Peninsula Jan. 9, 2010 Wunderlich County Park

We were so excited to start classes again following the holiday break - and Wunderlich Park was such a wonderful way to kick off the New Year. We started the morning by making our own trail mix to have on the hike - most of the children then focused more on eating than walking, but the snacks did seem to help on our long walk! We stopped by to see the horses in the corral. Many of the kids were excited to see people riding the horses, a couple of the classes even got to see horses jumping the gates during riding lessons. We did a fun scavenger hunt on the walk and found redwood trees, pine cones, brown leaves and rocks. We also found lots of mushrooms, bright yellow banana slugs and California Slender Salamanders.  What a week!

1/9/10 From the Peninsula and North Peninsula

South Bay week of Dec. 14, 2009 at La Rinconada

Tiny Trekkers enjoyed the playground and tire swing while waiting for friends to arrive. The day was grey and cold, but we warmed up with songs and stretches at Circle Time. Our hike took us across a small bridge over a creek and down a paved path that is almost hidden behind the park. The highlight of the day was picking cat-tails from the creek and "exploding" them into white fluff that could be blown all around. It was like playing in the snow! We enjoyed a snack of gingerbread while listening to "The Gingerbread Boy" and other stories. Our craft for the day was to create a gingerbread boy (or cat) from gingerbread cookie dough and then decorate it with sprinkles, M&Ms, raisins and red hots. They were so funny and charming! Everyone left with a gingerbread creation to bake at home.

I wonder if any of them escaped from the ovens to run around and say, "Catch me if you can!"

12/14/09 From the South Bay Class
La Rinconada Park is a small, quiet neighborhood park in Los Gatos.