Again, Salmon...

November 15, 2024

Today we deepened our salmon senses and shapeshifted into other creatures—some, like bears, who feast on salmon, and others, like fox spirits and chickens, called forth by our love for them. One group became salmon and hid along the trail, while another became bears and searched for them. Did your child hide? What strategies did they use? If they sought, did they find the "salmon," and what gave them away?

At the Boneyard, we discovered bones and explored a skeleton book to learn more about what lay before us. As bears, we clambered on logs, found mushrooms, uncovered secret trails, and noticed a mysterious number painted on wood. We heard the “Salmon Child” story, a version of the Pacific Northwest indigenous tale. Can your child recall how the village child helped the Salmon people? Why might throwing bones back into the river honor both respect and practicality?

Later, we noticed stinging nettle's final growth surge before winter. Some of us became horses on the way back, and we ended the day drawing and sharing our favorite moments in the sunshine.