This week's animal-to-find was actually not an animal, but instead a leaf; specifically, a sugar maple leaf. With it being peak sugaring season here in Vermont, finding the maples leaves was a natural segway into our maple syrup themed day. 

From Sugar on Snow to school field trips, Audubon Vermont does a lot when it comes to maple syrup education, so it only felt right to start Forest Playschool off early. 

Both Wednesday and Friday’s groups had a nearly identical day. After snack and story, we hiked all the way down to the sugar house where our sugaring team produces maple syrup every year. The students got to go inside where they saw a giant evaporator, stacks of firewood, and old metal tools. We talked about everything from why a tree needs sap to what evaporation means. Emily, Sarah and I were pleased to hear so many great questions and comments that showed interest and an understanding of the subject. 

After a tour of the sugar house, we stepped outside to practice tapping maple trees. Using dead standing trees, each student got a chance to set up a tap and bucket to replicate the sap collecting process. 

We then hiked back up to the education barn to eat our lunch before playing in the front and backyard. Even though it was our longest hike yet, both Wednesday and Friday’s classes somehow had more than enough energy to play with their friends in the snow. 

Maple sugaring is an important part of Vermont’s history and is a prominent part of our culture today, so it was a privilege for us to be the ones to introduce it to the kids. We hope that they will one day get to experience creating their own maple syrup from scratch.