Palo Alto Tender Tracks Nov. 19, 2013 Day 23

Waning Crescent Moon
Wunderlich Park

Zara was sick today. We sent her Health and Happiness.
The day was filled with gray skies that we spent time on and off looking at to see if it would really rain. Many children had heard the weather report that it was supposed to rain but, by days end, it had only trickled.  I encouraged them to keep looking at the clouds. If they do it enough they will begin to read the sky better then the Weather reporter!!!
For those of you who are wondering how you can support the program and what goes on with your children, keep a cloud journal/weather journal.  After awhile you will begin to see cloud and weather patterns and you will get more and more skilled at predicting/knowing what the weather will be for the day  all from just by watching and drawing some pictures or writing some descriptions.
When we got to Wunderlich out they popped and first thing we noticed was that the Horse corral that is always right in front of us was GONE!! There was however horse poop and Cole found a bone that he kept all day until the very end when it broke.  He no longer wanted to keep it then and gave it back to the Earth.
Circle time we had a new story called Fredrick. You can find this in the library. It is by Leo Lionni, a well known childrens author.  It is a story about this time of year, gathering in the harvest and gathering in the things that most don’t think about: colors, warmth and the stories of each other.
From there we found our way down a familiar trail to the “refrigerator forest” as Juliette remembered.  There we set up camp, spread out, played and discovered.
Zac and Cole were really into their killing, protecting and mostly JAIL!!!   I used to get startled by this when I would hear year after year four year olds playing this game.  One year I went back to my Developmental books and low and behold, there it was, all this recorded observations of four year olds playing Jail, a lot.  I can understand the theme now and so it is very, very fun to play with them.   It is great to get very curious about the jails they wish to put us in, if we get food, are there any windows, why are we being taken in there any way!!? and on and on.  The games then get very playful.   The girls began playing jail with Jill and she had the BEST jail ever.  She was served great food in a wonderful, comfortable jail that had all one would need.  Jill thought maybe it would be good just to stay there for a long time!!!:)
Me however, I laugh greatly here, ended up in a grand restling match with Cole and Zac which they LOVED!!!!!!
Prior to that though, Julian, Cole and Ridham had me in a jail.  I said that if I was going to be in jail I would really like some pie and what kind of pie would they give me.  Cole was apple pie, Julian was pumpkin pie and Ridham  had a kind of apple with apple sauce.  He also had a great jail with three windows that were open. I  got to stay in each one of their jails, with pie,up to three days each!  So really, it just wasn’t so bad.  But, all of this happened after, I was with all but Juliette and Serena.  We were down in the creek climbing on logs, pounding on dead logs, building homes and the like.  Ridham and Eden were very happy making “cornmeal” and the other boys were playing on a big log and all around the area.
Jill, Juliette and Serena were playing and eating where we first were. Eden then went over with them along with Ridham and  I began to tell a story to Julian. Cole and Zac filtered in.  Then, rain drops started to fall and the rest came over to us.
Now I was ready to take them to the small culvert that I wanted to show them up the trail.  We went there and they had such a good time exploring it.  Ridham had “shelter” pieces, eucalyptus bark, and was delighted to be playing with that and telling us about it as well as making his incredible mouth sounds.  Zac and Eden were REALLY trying to imitate him but never quite mastered it.   Cole, Julian, Juliette,and  Serena were playing in and out of the Culvert and then, SECOND lunch, and back down to the back packs we went.  But oh yes, when it started to sprinkle, Eden piled all the packs up in a little shelter that was there.   The children played for awhile and it was the great jail games and wrestling that happened at this time.
When it was time to leave the volume was still very loud so Jill and I brought them into a silencing awareness game which you listen to all the sounds around  you. Every time you hear a DIFFERENT sound you raise a finger.  When they shared what they heard some heard Beavers, Whales and such. What good ears you Have my dear!!!
We did it a second time and this time, as we were being so very quiet, we all heard bark falling from a tree.  Thank you tree!!! and then, off to the bus we went.