Well, I am quite happy and excited to report that the zookeeper day was really terrific. When we got there GM and his friend were both happy and looking forward to going. We joined the rest of the group (mainly older kids 10-12 yrs old) and the leaders in the overlook house. He wasnt shy, and didnt even look back to say goodbye. He was in with the group and ready to start the day.
The other Mom and I walked around with our younger kids and shared some snack etc.. They had a good time too. At one point we saw the boys walking along with some animal food off in the distance. they looked to be chatting and enjoying the day, although the food looked a bit heavy. :-)
After class GM was still really connected and even told me some things about class (usually conveying a story right after, or in direct reply to a question is hard). He even talked on the phone to his Dad and shared stories.
So, today he got to feed the raccoons, the deers, the wolves and he cleaned the glass partition in the javalina house. He said he even got to pet one. He played a game of charades (Oh, what I would have given to see that) and someone guessed what he was (a llama).
The ride home was a bit wild, but they earned it. It is a 3 hour class and they were ready to wind down.
Im really happy with today, and Im really looking forward to tommorow.
NOTE: We did do an Epsom Salt Bath before going this morning, GM even says it helps him to stay calm and centered.
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3 comments:
You have such interesting classes and activities in your area! They seem to fit in well with Enki and holistic living.
Yeah, this is a terrific program for the kids. It is in a beautiful part of the northern desert in our East Mountains. They take on imprinted animals and care for them for the rest of their lives. The kids get to learn both about how to care for the animals, what animals are local, and the reasons why trying to remove an animal from the wild and make it a pet is not such a good choice.
I agree, Albuquerque has an incredible love for nature, the environment and preserving the river and wildlife. It really is part of the fiber of the town and I really appreciate it. It definitely stems from the desert culture but also the surrounding pueblos have a large influence. We really feel it suits us and our vision for our family.
Fantastic!
It is so hard to figure out what G can do and not do by himself, especially since it really varies day by day.
I remember you talking in a previous post about "bumpers" -- the degree to which a child references you and maintains a close enough distance to you, which help them stay out of danger.
We have this issue all the time, which makes it difficult to let go of G into activities without me--because at least he references me more than others.
G has a phenomenal interest in activities and ability to focus--when he is calm. However he also has extreme difficulty reregulting himself when he gets excited, and still requires quite a bit of support in this area.
Since I know him well enough I can provide the attention he needs to make sure he stays regulated--whereas the adult leading the activity doesn't know him as well, and is also having to keep an eye on multiple kids.
Of course he is also 4 1/2--so some of these issues are also related to age.
It seems to me though that you have done a good job of supporting GM with what he needed before hand, like the epsom salt bath, sending him with the friend.
It may also have helped that the class was largely filled with older kids. We have found that G consistently performs better when grouper either with kids who are older or younger than he is.
Congrats to you both!
Kat
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