Marin Tender Tracks Wed. Dec. 9, 2015 Day 12

Waning Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Another fun and expansive day.    All were here and ready to go.  The play dynamics are greatly expanding in such a beautiful way.  The first half of the day Isabella and Kai were together, giggly and enjoying one anothers company a great deal. Kuba, Eli and Ruby played in and out with each other.  In the afternoon there was more switching around. Isabella playing with Eli, Ruby in her more slow and so beautifully taking her time way with all things while Kuba and Kai delighted in running about. Kai was REALLY into being an Engine from the beginning of the day the way they played last week so of course, they DID become Engines, again.
When we got there we set up our spot by the fire pit and began to make a fire in order to make popcorn!  Kuba, who is a born builder and architect, creating a fire ring with some big logs and did fully get why we couldn’t really use that one due to fire safety.  However, he wound up being content with using those logs to put around the fire for us to sit on.  In the end, Ruby chose to sit on a sweet stump outside of the log circle and Eli wanted to sit next to her.  Kai, Kuba and Isabella were very happy upon the log.   We took out almost the last of our fire wood and tinder that was very very dry and it only took two matches to start it up and get it going.  I brought out the popcorn popper/one of those metal things that have a handle with a pot on it that you shake back and forth over the fire and you can see the popcorn popping it in. This is it’s name: Coleman Campfire Popcorn Popper.
While the popcorn was getting ready some of them went off to gather more fire wood.  Kai came back and decided not to as well as Kuba but Ruby, Eli and Isabella charged off with delight to gather some. But oh yes, the popcorn started to pop and, they ran right back. We did some popcorn dancing and then the pot got more and more and more full until IT WAS DONE!!!
They ate it up with delight. Kuba wanted to make more just because it was fun because he really wasn’t eating much of the popcorn.  We took the un popped Kernels and experimented with putting them into the fire to see if they would pop. And, THEY DID!!!  We laughed and delighted at the many different ways that the kernels popped . Some just flowered and some popped right out and all over.  Such fun it was to watch. We made another batch for next week so that we can string them into gifts for the birds.  Then came the fun of getting water from the creek and putting out the fire.  Kuba loved stiring the fire to get it cool when the water was put in and Eli and Isabella really loved getting water over and over again. Ruby joined in and Kai stayed by the fire watching it all.  They kept testing the fire to see if it had cooled down by putting their hands above it to feel the heat, or not.  We all finally agreed that it was fully out and then we were ready to move on.   They really wanted to find pumpkins in the forest, like they did at Halloween time.  I went in the bus and placed some man made items around our little forest for them to find with keen eyes.  A nature awareness game that will just expand and expand as they get older and more and more skilled at slowing down and looking for what is visible yet not.  They scampered about with delight to try to find these treasures.  They didn’t like all the treasures they found but they did like looking!!!
They kept searching around for more though and I am using it to plant many seeds that gifts and treasures are all around us if only we open our eyes to see.
Eli did find a treasure and he wanted to share it with with everyone.  He went to the other side of the creek and found a California Newt slowly walking ,walking. I came over and we watched it together for awhile and then he really, really, really wanted the others to share the joy of this “treasure” with him. Kuba finally came over and the three of us watched it crawl right into being invisible. We then wanted to be like this newt so we tried to get camoflauged when the others were coming over.  They found us though and then we all tried to find that Newt again but he was hidden so far from our site.
It was time to feed their bellies so we went inside our little shelter as there was a gentle misting/raining coming down.  Such a fun lunch as I told them two stories that I told them before yet they asked “Tell them again, tell them again!”   We had just a little more time so off we went to see if any Otters had come to the Lake.  When we got there no Otters were to be found but they were having such a good time.  The sad part is that typically by this time they have really unfolded into the day and it is so hard to then leave but alas, we really needed to go and back we went to find the bus.  We were successful with this , yet again, and had a splendid ride back home and a beautiful day.