Outing at 100 Acre Wood: 11-21-15

The morning was cold and sunny: A Be Prepared challenge day! While waiting for everyone to arrive, the girls enjoyed playing a couple of favorite EC games: Pack Leader and "Woody, the Woodchuck." Then after a lengthy check-in around clothing, our favorite Harry Potter house, some early snacking, and talking about how animals protect themselves from the cold, we were on our way to explore! 

Checking-in about appropriate clothing.

Walking into the 100 Acre Wood we discussed Firs and Cedars, licorice root and mushrooms. There were a few side trips from the main trail to explore shelters, and search out a sunny spot. Our ultimate destination was a small open area with tall cedars; perfect for a day of exploring, game-playing and hot cocoa!

The girls enjoyed playing HIDE and Spider's Web to keep energies up and bodies warm.

Rebecca, being sneaky in HIDE!

Our outing also included Circles of Comfort, a special activity around Stretching Our Edge. We had a great discussion about a previous outing (North Lake Whatcom ) where several girls had been significantly stretched beyond their learning zone. Using circles laid on the ground, we talked about many situations, and how we are all challenged differently. We talked about feeling pressure from others in certain situations, and the difference between peer pressure and encouragement. And we discussed what it means to follow our Internal Compass.

Circles of Comfort

Reflecting on the season past, we ended our day by creating the Web of Life from things we'd all connected to this season: trees, mud, North Lake Whatcom, the sky, and personal growth, just to name a few. We agreed that humans are connected to every aspect of this web, and have tremendous power to impact it in both positive and negative ways. This underlines our GEC motto, All Things Are Connected, and helps us understand that whenever one thing in the web is altered, it affects all other aspects. We reiterated that GEC is all about strengthening the web of life, as well as the bonds between each other. All Pikas who wish to continue to be part of our web are invited to return in the spring. We hope they will!  

Check out our photo album for more pictures from our exploration to 100 Acre Wood. Have a happy winter, everyone!

Service with Greenways: 10-31-15

What could be more scary than a pack of Pikas on Halloween??!!  Actually we weren't very scary, at all; the girls were determined and engaged for our service with Greenways near Padden Creek in Fairhaven.  Our group was missing a few girls and rain was threatening, but spirits were high!  We began our day with our usual check-in and then revisited the motto, Our Cups Overflow.  The girls shared their deep understanding and appreciation of just how much they have in their lives. We left Fairhaven Village Green and headed for the work party site, the anticipated stormy day brewing ever so slightly.

Removing invasive species

Our "project" was a sweet little patch of young trees near the creek.  We pulled weeds and cut back invasive Himalayan Blackberry.  We gently unwound Morning Glory.  We learned about how to best support a young tree.  And, we hauled monstrous amounts of mulch to spread at the base of the trees. 

Hauling mulch

Bird's nest

We Widened our Circle, working alongside new friends.  The weather was just right for working and it was quite enchanting to be there all together in our tiny little grove.  Someone even discovered a bird's nest! We found earthworms and spiders.  When we finished we had supported 7 or 8 small trees to grow in a healthy environment, working to help restore this land to the ancient forest it was long ago...

Newly weeded and mulched tree

Now we set off through the woods, girls in charge of navigation.  After Collaborating and Compromising, we did some exploring and sharing, then headed back towards Fairhaven.   As we got closer to the village area we realized that it was trick or treating time!  The streets were full of vampires and Harry Potter characters.  There was candy to be had!  So we took a collective deep breath and headed into the fray as....a group of Explorers!

The skies let loose with rain and soon we were all bone-chilling cold.  We wrapped-up with a quick game of "Look Up, Look Down" and Closing Circle, then parents arrived just in time to whisk away their young Explorer for the rest of her Halloween festivities...

"Look Up, Look Down!"

Words of the Day: Service, Sun, Rain, Fun, Candy!
  
Check out our photo album for more pictures from our Padden Creek service. 

Outing at North Lake Whatcom: 10-11-15

The Pikas gathered at the pedestrian and dog friendly entrance to the N. Lake Whatcom Park with playful hearts ready to go exploring! With partly sunny skies and chilly temperatures, the girls came prepared and ready to get to know this popular Whatcom County Park. For more photos from our day, you can find our photo album here. 

We started our day with a check-in, using our bodies to physically represent how we were feeling (a mix of excitement and tiredness!). Next, we tested our knowledge of each other's names with a rousing game of "Blanket Down" (aka, "Tarp Drop") - Ask your daughter how she did in remembering the other girls' names! Inspired by this challenge, the Pikas were then invited to "turn over a new leaf" by working together to flip the tarp over while everyone was standing on it! Talk to your daughter about how the Pikas accomplished this initiative. Were they successful? What did they do well? What might they do differently, if they were to do it, again?

