A rainy first day full of new friends and play!
Misty rain clouds hugged the flatirons as ten young women gathered for the first Robin Circle of Fall. Ann and Arielle, instructors, greeted the girls and their families and led them to an adjacent field to begin a fun game of Fire in the Forest. As we ran, laughed and slid around on the grass, a refreshing shower rained down upon us and we sought shelter nearby. We gathered around the table and played a game to help the group remember our names. Each of us shared our name and a movement, which was repeated by the group. When the rain stopped, we made our way over to a nearby rock to say Thanksgiving.. During Thanksgiving, Arielle shared with the group the origins of the Thanksgiving tradition, which was borrowed from Jake and Judy Swamp, a husband and wife of the Mohawk tribe of the Haudenosaunee nation. In this practice, everyone shares things that they are feeling thankful for that particular day. We shared things such as the stars, nature and the earth, the rainshower and the sunshine, and our families. After we all said our thanks, we sent a blanket of thanks to all things unnamed and agreed that our hearts and minds were one. Then Ann led us in the Robin Circle song, the lyrics to which can be found below. Ask your daughter to share the song with you!
Robin, red breast, crow flying high
Nuthatch hopping down the tree
Chickadee dee dee dee dee
Caw, Caw
Chickadee dee dee
Chickadee dee dee
Chickadee dee dee dee dee
We sang the song many times, in the most beautiful (and a few times, silly) voices we could muster! Then the girls got out their snacks and chatted. Ann reminded us all that when we are in nature, or anywhere, we should practice leaving no trace by picking up all of our crumbs so that the wildlife doesn’t eat them and get sick!
As soon as our snacks were picked up and the area scanned for escaped cheddar bunnies, the girls raced down to what is known as the Robin’s Nest, a bunch of rocks where, in the past, Robin Circle has loved to play and climb. The girls scaled a large rock and found Poison Ivy on top, a great lesson for the first day! Remember not to touch this tri-leaved plant!
To close for the day, each girl picked a slip of paper from a sunhat, written on which was the name of a native animal species. After receiving our nature names, each girl shared their favorite thing from the day: at least half of them said “Everything!”
We made our way back up the hill to greet the parents again, and did a little cheer as we parted for the day.
Remember to ask your daughter what her nature name is, and see if she has looked up a picture of the animal!
See you next Monday!
Nature Names:
Imogen: Tiger Swallowtail
Clementine: Elk
Ella: Wooly Bear Caterpillar
Lolita: House Finch
Violet: Fox Squirrel
Rachel: Mourning Dove
Isa: American Kestrel
Skyler: Black-capped Chickadee
Auden: Lesser Goldfinch
Clover: Yellow-bellied Marmot
Sophia: Stellar’s Jay
Arielle: White-Breasted Nuthatch
Anne: Wolf Spider
How do I find the tune for the Robin Circle song?