Tender Tracks Friday Day 19

February 8, 2019
Waxing Crescent Moon
Wendolyn’s Meadow

With the weather forecast predicting lots of cold rain, we headed to a new location; Wendolyn’s Meadow! Before program, Ruby, Wendolyn and I prepared by putting up a canopy for rain protection and gathering some special things for the day. Blake and Charlie were absent today and they were missed.

We started the day off by playing and exploring in Peri park. The creek is so much higher than it was in Fall when we dipped our bare feet in it. We played chase and hide and used long sticks to pull items from the water. We found many pieces of broken pottery and tried to fit them together like a puzzle. After our Peri park play we headed to Juniper Rose for a short ride to a new place.

Upon arrival, we had many things to unload from Juniper Rose and the children made multiple trips to the canopy and back to the bus carrying all sorts of supplies for the day. We had buckets for sitting on, bags of tasty snack items, fire-making supplies (just in case,) and other helpful items.

It was already snack time so we set up one of our surprises: the camp stove! We cooked up some delicious hot oatmeal and while it cooked, I shared some tea to keep us warm as we waited. When the oatmeal was ready, we mixed in some honey and topped it with cashews and raisins. It was a warm and yummy treat on a cold day, and some children even had 2 bowls!

There were many large logs near the meadow, some were even taller than the children and we all had so much fun climbing on, around, and under them. The logs became the Raccoon Home for the day. We went on an adventure to find a swing that Ruby told us about, and along the way we had some magical encounters with some amazing animals. First, we met 3 chickens in a coop and had a brief conversation with them and admired their decorated space. Then, in the meadow, we saw four deer and Siena reminded us to continue quietly on our fox feet so we would not scare the deer.

We found the swing and helped to push each other. Ruby challenged us with a mystery plant we could smell but not see and then we went on a search to find our mystery flower. It was yellow and white and had a strong smell, and Margot found it! Later, Siena was the Pinecone Queen and we were all loyal members of her Queendom and brought pinecones to her throne.

On our way back to the canopy for lunch, we saw the deer family again and then pretended to be chickens to surprise Ruby and Margot. By this time it had started raining and we were very grateful for the cover over our lunches. We could hear the Rain Children tapping on the canopy and could see them making the grass dance. After lunch we played our buckets like drums and sang songs to the Rain Children.

At the end of the day, all of the children helped to bring supplies back to the bus and then cuddled under blankets to share our daily gratitude. We shared everything that was wonderful from our day and sent lots of love to Blake and Charlie, too.

Our picture of the day featuring: deer, oatmeal, logs, friends, flowers, rain, a swing, and LOVE!