do  I know about what I am skilled at?

What do I know about what I feel unskilled at?

 

 

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