sachem
11-20-2011, 04:09 PM
hello everyone,
I am a kindergarten-second grade teacher at an independent non-profit school in Glen Cove, near Rockland Maine. Last year my director asked if I would tap the trees with my class. I consulted friends and did a great amount of reading and dove in. Our drive way is lined with big old Sugar Maples, we put in about 20 taps. Since it was my first time, the supplies were very basic. Everyday, sometimes twice a day the kids and I would go out and empty the milk jugs into five gallon buckets, filter it with the chesse cloth a few times then pour it into a lobster pot. In the parking lot I set up three propane burners...we only had one burning incident. In the end we made about six gallons of syrup. This year my director and I would like to make this school wide and do it right. I was wondering if there is anyone out there that has a small evaporator that they would like to sell or donate. This is a great way to educate children, I would like for them to be more involved with the boiling process and using propane burners is not the safest way to achieve this. There are also a lot more trees on the campus so we are hoping to have a bunch more taps. I am open to suggestions and input from folks have been doing this longer than I have. My class just asked my yesterday if it was time to tap trees yet....they are excited and eager to begin this process again. I hope to have everything we need by then. The middle School math class is currently drawing up blue-prints for our sugar house.
Thanks
I am a kindergarten-second grade teacher at an independent non-profit school in Glen Cove, near Rockland Maine. Last year my director asked if I would tap the trees with my class. I consulted friends and did a great amount of reading and dove in. Our drive way is lined with big old Sugar Maples, we put in about 20 taps. Since it was my first time, the supplies were very basic. Everyday, sometimes twice a day the kids and I would go out and empty the milk jugs into five gallon buckets, filter it with the chesse cloth a few times then pour it into a lobster pot. In the parking lot I set up three propane burners...we only had one burning incident. In the end we made about six gallons of syrup. This year my director and I would like to make this school wide and do it right. I was wondering if there is anyone out there that has a small evaporator that they would like to sell or donate. This is a great way to educate children, I would like for them to be more involved with the boiling process and using propane burners is not the safest way to achieve this. There are also a lot more trees on the campus so we are hoping to have a bunch more taps. I am open to suggestions and input from folks have been doing this longer than I have. My class just asked my yesterday if it was time to tap trees yet....they are excited and eager to begin this process again. I hope to have everything we need by then. The middle School math class is currently drawing up blue-prints for our sugar house.
Thanks