Tender Tracks Thurs Day 58

May 2, 2019
Waning Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Josie, Holden and Ellie absent.

Luna, Eamon and Theo were here today and here is the overview:  Incredible weather, creek exploration and large finds of Crawdads. HUGE Bullfrog tadpoles, games together, games apart, having older kids from another nature Program in our area and sharing space and joy with them, gathering Doug Fir Spring tips, ease, relaxation, exploration, going beyond comforts only to expand and find more self esteem.

The biggest piece I noticed was the spaciousness to unfold, allow, and be with Nature.  The cicadas, birds, flowers, plants, wind, sky and life was vibrantly alive and exploding all around us.  It gave room for the children to find their own rhythm and patterns, their own nature.  The warmth on the gentle wind created ease and with that, Luna thought it best to just be in her shirt and underwear. Her warm dress got wet from the play they were all doing in the Horse trough at our beginning spot on Sunny Hill. There weren’t cool enough clothes for her liking and it seemed ok to let her be in her underwear and shirt. She was, content.

After circle we went on an adventure. Ruby and I had a notion of where to go yet, it felt so clearly that the children’s interests, needs, wants and desires were going to be heard by all of life and that we would all be guided to the right space and, we were.

Below us were the older children from Terra Marin School.  We tried to sneak up on them but alas, we were truly in to clear of view so, we came out and they all turned and gave us a grand good morning welcome. Prior to this I was playing a game with all of them where they turn away from me/Ruby and we try to go ever, ever, ever so quietly in order to touch them on the shoulder.  Their part of the game is to listen, listen and listen. If they hear any kind of foot steps they point without looking and we start all over again.  They liked this game and tried it throughout. This is yet another way to bring stillness within and greater awareness of the world around them/connection to.

We wound up at the creek near where we usually are.  Theo really wanted to climb over the log across the creek. He, with absolute ease scampered over.  Eamon followed after at time. Luna and I were trying to find the Tadpoles.   After awhile we all wound up on the other side.  Theo and Eamon gathered LOT’S of crawdad bodies.  Luna did that yet also was happily finding other things that interested her.   Ruby gave it a go at trying to catch a crawdad and that was highly exciting and “entertaining” for not only us but the older children from the other school. After awhile one of those children came over and, with a great technique, caught one!

Luna and I found a millipede, of sorts. Theo came over and was really excited about that! Luna loved how it tickled her hand when she held it.
We brought our packs over on this side and had lunch. Luna’s gratitude at the end of the day was sitting on this side to eat.

After lunch they all went back to exploration and then we made our way over to get up to the spill way and see more frogs and such.  Eamon, Luna and I went a more challenging way. Luna was nervous yet made it and Eamon scampered along with helping Luna.  Theo and Ruby went the other way. Theo can climb with such ease he actually got ahead of us.  Luna and I took a little longer to get out of the creek area. As we walked up the stairs we wondered,  “Where are our friends?”  SURPRISE, they were hiding in such a good place that we did not see them.  All of their stealth, ability to be still and quiet and observations are growing as they sat their ever so quietly for quite some time waiting for us.

When we got to the top we spent the last part of the day looking for the frogs, tadpoles, crawdads and then found holes in the platform we were on where we could see the water below. Putting sticks in those holes and then running over to see them flow down the spill way. This was, great deal of fun!  Getting back to the bus was fun as well and drawing the picture of the day too.