Magical Maple Meetings

Forest Dreamers have returned for the Spring! And just in time to experience the magic of the maple syrup season. Ms. Tara and Mr. Travis loved meeting and getting to know the new Forest Dreamers gang and already have so many ideas to explore this season!

We spent the week getting to know one another, exploring Irvine and diving into the magic of making maple syrup. In a story called Sugar Snow by Laura Ingalls Wilder, we learned that the cold nights below freezing and the warm days that climb above freezing temperatures this time of year are essential for gathering sap. On Monday, we found some ice created by the freezing night temperatures and had fun using sticks and other tools to break it.

We practiced identifying Maple trees, measuring trees, using a drill to tap trees and inserting spiles into our drilled holes. While exploring Irvine, we kept our eyes open for sap buckets hung on trees. We found a bucket on a Black Walnut tree and learned that we can tap trees that aren’t Maple trees too! We read a story called Sap to Syrup by Inez Snyder to figure out how to make maple syrup from the sap collected. We also visited Irvine’s sugarhouse to see the evaporator and the campfire that are used to boil the sap into syrup.

On Thursday, we sampled different types of Maple Syrup and chose our favorite. Everyone decided the Vermont Grade A 100% Maple Syrup was the best and those who tried the high fructose corn syrup maple syrup were not the biggest fans. We then worked together to make pancakes to eat with our favorite maple syrup!

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