Summer Camp: The Sweet Spot

Summary

Circle Round: “Summer Camp: The Sweet Spot”

Podcast: Circle Round (WBUR)
Host: Rebecca Sheer
Camp Counselor Intro: Erica Henningsen
Guest Stars: Tantu Cardinal, Jonathan Joss
Date: June 16, 2026
Story Origins: Inspired by Wabanaki (People of the Dawnland) legends

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Episode Overview

In this “Circle Round Summer Camp” installment, listeners are treated to a folktale adaptation called “The Sweet Spot,” adapted from the legends of the Wabanaki people. Through a vibrant, music-rich audio play, the story explores the themes of gratitude, hard work, and how “sweet” rewards are best appreciated when earned. The tale traces the origins of how maple syrup, once abundant and easily accessed, became something people must work for — and why that’s a good thing. The episode also provides a family activity about gratitude to foster conversation and appreciation.

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Key Discussion Points and Story Highlights

1. Setting the Stage — Gifts of the Great Spirit

• The tale opens with Erica Henningsen sharing the idea of a "sweet spot" in summer camp, where learning and relaxation come together.
• The Great Spirit creates the world and gifts the Wabanaki people with fertile soil, rivers, animals, and most notably, a grove of sugar maple trees that flow with thick, golden, sweet syrup at all times.
• “Oh, this maple syrup is so golden and sweet.” – Villager ([04:10])

2. The Role of Glskabay

• The Great Spirit appoints Glskabay, a wise gentle giant, to watch over the people to ensure they use these gifts well.
• “I want you to make sure they don’t misuse or mishandle or waste a thing.” – Great Spirit ([05:04])

3. The Turning Point — From Gratitude to Excess

• At first, the people use their gifts responsibly, working hard at farming, fishing, hunting, and only enjoying a little syrup.
• Over time, Glskabay notices a change: the once tidy, hardworking village is abandoned, fields and traps left untended.
• Glskabay follows clues to the sugar maple grove and discovers the people lazing under the trees, guzzling syrup and neglecting their work.
  • "They’re all just lying on their backs beneath the trees with their mouths open wide so they can guzzle the thick, sweet syrup." – Glskabay ([10:51])

4. A Lesson in Appreciation

• Glskabay reports this troubling scene to Great Spirit, who decides a change is needed:
  • “Life has become too easy for the people.” – Great Spirit ([11:54])
• With Glskabay’s help, the Great Spirit’s plan unfolds:
  • Glskabay weaves birch bark buckets, fetches river water, and pours it into the trees to dilute the syrup into plain, watery sap.
  • The people awaken confused and dismayed:
    • “All that’s dripping from the trees is a thin, thin, watery liquid." – Villagers ([14:04])
    • “Our tree’s thick, golden goodness is gone.” – Villager ([14:13])

5. The New Way — Earning Sweetness

• Glskabay explains the new process:
  • The syrup is gone, but the trees now give thin sap, which must be tapped, collected, and boiled for hours to produce syrup.
  • The sap will only flow for a short period each year, just before spring—making it a precious, seasonal reward.
  • “You will have to work hard and work together.” – Glskabay ([15:46])

6. Reflection and Family Activity

• Rebecca Sheer closes the story summarizing the central message:
  • “It’s a precious yearly reminder to remember our gifts and honor them and work together to use them wisely and well. Because when we do, life is that much... sweeter.” ([16:39])
• Suggested activity: Create a ‘gratitude board’ with your family to honor and appreciate the gifts in your life.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the joy of receiving: “Our corn and squash are so abundant this year.” – Villager ([02:56])
• On neglect and overindulgence: “Look at these houses. They’re a mess… the field is riddled with [weeds]… fish traps... filled with mud and muck.” – Glskabay ([07:19–08:05])
• On transformation:
  • “The days of thick, sweet, golden syrup freely dripping from these sugar maples are over.” – Glskabay ([14:27])
  • “You will make a small hole in the trees and collect the thin clear sap… then you’ll gather wood to make fires so you can boil the sap down.” – Glskabay ([15:16])
• On appreciating effort:
  • “Great Spirit has declared that the sugar maple trees will only produce sap for a short time each year, just before the coming of spring. That way, you will appreciate and honor it more.” – Glskabay ([16:09])

