Palo Alto Tender Tracks Tues. Oct. 5, 2013 Day 19

Waxing Crescent Moon
Huddart Park

After all the holiday excitement, preparations and parties in the children’s lives today felt like a great day to unwind and walk into a day of ease, exploration and adventure.  When we got to the park we had a little circle with new songs, accept the cricket one because I still am hearing the crickets, and  a new story about How Squirrels find their nuts!  And, are you still hearing the crickets singing?
Before circle Cole, Eden and Jill ran up the hill and back again. When they were at the top they saw three deer.  One buck and two does.  They shared about it when they got back down.  After circle, story and snack we made our way down, down, down, down  a wonderful trail.   We went through magick door ways and found lot’s of poop, Horse poop!  “Why is there so much poop?”  ” How old do you think the poop is?”  “can we see any horses around or hear any?”  And on went the questioning.
They were very involved with all of this and down the trail we went finding more and more.
When we got to the bottom we came out to a larger trail going to the right and the left.  I had them take their time and look at the trail from many directions as if they were walking back to it. Why?  To aid them in finding their way back and become “Lost Proof” as the books call it.   There was then a little trail that we all went down, found the dry creek bed and set up camp there.   From here a variety of things took place:
•Going down the creek and discovering large rocks to climb
•”Family” play/games
• Climbing up and down difficult sides of hills
• Making paint with rocks and painting selves or me
• Building Fairy houses and finding great material to do so
While all this was happening Liam was having a very hard day that Jill and I would go in and out of with him.
On the way back up the trail Serena got a splinter and this brought her into a very large upset. Zara and Eden were the calmest and most helpful friends to her. They held her hand and very peacefully stayed with she and Jill all the way back up the trail.
Zac was just having fun all day and Ridham and Jill made GREAT face paint, two colors from two different rocks.
Julian was playing with Zac a lot and, oh yes, Cole was home sick so we sent him Health and Happiness thoughts.
The day was varied with challenges and joys.