Tender Tracks Tues. Week 6 Day 11

Oct. 16, 2018
Lake Lagunitas
Waxing Half Moon

The day started with an unusual air about it and continued throughout the day. Three of the children were at ease and three were not.
Theo came in with a great deal of excess excited energy and cold. Uma had a North wind brewing inside and only wanted to be with Josie. Josie and she kept Ellie at bay, Ellie did not understand their rejection. We were working to aid the situation. Ellie’s wisdom kept her coming back for support from the grown-ups and found comfort from the boys’ invitation for her to play with them. However, their play at times was really not her cup of tea. 🙂

The boys were delighted and found great joy in continuing their play with the mud. They wanted to be Ninja’s so they painted themselves with mud after a great deal of being sucked up by “Mud Monsters” and beginning to throw mud balls at each other. Ruby came over and guided them to throwing the mud balls to the Earth instead of each other’s faces! 🙂
It then seemed like a good time to engage them in camouflage games. I hid under leaves and inside trees and they came to find me. Then it was their turn to hide. That was the best. Theo and Eamon stood behind a tree and kept making an owl sound until I found them. They were very joyful over this. Then Holden was way up the hill where I had hidden before. When I slowly crept up to him, he kept his eyes shut, shut, shut until he knew I was right there and went BOO! He said, “You couldn’t see me could you?” ” I had my eyes closed so you couldn’t.” He is still so much in his awe and wonder state.
They then had to wash up for lunch and proceeded to go to the water spigot and get wet yet basically clean.

Lunchtime began a bit loud and we just kept calming it down calming it down from the chaotic energy that kept ebbing and flowing prior. A stillness came in like a gentle breeze that sometimes took turns with its counterpart of wild and full. In the end, however, quietude came within them so that when lunch was over, easier play took place.

Our focus within Ruby and I was to make soap root paint brushes and to find rock paint. Therefore, there was play down by the creek, which was Uma’s gratitude for the day, and washing soap root” fibrous outer husk for the brushes that then was dried by the warm Sun.

Also after lunch, the children played on the “Training Tree”. Theo named it thus from last weeks “Ninja training sessions.” Then Theo wanted to be very quiet and sit up there yet he was upset that the other children were playing there so, I took him to a great place that was just for him. Ellie wanted that too so I found a beautiful spot for her nestled inside a little cozy spot in a tree.

All the while throughout the day Ruby and I were either with the children or role modeling working on the roots, brushes and handles for the brushes and the like.