Hi, everyone!
I'm a fifth grade teacher in Westbrook, Maine. Last year, I won a grant through my district that let me purchase taps, buckets, and a few other accessories for maple tapping. With those, I worked with my students (mostly city kids) to go through the whole process, from tree identification to maple syrup. We ended up saving about 50 gallons of sap for a gallon of hard-earned syrup, with a few ounces going to each student. We ended with our own "Maple Day" in school, where each group showed a project that they had been working on throughout the maple season. It was a fantastic experience, and I'm looking to duplicate it this year with a new class. That's where this site comes in!
I thought that I might start this thread as a place where I could post student questions about the maple process. I'd imagine that hearing from experts would be thrilling, especially if it was a question that was out of my league!
Thank you, in advance, for helping if you're able to! As someone who has only taught himself the basics through reading, I appreciate these kinds of message boards.
Good luck this year!
MapleTeacher