During Opening Circle, we shared some highlights from the new 2016 year. We heard of new pets, exciting adventures, and school/extra-curricular successes; the Red Foxes are off to a jam-packed 2016! We checked in about goals for the Red Foxes this season-- stay tuned for incorporating more service into our days, more games, and even greater group connection. We discussed the projects of the day-- Part One: Pulling Ivy. Part Two: Assisting in the nursery. The Red Foxes decided to do them in that order, and down the trail we went!
We talked about English ivy, the bully invasive specie that comes in to choke out other plants. We dug deep into the ground, excavating massive root wads. We ripped climbing ivy from helpless trees, hoping that they could live more vivaciously again soon. Basically, where there was ivy, we found it, pulled it, and bagged it. After our couple-hour adventure with the ivy, we walked away with 5 giant trash bags full!
We stopped for lunch, enjoying the serenity of the creek next to the trail. Some girls quickly involved themselves with the bounty of mud, others played games in the stream, and a small handful started to build a shelter (which unfortunately came to a quick demise). We relished this play time amidst our hard work.
After checking in as a group, it was decided that we needed to Walk Our Talk and continue to the Greenways Nursery. There, we met Rae, Greenways Coordinator, who helped us get set up with our mulching project. We moved pots with saplings into neat rows, and lined those rows with mulch. Our girls worked to heave, haul, and dump wheelbarrows and buckets full of mulch until all of the rows were sufficiently lined.
We ended our day with Closing Circle, expressing gratitude for the fragrant mulch, the lack of rain and wind, the group's hard work, and ivy-- for making a plant that we could pull and feel a sense of accomplishment with. Another great, long day with the Red Foxes! I'm sure they were tired :)
Our Words of the Day?: "Mud, mulch, ivy, tree, stream, sun!"
GEC Mottos Alive Today: Everybody Helps, Walk Your Talk, Collaborate & Compromise, You See It, You Own It, Our Cups Overflow
To see a photo album of our day, click here!
