Palo Alto Tender Tracks Day 40, Feb. 28, 2012

Waxing Crescent Moon
Foothill Park, back side

Today we were all ready to go straight to Huddart Park to work on our rattles.  The sky however was getting darker and darker and darker by the minute and before 9:17 it was starting to rain with great definition.  The plans quickly changed to getting buckets from the bus and gathering sand at the playground across the lawn.  All the children loved running over there and, digging the sand was fun but they really liked playing on the structures!!!  It was no trouble leaving there though and off to the bus we ran.  When we got inside the windshield was very wet and we thought we were in for quite the rainy morning.   This turned out not to be the case however.   By the time we got to Foothill park the sky cleared up enough.  We still were not sure but we never saw any more rain for the rest of the day.  I still think Huddart park would have been a different story though as that has always been the case in the past.

The children quickly ran out with joy and scattered to their most enjoyed places here. Bodie went immediately to his “house” and did not want to leave there for sometime.   All but Kashi were over in one place where I laid out the white parachute to sit on.  They were waving to Bodie in  a longing way for his company. He was like a young man who had his new house and he was happy to be working on it and not wanting to come over to be with the others due to this great joy of working on his home!

Most of the day Audrey and I were quite busy working on the rattles while the children played and played. Audrey helped Paul finish sewing his rattle and helped Jasper and Bodie completely sew theirs.  While she was doing that I was helping the children fill their rattles with sand and then find a stick to put in the top.  Giulio spent the entire time playing with the sand in the bucket while each child, including himself, filled their rattle up.  All the children had such a fun time doing these tasks too.  There was no complaint, hesitancy or the like.  And, when they were finished, off they went back to play.

When the rattle tasks were done, all but Paul, Giulio and Bodie went on a wonderful romp down the meadow to look for mushrooms under a tree, a mission I sent them on.    When they got back I brought out blankets because it was getting a little cold, at least for Bodie. They took a while but they laid down, got cozy and I told them a story.   Then, after creating a few new and revised jobs, they all picked their stone and found out what their new jobs were.   I was going to tell another story but a couple of them  were just too filled with vim and vigor and there was no room for a story.  Others were very sad about that but in truth, it really was time to pack up so, that is what we did.

Today Gracey was filled with the Angel/Devil type of behavior.  She would be a bit unkind to someone. Then someone would complain, I invited the one with the complaint to share their hurt and what they would want and Gracey, with Deer like gentle eyes, said, ” Ok” and would give them big hugs.   Later on she was going around kissing everyone, and not always to the liking of the receiver!  However, Anjalie was loving being with Gracey today and Gracey was loving being friends with Anjalie.

Jasper had lot’s of energy and wanted to help out in all ways. When he wasn’t focused on a task he would get himself into some mischief with someone but nothing on the  “Oh, Dear” and “Oh,No what to do!” type of scale. Just lot’s of energy to move, and do.

Alexi was actually quite quiet today yet he had no separation trouble at all on this day.  He was quite easeful the entire day.  Kashi was very involved with helping Bodie and his home.   Bodie was really into being a Super hero and he got all the children involved in being Super Heroes and saving people from terrible calamities.  I am joyfully seeing them in my minds eye right now all running up and down the hill at Bodie’s “house” with such exuberance and color as they “saved the day.”

The rattles were finished at the end of the day, at least this part and I was surprised and happy and so were they to see how beautiful they all looked.  Lucy helped Giulio find a stick for his rattle too and Jasper helped Giulio get his shoes on.  So, Giulio was  happy today yet liked staying in one place and was not very interested in doing any major tasks on his own. He LOVED feeling that sand being sifted through his fingers  all day.  And Paul, with his regular shoes on these days he is just bounding with running abilities and far greater ease in his body to move all around.

On the way back a very typical 4/5 year old scene took place: telling jokes.  Four and Five year old jokes I find to be so very funny. Not because the jokes are funny but because THEY think they are so funny!!!