The Talking Stick Blog

Flying High On the First Day

September 17, 2013

The first day for the Tuesday Day Program was full of inspiration and creativity. As the families arrived, the children eagerly began exploring the new surroundings. This was not only the first day for many, it was also the first Tuesday in our new location. Once the young people became settled, we gathered for morning meeting. Forming a circle, the children were very excited to reconnect with friends and form new relationships. We shared our names and hopes for the day and then headed outside for a tour of the outdoor space.

Blue skies and warm sun added to the great feeling as we played outside. Many of the children formed a group that began digging for "diamonds" and other treasures. Games of tag and role playing began and I felt lucky to watch creativity unfold. It was inspiring to watch these young people working together, setting up guidelines, working through conflicts, and feeling the freedom to follow their own paths.

A Large piece of brown paper with empty "picture frames" became a meeting place for many of the children. A few came to watch, or fill in a picture of a favorite animal or family member, and others spent a considerable amount of time working on detailed drawings within the frames.

Many of the children enjoyed their snack and lunch on the picnic tables and chose to spend much of their time playing outside. J began making paper airplanes and soon had a large crowd surrounding him with requests. J was very happy to make a plane for anyone that asked and soon the room was filled with beautiful flying paper airplanes. F began folding his own planes and sharing his designs with everyone. Taking the paper airplanes outside was magical. The young people gathered around to watch each other release their planes into the sky. We spent the afternoon cheering on those that flew and lending a helping hand to those in need; we really enjoyed our first day.