The Sea Stars enjoyed an opening circle where we shared the story of our names. Some of us are named after mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, even great-great-grandmothers, aunts, friends, famous musicians, grandfathers, etc. Some of us didn't have a name story. Some of us made them up! It was a great practice in empathetic listening, and really hearing what someone else was sharing without jumping in with our own additions. We also discussed the challenges that nature was presenting to us for the day. We talked about glacial and river valleys (can your Sea Star tell you which is U-shaped and which is V-shaped?), and why this river valley might be less safe than others. We were all on board with the idea to avoid the thin sections of the Eastern Arroyo canyon, so off we went to explore the Western sections!
We went on the hunt for salmon, and found SO MANY dead salmon, and no live ones. Many of the girls were shocked at first-- (seeing a lot of dead things at once can be shocking for anyone...!) but after a while, most of the girls leaned into their curiosities and spent more time exploring, observing and getting to know these noble dead creatures. We talked at length about how many dead salmon is actually a truly fantastic thing for our ecosystems. See if your Sea Star can identify an organism that dead salmon assist!
After our time with the salmon, we stopped for some games in a wonderful game grove. Game time was 100% dictated by the Sea Stars. At one point, Holly and I looked at each other and thought "Wow, they've totally got this. We don't need to even be here!". Though that isn't 100% true, the girls are doing a fantastic job at determining what they'd like to do during their outings with Explorers Club. It's helping with their independence, communication skills with both adults and each other, and for advocating for their needs in a group. Good work, Sea Stars!
The girls decided it was time to head up to the 100 Acre Wood, so up the trail we went! We found giant leaves, funky fungus, and walked each other on a never-ending series of partner-lead Trust Walks.
By the time we reached the 100 Acre Wood, we were hit with rain! We munched our lunch and then played a few rounds of Spiders Web before enjoying a blissfully wet Peaceful Place. The girls were drawing, creating contraptions with nature, and laying on their backs to taste the rain. It was glorious.
With just enough time we hiked back to catch a solid closing circle and share and Attitude of Gratitude before pick-up. Looking forward to the future adventures for the Sea Stars in 2017!
-Hannah
To see a slideshow of our day, click here!
