Palo Alto Tender Tracks Tues. Sept. 29, 2013

Waning Gibbeous Moon
Day 36
Wunderlich Park

All were here and the weather was warm and delightful. Since I did not have my computer I wrote notes down when I got home and here they are:

Alice: struggling with Evan yet able to let go and make healthy self supportive choices around her interactions with him.  She was very sensitive to being called a baby, liar or making up her stories and had tears on off easily with all the children.  By days end this subsided. She loves, loves! playing Mom and did a lot of that throughout the day.  She also loved taking her shoes offf and going into the water.  At the end of the day she made a great connection with Taz.
Taz: He was very much into his world with Kaden yet really joined in with thte group when I called them all together to figure out what we wanted to do abou some of the difficulties that they were all having.  He really enjoyed singing traditional pre school songs that Jill brought in on the way back on the bus. And, as I said above, he had a nice connection at the end of the day with Alice.
Kaden:  Kaden was  happy and able to stay more with what his own desires were when asked for ideas of what do when someone gets hurt by accident.  All the other children said, ‘Say you’re sorrry or..?’ can’t quite remember the other suggestions . He said, ” Ask if they are o.k.”  This is the way Kaden is, very thoughtful, gentle and kind.
Emme: Emme was full of light and fun. She really was taking care of herself with regard to warmth.  I can see her in my minds eye now hauling a big log with Alice as they were creating, something.  It really is all about the doing not the end product at this age.
Gisselle:  Gisselle started the day very slow and quiet. She was this was all morning until she ate her pizza.  I stayed with her during that time while all the other children were off playing.  Little by little all the other girls came over to eat and then Paul  joined  the group.  After everyone finished and went away she said, “I’m here by myself” not seeming to like that very much so, off she ran to join the rest.  From that moment on she was energetic, alive, active and involved. She and Aoife held hands part of the way back to the bus with such ease and joy.
Aoife: She was so fun and engaged with the girls and sometimes the boys. Her bright smile and adventuresome spirit made the playing all the more fun for everyone.  At the beginning of the day driving to Wunderlich Alice and Evan were having a hard time being next to each other.  I asked the group if anyone would be willing to switch seats with them.  All said no yet after a few moment’s Aoife gently said that she would switch with Alice.  She has such a giving heart and does not show signs of enjoying it when others are in emotional discomfort.
Miu: Miu is such a great balance between masculine and feminine.  She fits in with the boys and the girls and likes to do what either gender is doing.  She really likes to run and play with the boys a lot and does not shy away from anything they do.  She doesn’t play the super heroe games but she sure likes having the swords which were brought out again today via Evans desire.  She doesnt’ really fight with them, she just likes holding them. She and Alice finally got there turn after the boys had them for quite some time.  They spent a bit of time doing the initial ceremony done to show that you are fighting fair: you tap the swords switching back and forth on either side of the sword three times and then begin. Well, they never really began. They counted to ten doing this and proclaimed with great joy and exuberance “We won!!!!” and then they were done and off to play somewhere else.   She really liked taking the sword and pretending it was a hatchet as she chop, chop, chopped at a tree limb.
I asked, while half the chhildren were climbing on a laying down Bay tree, if any of them ever get bad dreams.  Miu was the first to say she did so I spent the rest of the day making her a Dream Catcher for her bad dreams.  Others wanted one but I didn’t have time today. So Miu got it and she was very happy with this.
Paul:  He was REALLY into  pushing and killing today. He is so playful and warm hearted  though.   He just LOVES!!!! to run and play fight and laugh and that is what he did.  I thought he ate lunch earlier but it turns out that he didn’t so on the way back he was about to eat his sandwich when a dog running by ate the half of his sandwich that he left, for a moment, on the ground.  He just sat there with his mouth open in a bit of astonishment over what just took place.  I showed him that he had another sandwich and that seemed to feel a bit better.
Evan: Well, he and Alice really work things out a bit. They behave so much like siblings!  He also is so helpful not only to her but to Gisselle.  Gisselle needed some help getting up a hill and he ran to her aid just like he does for anything or anyone that needs something.  My favorite part of the day though was when Kaden and Taz were on one part of the creek and he and Paul were on the other.   Evan pronounced them “Bad guys”. They came over closer to them and Taz said that he did not want to be a Bad Guy.  Evan, filled with excitement said, ‘ Well, we know that we are all really good guys but we just need to have someone be the bad guy!’  Taz still did not want to be the bad guy so Evan said ‘all right, then we will be the bad guys.’  And off they all went to play there game.  As soon as we got to our stable spot he found the debri hut that was in the making there and just loved being in it and building it up.

The day was alive, fun creative and after our “council” circle, the first we’ve ever had, they all strted to play so beautifully together.  I taught them an African song about coming together as a village in order to work and play to gether better before we had our council. It all seemed to work very well.