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Important Timestamps

• 00:50 — Introduction to story and cast
• 02:25–05:24 — Creation and bestowing of gifts
• 06:59–08:36 — Glskabay discovers neglect
• 10:51–11:35 — The people lazy under the syrup trees
• 12:07–14:22 — Great Spirit’s plan and execution: diluting syrup
• 15:08–15:46 — Introduction and explanation of “tapping” and boiling for syrup
• 16:09–16:39 — The sap becomes a precious, seasonal treat; lesson about gratitude and effort
• 16:39–18:30 — Family activity: making a gratitude board

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Tone & Style

• Warm, inviting, and imaginative — suitable for families and children but laced with wisdom.
• Storytelling with gentle humor and folksy dialogue; characters express excitement, frustration, and ultimate understanding.
• Encourages participation and reflection through a suggested at-home activity.

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Episode’s Message

The “Sweet Spot” uses folklore to illustrate a timeless message: greatness and gratitude come not from ease or abundance, but through working together and appreciating effort. The annual ritual of turning sap into maple syrup becomes a metaphor for cherishing what we have because we’ve earned it—a lesson for both children and adults, delivered with warmth, music, and the magic of story.

Transcript

[Erica Henningsen]

Hey, Circle Round summer campers, it's your camp counselor, Erica Henningsen. Whenever I'm enjoying my summer, or even summer camp, I kind of hit this sweet spot. When I've gotten used to the summer, I have my new routines and I'm really relaxed. One of the great things about summer camp is the things you learn about nature, and sometimes you how those learnings got started. So here's another Circle Round summer camp episode, the Sweet Spot.

[Glskabay]

Wbur podcasts boston.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Ever heard the saying, good things come to those who wait? Well, there's another saying that goes, good things come to those who wait, but better things come to those who work for them. In today's story, we'll find out how hard work can bring some very sweet rewards. I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time. Today, our story is called the Sweet Spot. It was inspired by legends told by the Wabanaki, the people of the Dawnland, who have lived in what is now Maine and eastern Canada for more than 11,000 years. Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this tale, including Tantu Cardinal and Jonathan Joss. Tantu Cardinal has played more than 120 roles in theater, film, and TV, most recently in the Amazon mystery series Three Pines Grown Ups. Watch for her in Killers of the Flower Moon, come coming to theaters this fall. Jonathan Joss has appeared on television programs like Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill, plus miniseries and films like Comanche Moon and the Magnificent Seven. He can currently be seen in the Paramount series Tulsa King. So circle around everyone for the sweet spot. Long, long ago, in the earliest of days, Great Spirit create all things. He created water.

[Great Spirit]

May there be water.

[Rebecca Scheer]

He created sky.

[Great Spirit]

May there be sky.

[Rebecca Scheer]

And he created earth. May there be earth to inhabit the earth. Great Spirit created people.

[Great Spirit]

May there be people.

[Rebecca Scheer]

And right off the bat, the people were happy, very happy, because Great Spirit gave them so many gifts to enjoy. He created fertile soil so they could grow vegetables.

[Glskabay]

Our corn and squash are so abundant this year.

[Villager Female 1]

Thank you, Great Spirit.

[Rebecca Scheer]

He created rushing rivers so they could catch fish.

[Villager Male 1]

The trout we've caught in our traps today will make for a fine meal.

[Villager Female 1]

Thank you, Great Spirit.

[Rebecca Scheer]

He. He created animals so they could hunt for food and fur.

[Glskabay]

Thank you, Great Spirit.

[Villager Female 1]

Thank you.

[Rebecca Scheer]

There was one other thing Great Spirit created for the people. Something that would make their lives especially sweet. Outside the people's village, on the other side of a tall, steep hill, Great Spirit planted a wide, sweeping stand of sugar maple trees, each one filled with Delicious, sticky maple syrup. In modern times, maple syrup comes from the maple tree's SAP, a watery substance which you tap and boil down at a specific time of year. But in the early days, all you had to do was grab a branch, snap off the end, and the thick, sugary syrup came oozing right out anytime you wanted. And as you can imagine, the people loved it.

[Villager Male 1]

Oh, this maple syrup is so golden and sweet.

[Villager Female 1]

Thank you, Great Spirit.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Now that the people had all their gifts, the soil, the rivers, the animals, the syrup. Great Spirit summoned his helper, the wise, gentle giant known as Glskabay.

