Marin Tender Tracks Tues. Jan. 5, 2016 Day 27

Waning Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Ione was home sick today. We sent her much love and Xander was still quite missed. Rhett was wondering when he was going to come back and some of the other children let him know that he has actually moved and won’t be back.  Clearly Rhett enjoyed him very much.   We sent love out to them and to Michelle who had to come late because this morning, after two weeks off, her car decided to get a bit under the weather and not move.  Oh dear!!! When she finally arrived how happy they all were!!!
The day was sweet and all the holiday intensity and over exuberance was completely subsided. The children were back to their more even keeled selves.
The rain was gentle yet consistent throughout the day and we are developing a good routine: Get fully suited up, go out and discover the water wonders, get a little wet due to getting lost in the water fun, going to circle, getting a bit cold and warming up by moving around  and going on an adventure, getting hungry and cold again, coming back for lunch, having a “changing clothes party”, reading a fun book, saying good byes and then going home.  So that is the outline of the day and now for some particulars…
We got some new songs for our time of full winter and a song that included the names of the months, seasons and weeks.  It is good to have that because, Layton, in particular, was not sure what a day of the week was. So now we have a song to help us get a sense of time, seasons and what we name them. We tried to light some of the sterno’s that we made before holiday but the matches and the wind would not allow. We then tried to light our candle but IT was having a hard time. We finally got it lit and then it didn’t want to be blown out!!  What a funny day it was.  We had story which then led us into their jobs and utilizing their Symbols.  So, there are now jobs: Weather Watcher, Earth Keeper, Guardians of Safety, Thank you Plate and Snack helpers. Someone thought we should have a mail getter person but then we realized that Tender Tracks doesn’t actually have a mail box so we thought maybe they could have that job at home!:)
Layton and Talay were Guardians of Safety and they now have First Aid kits that they will carry in their backpacks for two weeks until this job gets passed off to another Tender Tracker. They were all delighted and Layton and Talay REALLY liked having these first aid kits to take such good care of.
And now we were ready to go on an adventure. Of course we came across great California Newts and they found some Banana Slugs feasting on winter time diarrhea.  So glad THEY eat that sort of thing and not us!  We all do have our special jobs in life yes?!!
What I did not mention yet was that when we got there we saw the water FLOWWIIINNNGGGG like a huge waterfall down the watershoot. That was so fun to stare at and look in awe and wonder. We remembered what it was like not only from just two weeks ago but when school first started.  What a change.  So we went to the top and Talay, Aaron, Michelle and I threw some things off and watched them RUSH down, down, down the very fast moving water and then splash into the lower creek.  What a wonder.
Most of them wanting to go to the left so that is the way we went. We found where we went slippping and slidding the last big rainy day and there they found and played with cattails making the fluff into “yarn.”   Layton was immeresed in water a good part of the day and most of them discovered what happens when you have so much fun playing in the water and then, “THERE’S SO MUCH WATER IN MY BOOTS!  I’M COLD!!!” Tummies began to rumble so back to our lunch spot and packs we went.  Food eaten up and then it was perfect timing for changing. Michelle and I are getting this down well and with your clothing organization with the bags and names on them, we just got them changed systematically and organzied. Yipppeee!!  Then afterwards I read a beautiful story called A Coat for Anna. It is about a girl that needed a new winter coat. It took a year for her to get it though as they had to get the wool and wait until spring to get that and each person they went to in order to help them get the wool into yarn and sewing the coat they would have to wait and to trade this thing or that since they had no money to buy anything. Finally a year later she got her beautiful red coat and had a christmas party inviting all the people that helped make the coat for her. Just delightful. And so was this day!