Tender Tracks Tues. Week 14 Day 27

Dec. 18. 2018
Waxing Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Well, another beautiful yet, holiday about to begin energy, day.  Yup, it was fun yet very loud and energized, at times.

It seems that our friends Nature Program will most likely be at Lake Lagunitas on the days we are there from now on and the children are enjoying this older bunch of kids very much!  From a healthy nature school perspective to have different age groups like this sharing space is the most natural, organic and healthy thing to happen. The co-mingling is superb.

Our day began quite late as we got up here late. By the time circle happened it was almost 11!!  No matter, the children were having such a fine time of it all morning.  They found mushrooms that were put on the table near our circle and they went to town playing with and exploring them. FYI, even poisonous mushrooms can be touched, and even those fingers put in your mouth. What they cannot do safely is be EATEN.  So I invite you to relax a bit around mushrooms and your children. And most importantly, if this information is unsettling please do some research. If I am wrong show me your source of info straight away. Thank you!:)

When we got to circle Theo did a fine Weather report and we all checked out the sky.  Then we sang and had our Birthday Story, songs for the birthday child, a gift for the birthday child and snack. Theo WAS this birthday child and, he did NOT like the snack that his family brought and did not eat a bit of it. Everyone else, however, wanted seconds and thirds.

After this belated circle the children got to work playing. I brought out cranberries to string and all the girls had such a good time doing this while Ruby finished the handles for their lanterns. The boys were having too much fun playing. They wanted to be near the other children below and were found there often. We asked the other group if they minded and let them know we were watching them. They had NO problem with this. Later on we played some games with them and went under the waterfall with them and laughed with them and, well just had a fine time of it.  We then went to lunch.  After lunch the children below showed us the meat they were cooking over the fire and we got ready to go on a little adventure to see how the weather was doing up above.

Some things we did throughout the day:
• In the bus first thing I had two hats with different items in them to feel, with out looking.  They got to guess what they were and then see what they were. One bag was pocky while the other a little rough and a little not.
• After lunch Theo, Holden and Eamon were the See no Evil, Speak no evil, Smell no evil monkeys. Each one were put in the position of the above and then their task was to smell, see and hear something. They took turns being with each one of  these senses.
• At the top of our hill on the walk way above, they all sat down and very quietly looked to see who was on the water and where it’s friend was. Then, they each drew straws and had a task to do on the way back to the bus. What they needed to find was their “bus ticket” to enter the bus. 🙂

Then a quiet singing of the song they associate with the Kalimba when I play it, Funga a Lafia and then I quietly played while they each shared something they loved from the day.

They went home with their cranberry strings and the Madrone berry necklaces and /or bracelets from a month ago. We let them really dry all this time.