Tender Tracks Tues. Week 13 Day 25

December 11, 2018
Waxing Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Luna was absent

A fine day indeed we did have.
Highlights: Listening to Ruby tell her version of Stones Soup , chopping vegetables, meeting older, in age, nature kids and learning how to use our most fine manners with people we just meet.  Sitting still and listening to the many sounds around us, climbing slippery and challenging Fall  season rocks and making it through with just a little help. Continuing to practice using patience with listening one to the other, to name a few things.

The children are becoming more and more aware of each other, the earth and sky above.  They are expressing verbally their awareness/observations of the differences between boys and girls and who plays with who. Such as, Luna plays with both the boys and the girls.

As to the weather, it was cool yet warming as the day carried on.  We set up our circle in our “sunny spot” above/ to the upper side, of the waterfall.  Ruby told a wonderful version of Stones Soup and the children were completely enthralled and immersed in the tale. The boys were overheard in their play, before they even knew that we were going to make our own stones soup, acting out the story.  We spent time really listening and we continue to instill the quality of “listening with our hearts.”

Many children say that “the stones don’t talk” or “the plants don’t talk” and such things.  I say, if we sit still and listen with our hearts you can hear them quite clearly. And, I hold that to be true. 🙂
How do we do this?, with our heart, our ears, our eyes, our nose, and our touch. This is the way we can hear the world alive and speaking, all in their own language.

After circle the children spread out.  There was the usual beginning of the week reintegration to each other land learning how to play together again. And, as has been the case, they got it.  The play ebbed and flowed.  Josie had an upset because Uma chose not to play with her for a time. She said she wanted to “be by myself.” Uma let Josie know that she would let her know when she was ready to play together again. This, however, was so hard for Josie’s heart, so, she came with me to do some “errand”s together. We then went off to play in the woods, slide down hills and sneak up on the boys.  When she saw that all the children were together she then came over to play again. Ruby and I began to play a game and the girls came in. It was there that Uma sat next to Josie and said that she loved her because they were friends.  A few words about loving our friends even when we want to be alone or play with someone else were shared and then, back to the game.  Hearts finding their way, slowly and consistently.

Ruby was needing to set the surprise and fun up for the making of the soup so I took the children on an adventure to where we were last week to find the Bay Nut Babies.  Off we all went to find these babies AND back to the “house of the baby monsters.”  There we played, gathered some Bay Nuts, went down to the creek and then, Ruby came. She told us that she had found an ONION and that there might be more of the vegetables from the story nearby. “Let’s go see!”  And off they went. But first, they had to figure out how to get to the other side without getting wet!   They wound up finding at least three different ways and then, Carrots sticking out of trees?, zucchinis in Fairy homes that were just built? and on it went to then see that a beautiful table was set for cutting and cooking!  What joy!  Then the cutting began, well with a little knife safety prior.  Eamon did get a little cut and Uma took care of it as she was the Guardian of Safety.

Josie LOVED cutting and says she cooks at home a lot.  Ellie had a hard time cutting yet she persevered. Uma enjoyed cutting. Theo liked it yet it was a little hard for him at first to make the carrots into smaller pieces. Holden was quietly enjoying cutting though it was a little hard for him as well and Eamon, other than the cut, went right to it.  Theo loved this process so much that when Eamon asked him to go play he said: “No, I want to watch the vegetables go into the pot.”  He soon after went to play with them but back and forth wondering when it would be done.  And, when the steam came billowing out, it was done!

All were called in and the soup was dished out. The Girls LOVED it and had several helpings. The boys, well, they ate it but with vigor and joy and then they finished the lunch that they had.

After lunch, we played.  There was this wonderful piece of wood shaped in a great way for a target of sorts. Like a hoop.   This is where we threw the bay nut babies through. Josie really liked this. Earlier Theo and Holden tried to throw sticks through it.  The boys and the girls were playing, trying to get one another and then they all came across the bigger kids in a nature program.  Ruby and I know the teachers and it was fun to “intermingle.”  All the children went down by the water and the girls really worked at navigating over the slippery rocks.

We watched the older children, by their gracious invitation, work on making a fire and then, we packed up, made a picture of the day and then went back home.

This was a full and beauty filled day.