Marin Tender Tracks Day 6, Oct. 19, 2011

Waning Gibbeous Moon
Roy’s Redwood

What a very fun day.  It began with a lot of figuring out what warm clothes of Tender Tracks to wear,or not, as was Sidona’s case, and what mittens would be most desired.   There was a great deal of wanting just the right mittens and a willingness to go without if they were not just right.  All found acceptability though accept Sidona so, she chose not to have any and was just fine.  So, you might ask, “Why mittens? It wasn’t really that cold on this day in San Anselmo.” But alas, at Roy’s redwood’s IT WAS cold enough to enjoy a pair of mittens.

After eating lunch and joyfully singing our songs, I directed them toward a different path to take for our days adventure.  There on the ground was a path of “powder” to follow and off they went to follow.  Simone was far more able and willing to enjoy each spot we found inviting but the rest were OFFFFFFF and running following, following to find?  Well, at first they found scarves hanging in the trees to notice and to get, then there were different sections with fascinating fallen down trees and big, well HUGE trees to climb on or over and then we found ourselves right where we usually go.  But how did that happen?????

We didn’t figure that out much but rather immediately found a wonderful tree to sit on and be swung on.  I helped each child get up and then swung them up and down , up and down.  I left them to their own ways once they got the hang of it and they all four played together quite beautifully for awhile until Benny really wanted things to go his way and the other children were a bit displeased about that.  I came to support the negotitions and then the playing shifted.

Benny discovered another tree branch, Leo stayed at this one and the girls went about trying to find the “bird”( me) that they kept hearing. I was playing a little game of ‘can you find the sound’.   There was a great game of chase that came about after this.  I found many wonderful trees to hide in and then Simone was really the only one that kept finding  where I was hiding.  Then the others would find me from her glances, I would jump out and off we would run and run until, we found some very fun things on the ground.

Sedona loves “fungus” and brought everyones attention to the many wonderful fungi that were all around.  While she was playing with that I was teaching them honorable hunting.  We pretended to stalk, choose, shoot and kill a deer for the people, using every part of it, giving thanks and honor for the gift of this food and on and on in a way of respect and gentleness.  They then played that game over and over and we cooked it and “fed the people.”

There was playing and eating for the rest of the day and going was not so readily wanted. But alas we must and I steered us toward going back the same way in order to follow the trail backwards.   They did and, we made it!!!!

All the beginning of tracking, noticing, observing, cooperating, following, leading, and, as always, so much more.

My heart was warmed to see them all playing and working together during the day.