maple sugaring, part 2

After we got done in the Sugar House (read part 1 of our maple sugaring story first!), we moved indoors to the nature center, where our teacher told us the Iroquois legend of how the Native Americans first learned to boil sap down to make syrup out of it. (It involved an 8 yr old boy -- I'm guessing the age was adjusted to fit the audience! -- and a happy accident while out on a water-gathering chore. I won't spoil the story, but J would be more than happy to tell it to you the next time you see him!)

Then the kids got to tap a tree. (Well, a log inside the nature center, anyway.) They each got a turn drilling a hole (here Zoo Boy takes his turn) with a hand-drill. The key for deciding where to drill is the "4 x 6 rule" -- you drill 4 inches higher or lower and 6 inches to the left or right of last year's tap hole.



Fluffy hammers in the spile (the tube that the sap runs out of). Each boy had their own job -- B removed the drill from the tree, Zoo Boy stuck the spile into the hole they drilled, Fluffy pounded in the spile, and then J hung the bucket on the spile, and placed the lid on it to keep out the rain and snow (seen below):

We then spent a bit of time talking about all the other types of syrups and sugars that are derived from various plant sources -- sugar beets, sugar cane, corn, and of course flower nectar (via bees -- i.e., honey!). It was an extremely educational program, and we all just ate up the information, the presentation, and the general positive learning atmosphere. We were flying high by the end, and of course signed up for a couple of more programs for our little group of home-learners!

And then afterwards, we took advantage of the glorious weather by spending an hour or two running around outdoors, playing on the playground, racing across the fields, and just soaking up the sunshine and each other's company.

Spring is HERE, I don't care what the calendar says!!