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Mischievous Noogle-Di-Chugs, Forest Sprites, and Hemlock Tea at Mystwood

Published December 13th, 2016

1 comment

Dear Mystwood Families,

We had another fabulous Saturday this weekend at Mystwood!

In the morning we found a letter left for us by a wizard named Sileus Eukelele Binnewater (pronounced Silly-Us) outlining a fire building challenge that many kids took on with gusto.

As a team, they successfully built fires large enough to heat the weak point in some invisible veils that the mischievous Noogle-Di-Chugs had put up in the forest of Mystwood. If one walked through an invisible veil they might find themselves seeing upside down and backwards, causing many challenges in their day. Luckily, when the kids broke the spell of the two veils we found nearby, the spell was broken in all the other veils hidden further away.

After lunch we had a surprise visit from a couple of musical Mystwood Forest Sprites! Their names were Will and Storey and last session they overheard the children singing on the rocks near the water.

They were so inspired by the kids’ spontaneous lyrics they worked them into a song which they sang to the group on the edge of the woods. It was super sweet to see how captivated the children were with our visitors.

After the song we invited our visitors to join us for hemlock tea around the fire and many of the children took them to see the magical spot near the water now dubbed “The Land of Treasure”. There they found lots of gifts to give to Will and Storey and sent them off with a sweet farewell until next time… We hope they come back again soon!

We had lots of other adventures during the day too, including fire and map challenges (finding where they were on the land), a wander through caves, building a fire using a bow drill, making hemlock tea and a little down time for some imaginative play.

I’ve included some pictures below.

Until next time, we hope you enjoy a magical holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Lots of Love,
The Mystwood Staff
Mary Jane, Clara, Zoya, Brandon and Levon


Mary Jane NusbaumMary Jane NusbaumMary Jane Nusbaum, Program Coordinator

As a child Mary Jane spent every season outdoors in Central NY skiing, swimming, hiking, canoeing, and every summer went back-woods camping in the Adirondacks with her ambitious parents and four siblings. Her two boys have grown up attending Wild Earth programs which has had a profound affect on who they are today. She piloted an art program for Wild Earth in 2013 which has blossomed into a full blown summer camp. Mary Jane is a visual artist and art teacher who has traveled extensively and has a love of world cultures, people and the natural world in which we live. More about Mary Jane's work.

1 thought on “Mischievous Noogle-Di-Chugs, Forest Sprites, and Hemlock Tea at Mystwood”

  1. Anonymous says:

    HI Mary Jane,
    It sounds like a wonderful, fun-filled day for the children, staff and musical performers. Will and Storey look cute in their outfits.
    Not sure I would have tried the hemlock tea. :) Didn’t Socrates (or another Greek or Roman) drink hemlock to die?
    Love, Mom

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