Palo Alto Tender Tracks Thurs. Jan. 17, 2013

Waxing  Moon
Day 34
Thornwood Open Space Preserve

All were here accept Alice who was home sick with her brother.  The weather was freezing in the morning and Jackie Frost left his frosty, glistening and crystalin coat all over for us to explore.  The weather of the children today was like none I have yet to be present for: WILD, RUNNING, and then RUNNING and then MOVING. The entire group!  As soon as we got to our destination they got out of the bus,and began to play games chasing each other and running all around. After snack we got on the trail and they just RANNNNNN. Truly, they all just wanted to run and run and run and run.

I brought them back to this place in order for them to see if our bird seeds had gotten eaten up or if they were still there.  It was Emme who had the greatest interest in this and noticed a lot with Audrey and I.  The rest, well, their bodies impulse to just MOVE was far greater then their ability or desire to observe such small wonders such as seeds on the ground!

On this day more then others the divide between male and female interests was greatly pronounced.  The boys were loudly and deeply focused on killing, war, Super Heroes and such while the girls were deeply interested in Princesses and, their theme of late, Rapunzel.  I was able to create union with the Knights and Rapunzel and develop some skills of observation, stealth, chivalry and focus with this theme.  Audrey brilliantly went hiding for them to find and brought this into a very long game.  She was seen, then not, heard then not. They had to stop so often and really listen and then the sounds got confusing.  But oh no, then she could see them and spoke to that but, where was she????  Running all over they did, up and down and all around.

They were able to take their wild energy and focus it into a collective and supportive team effort but in the end, the boys were FILLED with great intensity throughout the day so, by days end, and beginning in the ride over there, they were seated as girl, boy, girl boy on the way back with the hopes of settling the energy a bit.  There was some success yet still, WOW quite the day.
In the middle of this whirlwind I told many stories relevant to the moment and they again, found focus and presence and then off again.   I made some Magic wands for some and Miu really wanted hers to be magickal so I shared with her ways to create magick which she REALLY wanted.  You see, here is the secret to true magick,” it all begins from the heart!….” and so that is what Miu did, throughout the day.    Aoife loved her magick wand as well and the rest, well the boys wanted their swords yet never got around to having enough patience to find the right stick so that I could work on them.    The girls however searched and searched for the right stick for their wands.   Such grand contrast!

All the children had such a fine time of it it running, playing, sorting out, figuring through, climbing around, throwing rocks in the pond, playing with the mud monsters, practicing their newlyy developed skills of navigating around deep mud on trails, slops and hills, finding beautiful mushrooms, noticing what is pleasurable to them, climbing up, over and around logs, branches and such and being a group.

Phew, what a day as the sun and cool air filled our lungs, excited our senses and brought us into the ever wonderful adventures of LIFE!