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14 June 2025

Posted by Frankie

Junior & Young Writers: Week 7 - Shape-Shifting Stories - New Forest Pixies and Witches

Hi Writers,

Keeping it in the paranormal plains but still local, this week's theme was New Forest shape-shifting pixies and witches.

Check-In: How Was Your Week… As A Wild Animal?
For our check-in, the groups reviewed their weeks using animal metaphors.
Some examples included:
  • A wild bore (thanks again, maths)
  • A rabbit chilling in the sun
  • A bear trying to hibernate but being repeatedly poked

Activity: Design A Pixie
After reading an excerpt from 'New Forest Pixies', chapter 18, New Forest Myths and Folklore by Brice Stratford (p. 159), the groups were challenged to draw their own characters- either a 'proper pixie' or a 'colt pixie.'
Using character prompts, they described:
  • Name
  • Likes/dislikes
  • Goals and fears
  • Friends/allies
  • Where they live
  • Favourite foods
  • Hobbies
  • Catchphrases or sayings

Junior Writers
Juno: Galaxy, a colt pixie with a black hole tail
Henry: Weird Pixie, the cave dweller
Annabelle: Scraffin, a talented singer and dancer
Elsie: Name unknown- but we do know it eats children
Indie: Emily, the rowdy
Evan: Bob, a creator of robots
Eddy: Flodnag, lives in your hair
Wilf: Big Boi Pixie, fears his wife
Lyra: Rose, a magic-wielding pixie

Young Writers
Catherine: Artax, a DnD enthusiast with the catchphrase, 'a child a day keeps the people away'
Daisy: A nameless entity that lives in stagnant, murky ponds and collects children's fingernails
Sonny: The Empty- little is known about this pixie

Writing Exercise: Witches and Pixies in the New Forest
We then read an extract from 'New Forest Witches' (New Forest Myths and Folklore, pp. 154–155), based on local legend (with some real historical documents to match), and challenged the groups to write a story about a shapeshifting witch, a pixie, or both—set in the New Forest.

Junior Writers
Henry: A descriptive warning about an evil species of pixies
Annabelle: A pixie scooped up by another pixie in the form of an owl
Elsie: This pixie finds a shapeshifting witch
Indie: The Witch- a dramatic opening to a story
Evan: Bob and a Witch, Part 1- a descriptive wrestling match
Eddy: At 3:33am each night, a figure in grey robes appears
Wilf: A tax-evading pixie banished to eternity in a pit with their mother-in-law
Lyra: A witch and a fox team up to help one another

Young Writers
Catherine: A detailed account of shape-shifting magic
Daisy: A witch cursed to be trapped as a cat
Sonny: A strange disturbance outside a witch's house

Each group brought amazing energy and creativity this week- despite the smaller numbers in Young Writers, the chaos was strong! We now have even more spooky art to decorate the room.

Enjoy the sun, and keep writing,

Frankie :)

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