A day of firsts! It was our first day with seven Forest Kindergarteners (due to vacations, illness, etc). It was also our first semi-rainy day. The forest stayed mostly dry, given the overhang. Many children enjoyed having multiple layers to peel off and replace throughout the day. In our morning circle, we discussed Halloween costumes, which became an opportunity to embody those characters on the way into the forest. These wild characters and animals are learning to balance their wildness and the guardrails of staying between the adults as we travel to our site. AFK-ers baked a variety of mud pies and cupcakes. (So many flavors!) With the arrival of new people, children are working to broaden games to include close, long-time friends as well as new friends. Educators are helping them navigate this space as friendships grow and evolve. During snack, we read two long stories, which the children enjoyed. One about a Gecko in Bali, the other about fairies in Wales. After snack, the energy between children balanced and new teams formed and reformed in the superhero game. Wendell and Robin also had a conversation during some quiet time about how much zipper space the tooth fairy would need to access his backpack. We did some call and response clapping and made the sound “om” together at our closing circle. Sarah asked the children to listen for the sound of “ommmmm” in their houses and neighborhoods before our next session!