Palo Alto Tender Tracks Day 41 March 1, 2012

Waxing Moon First Quarter
Thornwood Open Space Preserve

Bodie was home sick today and everyone else was here.  The sky was showing signs of raining on and off all early morning before Tender Tracks began.  It was time to decide, do we set up the fire as usual and cook popcorn and all the other things I wanted to do with them with regards to fire or, do I go the other direction that I was being pulled and, rain or not, go on a grand adventuresome hike to Thornwood.  The later won out.  We waited until all arrived and then got in the bus.  Sure enough, the higher we got in elevation and the closer we got to Thornwood the more rain came down. By the time we got there it did not really stop raining until we drove home.  It was a GRAND adventure and one I like to offer children as a way to develop true resourcefulness and self confindence.

This day was cold but not too cold and wet and rainy but not blizzardy.   Giulio, Alexi, Jasper, and Kashi had the time of their lives today in the rain.  They were not bothered in the least.  Giulio actually seemed to come alive. He ran and played the entire day.  Kashi was warm and toasty and so content even though at the end of the day when it came time to strip off the wet clothes his were actually quite wet.  Jasper, though wet throughout on the top part of his body was far too involved with having fun in the rain to notice and the same for Alexi, happy and enjoying it all.  Gracey was having a good time and only once or twice became a bit uncomfortable with some cold.  However, Anjalie, Lucy and Paul were not so comfortable with all this wet and the like.  Anjalie was quite cold but what a trooper, too much so I would say ,so I gave her my wool shirt and some mittens (actually put mittens on all of them at the beginning of our adventure)and this helped a bit. Lucy was dressed warm except her feet which just had tennis shoes on. She didn’t like how they squished when she walked so she would stand still but that would only make her cold.  She was encouraged to move and did.    And Paul, well, he sat there shivering away.  I gave him my wool fingerless gloves which covered his whole hand.  He took them off at times when they were in his way and then would put them back on again, as needed. When we got him moving he was much better but this was not weather that he had great familiarity with nor any instant appearance of love and appreciation.  He was however his usual and wonderfully adaptable and joyful Paul.

Other then that the walk down to the pond was filled with finding all the land marks.  We discovered that the Smiley face Guardian and the Laying down Grandma tree have changed quite a bit, especially Grandma.  She has lost all her legs that have stuck up in the air for children to climb for so many, many years.  They discovered a new “Snakey tree that they are now calling Snakey tree 2 and the other one “Snakey Tree 1.”   Down at our sight they ate, and then we went on an exploration through the wilds of the Willows and the young Horsetail shoots and found a little waterfall.  Some were really getting cold so I made sure that we would get back at least a half hour earlier to take all the time we needed to change and then maybe tell a story that they have been requesting.

The walk back of course got them warmer.   When we got back I was so delighted that we had three of us.  I have a specific way I like to do the changing of clothes in order to create some kind of order with all of the wet things.  Audrey added another aspect to the order which was wonderful to have and together, one by one, we brought them in and changed them into warm clothes.
Laurie and Paul brought up the rear of the group and she stayed on the outside with all the children who were waiting to come in.
After they were all changed I bundled them into  blankets but we did not have time for a story, alas, and just drove back.