[Great Spirit]

Glskabay.

[Glskabay]

Yes, Great Spirit.

[Great Spirit]

Have you seen my latest creation? All those people running about?

[Glskabay]

Oh, yes, Great Spirit. I've seen them planting and fishing and hunting. You've given them such marvelous gifts.

[Great Spirit]

Thank you. But I want to make sure they appreciate those gifts and use them wisely and well. I have many creations to keep track of, so I want you to watch over my people. Me? Yes. I want you to make sure they don't misuse or mishandle or waste a thing.

[Glskabay]

It would be my honor, Great Spirit. You can count on me.

[Rebecca Scheer]

When Glskabay made her first visit, the people were overjoyed.

[Villager Female 1]

Glooskabay, we're so delighted to see you.

[Glskabay]

And I'm delighted to see you. Tell me, friends, how are things?

[Villager Male 1]

Oh, things couldn't be better. Gluskabay?

[Villager Female 1]

That's right. Our crops are flourishing.

[Glskabay]

We're catching wonderful fish in our traps,

[Villager Female 1]

and we have plenty of game to hunt for clothing and food.

[Villager Male 1]

Not only that, but we have the sweet, golden syrup that oozes from the sugar maple trees.

[Villager Female 1]

Oh, yes. My family has one spoonful each night for dessert.

[Glskabay]

We have one with breakfast, and we

[Villager Female 1]

have one after lunch.

[Rebecca Scheer]

After each visit, Glskabay would return to Great Spirit to deliver her report.

[Great Spirit]

Well, Glskaby, how are my people doing? How do they fare?

[Glskabay]

I am happy to report, Great Spirit, that the people are thriving. They are using all of your gifts responsibly, conscientiously. They never misuse or mishandle or waste a thing.

[Great Spirit]

Splendid. Although I've given the people many gifts to make their lives comfortable, I'm glad they aren't getting too comfortable.

[Villager Female 1]

They still work hard.

[Glskabay]

Indeed they do, Great Spirit, Very hard. But I'll keep visiting, and I'll let you know if anything changes.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Well, the day eventually came when something did change. On one of Glskabay's visits to the people's village, it appeared to be deserted.

[Erica Henningsen]

Hmm.

[Glskabay]

Where is everyone?

[Rebecca Scheer]

One by one. Glskabay walked up to the houses and peered inside.

[Glskabay]

Look at these houses. They're a mess. Everything is dusty and in disarray. Perhaps it's because the people are hard at work in the fields.

[Rebecca Scheer]

So Glskabay ran on her long, strong legs to the fields. But when she got there, goodness me,

[Glskabay]

there's no one around. And look at those weeds. The field is riddled with them. Hasn't anyone been taking care of the crops?

[Rebecca Scheer]

Gluskabay was befuddled. If the people weren't at home and they weren't in the fields, then where else could they be?

[Glskabay]

Oh, I know. The river. Perhaps they've gone fishing.

[Rebecca Scheer]

But when Glskabay raced down to the water.

[Glskabay]

Hmm. Not a soul to be seen. And look at those fish traps. They're filled with mud and muck, as if nobody's cleaned them out in a while.

[Rebecca Scheer]

As Glskabay pondered the situation, she began to grow concerned.

[Glskabay]

The people must be in trouble if they've abandoned their village like this. And not just their village, but their fields and their river. I must find them. I must.

[Rebecca Scheer]

So Glskabay set off toward the only other place she could think of, the stand of sugar maples over the tall, steep hill. But when she reached the top of the hill, she froze right in her giant tracks. Because at the bottom of the hill, she saw something that made her giant jaw drop, her giant heart pound, and her giant eyes grow so wide, they were bigger than dinner plates.

[Glskabay]

It can't be. It can't. And yet, I fear it is. Great Spirit will not be happy about this.

[Rebecca Scheer]

What do you think Glskabay spotted at the bottom of the hill? And why will Great Spirit be so displaced?

[Listener Adam]

Pleased.

[Rebecca Scheer]

We'll find out after a quick break.

