Marin Tender Tracks Tues. Oct. 14, 2014 Day 11

Waning Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Question of the day: Which side of the Moon is brightest during the Waxing Moon phase? Is it on the Western or Eastern Side of the Sky?

What an absolutely beautiful day!  The rain began to come down far sooner then expected and it seemed like it was really going to rain so, plans changed just a bit. Instead of going to the Lake right before Lake Lagunitas we went right back to our regular/familar place.  As soon as we got there we found REDWOOD CONES!!!!!!!  So, all was well and perfect as we flowed with what nature brought to us.
Half the children were not fully prepared so we got out all the Tender tracks rain clothes and divided them up.  We barely used any of them though as we only got gentle, gentle rain kisses and nothing that soaked our clothes.
Circle time is doing what is very typical at Tender Tracks with this age, some want to be there the whole time and some do not and all come in for at least part of the time.  This is perfectly fine within the boundaries that are set up for them and they all have been grand with that. Some are just wanting to “follow the leader”, leave circle if someone else does,  and that has been fine and very playful as well.
The story was still Turtle Tale and we wanted to find turtles today but, we did not.   However there was so much beautiful play.
• Building at their “Fire house”
Enzo and Ariel were having a GRAND time building a “decoration” wall with all the dead branches that were there.  Theron and Julian loved playing at the top of their house in their “fire house.”
• The rest were down at the creek with Linsey crawling over logs and discovering some INCREDIBLE fungus growing on a log
• Then, Jai then Nico came with me to gather Redwood cones
• Hana kept finding treasures and going on self created adventures and then…
Theron was struggling over sticks with Thea. I recognized that his strength was not  being utilized to it’s greatest and most wholistic potential. So he was enlisted to help drag a very big branch up from the creek. But of course, we needed everyone to help us out. Therefore, with Theron taking on the lead and then blending in with all, we tried to pull up this very, very heavy branch. Alas, the first one we couldn’t but then, we got the second one.  We all pulled it up and up and up and onto stable, flat ground. From there it became the greatest twirly merry go round with me sitting in the middle to make it a little harder for them to push. ( It seemed exactly what their energy bodies needed!)  Well, much to my suprise, not only could they push it but they were able to make it go faster and faster and faster. Finally I left the middle and they STILL were able to play with this until, they got too close to some of the other children and Linsey. I went to pull it away and SNAP, part of the branch broke. Theron was SOOO sad that he just ran and ran and ran with big tears.  From a trauma based thought process it couldn’t get any better then that. He was releasing all the sadness in his body by running and running.  I followed him for safety, gently talked with him and after a series of words to invite him in to help me with something he finally got engaged in something else and came down  closer to the others.

We were all getting ready to eat and they wanted to eat under the roof of the little house there.   Theron still wanted to explore on his own.  He did however come over with the children but ate his lunch sitting on his own right in the loving embrace of a Grand Redwood Tree. He seemed quite content and at ease.  The rest of the childrne were happy in their little house.
It began to get very cold so I introduced the “Cold Dance” which Hana, Velia and Ariel had a delightful time dancing to. After that we got very warm and  then we all packed up and made our way on a little adventure.
The children led us to a part of the lake that we went to last time and settled in there.
As I was telling a story about Anansi and the Moss covered rock a Ranger Truck came by.  We were startled and laughing at this unexpected and odd event and ran to the side of the trail.  I talked to the Rangers about the fire at Roys Redwoods. When they left we went right back to finish the story.  AFter that Theron, Jai and Julian had such a fun, fun  time continuing to play with the dirt where they did last time.  Linsey brought the rest of them into being stalking cats. They then all found a GREAT trail down below that led them to another part of the Lake and they were HAPPPY!!  Hana took her pants off because she needed them off “to dance like a fairy.”  Ariel wanted me to tell the story that I have told others about how the Doug Fir cones got Micey tails and feet sticking out of them.
Thea spent a lot of time with the other  girls today, Nico not as much with the boys and they all played together in the same games and in the same vicintiy a lot of the day.