Palo Alto Tender Tracks Tues. Dec. 3, 2013 Day 25

Waxing Crescent Moon
Arastradero Preserve

Today was a very cold day though it did not start out quite as cold as it ended up to be.
Cole arrived first and headed straight to the Redwood Tree stump where he and Zac had pounded the top with their hammers.  He was delighted to see that the marks they had made were still there and so wanted to stay at the park all day having a fire, making popcorn and HAMMERING!!!  When Zac came he and I went to the other stumps where they had put nails in.  Juliet and Julian checked out their handy work last time as well. Then, all of the children, once they got there, went to see if their apple birds nest’s were still where they put them. Almost all were gone yet remnants of string was left hanging on some of the trees!!!
Then into the bus we went.  It was a very peaceful time in the bus to begin with, greeting each other after being gone for a week and handing out stuffies. When we got to Arastradero we had our circle close by with new songs for this month of december.  (FYI: I continue to try and put them up on the web and in these posts and for some reason it is not working.  I hope to remedy this during the winter break. Please hang in there with me until I figure out what the glitch is.)
And we had a new story that was actually a lead into a game. The game is about really listening to hear who is making what sound.  One child is “Tommy Tittle Mouse.”  They put their head in my lap, we all sing a little chant, and then one person makes some kind of animal sound.  “tommy” has to guess who they think it is.
Towards the end of the day we played this game and they all came in one by one to play and then didn’t want to stop even though we had to go.
After our circle we put on Tender Tracks gloves, got all of their warm clothes on and up the big hill we went.  Julian was quite tired today so not too far up he had wished we would stop right there.    We came to a cross roads and had to decide which way to go.After that decision we then had another one when we came  a small trail  or the one that we were on.  Decisions, decsions!!
As we meandered up, up and up, we came to the top and then turned to the right.  There used to be a home of someone I knew who had LLamas there and I wanted to take the children to see them as well as go to a great Buckeye tree that is good for climbing.   We got there and found HUGE Buckeye’s!  The children immediately began  gathering and gathering and gathering.  We then ate lunch and then, went down the hill to find the Llamas. But, They were gone!!!  It looked like the past owners might not even be there any more. However, when we were going down we spooked out a Jack Rabbit.  Unfortunately I was the only one who saw it DASHING away!
After we finished checking out where the Llama’s used to be we went back up the very big and dirt cloddy hill.  They began to play on the tree and Jill and I began to make Buckeye toys for them.  Cole wanted a Zombie carved face but, I said I really didn’t know what that would look like so he settle for Frankenstein and, though I did my best, truly it did not do Frankestein justice!
Juliet, Ridham and Zara/ Eden?, wanted Jack o lantern faces.  Those I can do well.   Jill made some “scarey” faces and then we had to find sticks to put in there.
Not long after that a Park Ranger came by, due to a very freightened neighbor that I have run into before and who called him, to let us know that we had to leave that area because it was off the trail.    I was unaware of this as I called many years ago just about this spot and was given permission but, he is the Guardian of the place so packed up we did and back to the trail head we went.  He met us there and told us two places that we could go so off and down the trail we went.  But, the sky was getting very, very gray and the air was VERY cold.  Walking was a good idea as it is a good way to stay warm.
The children followed the trail and our intention was to go back to the bus to stay warm and I was going to read them  a book I told them that I wanted to.   However, we came across this very large and old dead Eucalyptus log.  We stayed there climbing it, building a shelter from the wind and having fun until we played Little Tommy Tittle mouse and then had to go.
From there we found our way down the trail and back to the bus.
During the day:  Julian, as I said was a bit tired today with a runny nose, well most of us had runny noses due to the cold, but after he ate he said, “I must have just needed to eat.  I feel much better.”  And after that he was more energetic.
Juliette, was her usual self of feeling quite warm and not wanting to put a coat on.  I let it be until the end of the day when it was just COLD! Other then that she seemed happy climbing the buckeye tree and playing with different people.
Zac was another one who does not like to wear coats and says he is warm yet the same scenario as Juliet occured at the end of the day.  He was delighted to play with Buckeyes, run down hills and climb all over the huge log.
Cole I already mentioned, he really wanted to stay at the park and made it clear at the end of the day that he did not like all the walking.
Ridham was very happy playing with Buckeye’s running up and down hills, creating some kind of Mud place that Serena did not like since she wanted to play in the exact same place and didn’t want mud.  I suggested they just pretend that it is what they each want even though it is in the same place. They did, they were content, and on they went smiling at this solution.
Serena, playing with others, a bit cold, yet strong with her ability to climb up and down the hills with no challenge.
Zara and Eden are like siblings of late.  Loving to play with each other yet arguing and getting in to spats regularly through out the day.