[Podcast Announcer]

100 years from now in a land far, far away. Hang on. It's not so far away at all, actually. Hey, Circle Round families. We're here to share a new listening experience from wbur, the Midnight Rebellion. It's a climate podcast adventure for kids 8 and up. Time traveling, problem solving, laughs in danger. It's here. Follow the feed to listen. Oh, and bring your goggles and boots. That's the Midnight Rebellion in your feed or wherever you get podcasts.

[Rebecca Scheer]

I'm Rebecca Scheer. Welcome back to Circle Round. Today, our story is called the Sweet Spot. Before the break, Great Spirit gave the people many gifts, including a st of sugar maple trees that produced thick, sweet syrup all year round. Great Spirit asked Gluskabay to make sure the people used their gifts Wisely and well. But one day, Glskabay couldn't find the people anywhere until she stood at the top of the tall, steep hill and looked down at the stand of sugar maples.

[Glskabay]

Look at the people. They're all just lying on their backs beneath the trees with their mouths open wide so they can guzzle the thick, sweet syrup that's dripping from the branches.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Glskabay put on a burst of speed as she took off down the hill.

[Glskabay]

Peepo, why are you lying and lazing around when you should be planting together and fishing together and hunting together? You have work to do and lives to lead. Great Spirit has given you so many marvelous gifts. You must use them wisely and well.

[Rebecca Scheer]

But the people didn't respond. They just went on slurping the ooey gooey golden syrup and licking their lips with sugar coated tongues. Gluskaby didn't know what to do. So she went to Great Spirit and told the powerful creator everything she had seen.

[Glskabay]

Hmm.

[Great Spirit]

This news is very disappointing, Glskaby. I fear that life has become too easy for the people.

[Glskabay]

I'm afraid it's true, Great Spirit. What will we do?

[Great Spirit]

Well, I believe I have a plan that will wake the people up and turn them around. But I will need your help.

[Glskabay]

I'll do anything, Great Spirit. As always, I'm at your service.

[Great Spirit]

Thank you, Glskabay. Here is what I want you to do. First, I want you to go.

[Rebecca Scheer]

As Great Spirit laid out his grand plan, Glskabay listened carefully. Then she jumped into action. First, she bounded off to the forest and collected bark from the birch trees.

[Glskabay]

Look at this bark. So sturdy and thick. It will do quite nicely.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Next, she used the birch bark to weave an enormous bucket.

[Glskabay]

Under, over, under, over. Nice and tight.

[Rebecca Scheer]

After that, she plunged the bucket into the river. Once the bucket was filled with water, she carried it to the stand of sugar maple trees.

[Glskabay]

All right. With all these lazy people lying around, I have to be careful not to step on any fingers or toes, but here goes.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Glskabay approached a tall sugar maple. She held the bucket high, then poured water into the top of the tree. After that, she poured water into the top of another tree and another, until every single tree was full. Within moments, the people began to murmur and grumble. One by one, they sat up, staggered to their feet and glanced around. When they caught sight of Glskabay, they called out in confusion and frustration, gluskabay,

[Villager Male 1]

what has happened to our maple syrup?

[Villager Female 1]

All that's dripping from the trees is a thin, thin, watery Liquid.

[Villager Male 1]

Oh, and it's hardly sweet at all.

[Villager Female 1]

Our tree's thick, golden goodness is gone.

[Glskabay]

Actually, friends, I wouldn't say it's gone.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Gluskabay strode over to a tree and wrapped her hand around its trunk.

[Glskabay]

My friends, the days of thick, sweet, golden syrup freely dripping from these sugar maples are over.

[Villager Male 1]

What?

[Villager Female 1]

But you just said.

[Glskabay]

I know what I said. Now hear me out. While you were lying flat on your back, slapping up your thick, golden syrup, I did as Great Spirit asked. I filled the sugar maple trees with water from the river. The water diluted the syrup, made it more liquidy. So now, instead of sweet, golden syrup, the trees will produce a thin, clear SAP with barely a hint of sweetness.

[Villager Male 1]

But what good will thin, clear SAP

[Villager Female 1]

do us, especially if it isn't sweet or golden?

[Glskabay]

Well, this thin, clear SAP can become sweet and golden, provided you work for it. First, you'll make a small hole in the trees and collect the sin clear SAP in buckets. This process is called tapping the trees. Tapping the trees? Yes. Then you'll gather wood to make fires so you can boil the SAP down.

[Villager Female 1]

Boil the SAP down?