Before starting down the trail, we gathered leaves of all colors and crafted a Circle Cycle of Life. We reflected on its mysterious winding path and discussed how each color represents the seasons of the year and the seasons of our life. Looking around at the green emerging from the decaying woods, we understood that fall and winter, death and decay, have their place. And that we too are part of this circle cycle.

This ended up being a great reference tool for our day, asking ourselves, “So, where does this tree fit into our circle of life?” etc. We talked about humans/animals/things we had known that had died before finishing the wheel. Death as a part of life, a necessary stage to support and nourish new life. This message emerged repeatedly in the forest around us in the form of the decomposers' role. We found it echoed in the fungus and the function of nurse logs (via interpretive dance). Do ask your Pika about "Cubicle Butt Rot" and its job in the forest to turn trees into dirt!

As we sipped from our water bottles, we reminded ourselves that we were drinking from the beautiful lake around us! We talked about the human history of the lake, and how it had become a protected park. The girls expressed gratitude for the people who decided that this place was worth saving -- thankful to have humans who care in this community!

When we got to the lake, we sat down on a log for lunch, and afterwards, discovered the myriad of gifts the lakeshore had to offer us....Drawing in the sand, finding beautiful "wishing rocks," wading in the water, and using boards to create teeter-totters. Ask your daughter about the Pikas' Secret Hideout! The mentors stood amazed by the squeals and peals of laughter as these girls widened their circles with a creative play time. It was truly lovely, and much needed for this group of high-energy doers.

As our beach time wound down, the group Collaborated and Compromised to decide to head down the trail towards the waterfall. Upon reaching our destination, the girls stood in awe of the spectacular water rushing down the hillside, and without much discussion, decided to bravely hike to the top of the falls. What an incredible, edge-stretching experience!! Some of the girls even chose to scramble down to the pools above the waterfall, then climb back up to the trail! 

After our epic waterfall adventure, we gathered for a quick closing circle and each girl shared one word to describe her experience. Ask your Pika what this experience was like for her: Exciting? Scary? Challenging? Fun? Exhausting? In what other areas in her life does she feel challenged? What can she do when she gets nervous about something (e.g., take a deep breath, voice her needs)? How does she like to be supported in challenging situations?

Now needing to book it back down the trial, we decided to do a "moving Peaceful Place." The girls reflected as we walked, then shared about their Peaceful Place with a partner, ensuring to Widen their Circles and interact with new girls.

Heading back toward the trailhead (five hours flew by!), we realized we were running a little late. THANK YOU, parents/guardians, for your patience and understanding! The discovery, adventure, teambuilding, problem-solving, self-awareness, self-challenge, and creative play we experienced on this outing were absolutely remarkable. We are so grateful for this opportunity to explore with your daughters!

Mottos especially in use today: Collaborate and Compromise, Stretch Your Edge, Widen the Circle, and Be Prepared

International Coastal Clean Up: 9-18-15

Last Friday was a total blast. For the first time this fall, the Pikas came back together. Second-year EC members welcomed our wonderful new girls to the group, and everyone seemed comfortable jumping right in to laugh, play, explore, and serve, together!

We started our day just above Locust Beach. As gals gathered, we played and chatted, then carried our buckets and garbage bags down to the shore. Once there, we shared a fun game of "Me, too!" to learn about our summers and some things we have in common. Then we reviewed our service ethic and discussed International Coastal Cleanup Day. Rebecca described our magic cup and how we have a great opportunity to fill others' cups in our community because our own cups are overflowing. The girls discussed how good it feels to do service and what a difference something like cleaning a beach makes for our entire community and world. This outing is particularly special because we really are making a BIG impact; we talked about how the trash we are picking up comes from all over the world, and how this outing connects us with the other 500,000 members of coastal communities globally, who also participated in the International Coastal Cleanup.   

After this, we talked about the process for picking up trash off the beach. Surprisingly, there is a TON to think about. The girls helped create a plan for how we would remove trash, sort the trash, and lug it all back up to the cars at the end of the day.

To start our clean-up, we broke into groups that picked up recyclable items, garbage, and "micro trash." During these few hours the girls worked hard, goofed around, and found some crazy things...Ask your daughter about the headless otter or the giant "picture frame!"

While eating lunch, we laughed in Rebecca's pirate-rendition of a game known as "Energy Ball," then our EMA, Klara, helped the group review some key EC mottos: Be Prepared, Safety First, Walk Your Talk, Widen the Circle, and Build Bridges Not Walls.

After lunch we walked in the other direction on the beach. The girls picked up more trash, scrambled up a fun hillside, and found a hammock!

 

We did our Closing Circle on the beach, sharing our Attitude of Gratitude and talking about ways we can make a difference for the beach and ocean. The girls came up with impressive ideas to help their community and change the world for the better. Our Words of the Day were many, but included the phrase, "Picking up trash to help the world!"

After our Closing Circle, we hauled all the trash up the hill to meet parents. As always, thanks for sharing your daughters with us for a few hours. They are fantastic kids!

To see the full photo album from our day, click here.