Palo Alto Tender Tracks Day 35, Feb. 2, 2012

Waxing Gibbeous Moon
Arastradero Preserve

Gracey was absent today. The day started out so delightfully when Alexi and Lucy arrived.  Alexi was standing in the Sun light and turning round and round and round.  Laurie got curious about what he was doing and Alexi said he was trying to get his shadow to be in another place!  This was FABULOUS!!!!!  I started to play a game with him: I asked him to step on the head of my shadow and stand there really strong while I ran up to him.  He could not hold onto my shadow. No matter how many times we tried!!!!
Lucy was involved with discovering some of the plants that are now growing in the field that were also part of the cards that they received last week and we started to eat some of the edible ones!  Jasper arrived in great spirits, as usual, on his bike that he rode round and round and round and one by one they all arrived.

The rattles, rainstick, drums and pouches were laid out on the log, they chose what they wanted, went straight to their spots,
though they are still learning where North, South, East,and West are, and then we sang to all these great directions. Then, we RANNNNNN to the open field, asked the Sky children to listen to our request for rain, sang our songs then put our instruments down and sang and danced our ran song and dance. They then ran back to the mats.  There we had our circle with jobs, and the story from Tuesday with vigor.  I also shared with them a story that I found many years ago with a Rock.  I brought the rock.  It is my favorite  and is  completely round with a hole in it made by a crab whose spit can eat away at rock!!!   They rolled it around like a bowling ball and Jasper found a way to make music with it: He would put in his finger and then POP it out.  Anjalie tried this but it did not work for her. Does finger size matter???  These are the things to ponder and discover somewhere along the road of life……
And, this story has been the theme of finding stories everywhere and noticing more and more. It is a way, through fun, play and imagination, to continue developing deeper relationships with all of life and, it was also used to aid them in finding their way to our destination today: The pond at Arastradero Preserve.

After our fun circle time we made our way to the Preserve.   There we took a path in a completely different direction from Tuesday. We had to cross the wilds of the Concrete river with ever rushing Metal Monsters. We put our Deer Ears on, Our Owl eyes on + our Keen Hawk Eyes, we waited, we watched, we listened and then, we RAAANNNNNNNNN all the way across this concrete river with much safety. Phew!!!  Then, Going on a story trek, gonna find a Great one….what’s that up ahead?  A path, where is the bridge…… and off they went.  When Jasper found tall grass, like the story/song, he swooshed through them and the others joined.

They had to find three bridges. Actually I thought there were only two but Giulio figured out that there were actually THREE!! he was very right.   They  found the bridges and turns and people who were standing in a specific way that we guessed that they were either taking pictures or using their binoculars.  It turns out that they were using both!  We came across scat and trails, bridges, and stones, small paths, large paths, and then, the tree to climb under….They found all and made it right to the pond.    At the pond there was fishing line to play with, Cattails to make a boat out of, mud to be played in, a tree to ride upon, scat to be found,  red across the pond to go and figure out what it was and come back and share and a duck of a different sort to watch going up and down and figure out who and what it was.  Alexi liked throwing the rocks in and making “telephones” as I call the concentric rings that come when you throw pebbles in water.  There were bubbles coming up out of the water that we were guessing about and, as is I so often say,because it is true, SO MUCH MORE!

When it was time to go we decided it would be best to go a little earlier because some take longer then others with walking.  Well, the fast ones ran ahead and everytime they were called to stop at a certain spot, THEY DID!! Golden nuggets to be had for such team work!  Four times they did this.  Bodie and Audrey were in one group behind the rest of us and then there was Laurie and Paul even further behind.  Paul said “I’m really slow” Laurie reported. But he didn’t seem to mind. He just wanted to wander and wander like Ferdinand the Bull.  Ah well, can’t completely do that but at least a bit.  Bodie and Audrey, I heard, had a fine time of discovery on their gentle walk back and, as to the rest that I was with, we went to the museum there to wait for the others and, as Jasper said about the displays, “we know these!” as he refered to the leaves, scat and birds that were all around us.   I went and got their “golden nuggets”.  We sat in a semi circle and gave them out.  What a delight.  Then some how a song and topic came up about the more you give out the more you really receive and vice a versa so Giulio and Lucy began giving their golden nuggets to others.  Very sweet and fitting for this month where we think of Love and the heart more than other months.

When we got in the bus the typical stripping down happened.  It was a hot day and they all think this is very, very fun and funny!