[Glskabay]

Yes. But you must collect a whole lot of SAP and boil it for a very long time. To make enough sweet golden syrup for all of you. You will have to work hard and work together.

[Villager Male 1]

We can do that, Glooskabay.

[Villager Female 1]

We will work hard together all year long.

[Glskabay]

Actually, my friends, that will not be possible. You see, Great Spirit has declared that the sugar maple trees will only produce SAP for a short time each year, just before the coming of spring. That way, you will appreciate and honour it more. And you won't forsake your other work. You will plant and fish and hunt and do all the things that people must do. This is how it will be.

[Rebecca Scheer]

And so it was and is. Once a year, in certain parts of the world, just before the coming of spring, the sugar maples begin to flow with SAP. People work hard to collect the SAP and boil it down until eventually it becomes maple syrup. It's a precious yearly reminder to remember our gifts and honor them and work together to use them wisely and well. Because when we do, life is that much sweet. Sweeter. Now it's your turn. You can remember and honor the gifts you receive by creating a gratitude board. Get a piece of poster board or tape a bunch of blank papers together. And then once each day, write or draw one thing you're grateful for. Ask your family members to do the same. At the end of the week, you can look at your gratitude board and talk about what's up there to honor and appreciate the wonderful things in your lives. This week's story, the Sweet Spot was adapted by me, Rebecca Shearer. It was edited by Nora Sachs. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shyamalonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn. Sabina has drawn a black and white coloring page for every Circle Round story and you can color them in while you listen. Grown Ups Visit our website WBUR.org CircleRound and click on coloring pages. And while you're at WBUR.org CircleRound click the books link to find ourselves Circle Round picture books adapted from some of your favorite episodes and featuring illustrations by artists from around the world. Special thanks to this week's actors Theodore Chin, Ryan Delusion, Jessica Rao, Erica Rose, Tantu Cardinal and Jonathan Joss. Tantu Cardinal has appeared in numerous movies, plays and TV shows including Dances With Wolves, Legends of the Fall, Longmire, Westworld, and Amazon's hit mystery series Three Pines. Grownups watch for her in Killers of the Flower Moon, coming to theaters this fall. Jonathan Joss has starred in numerous shows and films including Parks and Recreation, King of the Hill and the Paramount series Tulsa King. Jonathan has also appeared on Circle Round. Listen for him in the title role of our season three finale, Grandfather Stone. Our featured instrument this week was the Native American Drone Flute. You can learn more about this double tubed wind instrument and see a photo of Eric Shyamalanis playing it on our website. Once more, that's WBUR.org CircleRound Grown Ups if you enjoy what you hear on Circle Round, please write us a five star review on your favorite podcast app and please tell your friends about the show. It'll help us keep Circling Round with you for years to come. And if you'd like to keep in touch with us, join our community on social media, on Facebook and Instagram. We are CircleRound podcast. Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. I'm Rebecca Scheer. Thanks for Circling Round with us. One of the best things about creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you. Circle Round fans have been telling us about their favorite Circle Round stories and we're excited to share some of their voices with you.

[Listener Adam]

My name is Adam, I live in Vancouver, Canada. My favorite Circle Round is Strong Mind and Kind Heart. I like the when the Creaky House Turned into a Jade Palace. My name is Cassie and I'm from Saratoga, California. My favorite Circle Round story is Strong Mind and Kind Heart. My favorite part was when the Emerald Castle showed up and when Kind Heart saw a woman in the water and saved her, but it was actually a fairy My name is Raven and I live in in New Mexico. My favorite Circle Round story is Getting Skunked because I like the part when Snowbird closes her wings. My name is Salik, I live in North Bend, Washington. My favorite Circle Round story is Catching Fire. My favorite part is when the other big animals made fun of tortoise and chameleon but they didn't give up. They gave it their best shot. My name is Maeve and I live in Savannah, Georgia and my favorite episode of Circle Round is Banana Split because I like the part where a tortoise just jumps out of the banana tree. My name is Chloe and I live in Oak Park, Illinois. My favorite Circle Ride story is like oil and water and my favorite part is when the man drops the coins into the water.

[Rebecca Scheer]

Did someone mention an episode you missed? No problem. You can find every single Circle Round story on our website. That's WBUR.org CircleRound or wherever you and your grown ups get your podcasts.