A Sweet Story

Bloomfield Hills Schools Visit the Nature Center (DK - developmental kindergarten)

It was cold and snow flurries were in the air, but the intrepid BHS DK students arrived at the Nature Center ready to explore. Farmer Amy and Ranger introduced the students to the sweet process of Maple Sugaring. From tree to bottle, these young “syrup scientists” discovered seasonal changes and the weather conditions needed for sap flow, learned how to tap a tree and what tools are involved. They were able to “practice” drilling a tap and hammering in a spile. 

After sharing gratitude for all that the sugar bush gives us, teachers selected their class tree to tap! And boy was the sap running. The buckets could be heard catching the drip…drip…drip of sap into the bucket.

Next stop, the steamy Sugar Shack, where the students observed the evaporator in full force. They learned that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Steam rose up through the roof as the hot wood fire made the sap bubble and boil. Students compared a taste of clear, watery sap to fresh, golden maple syrup. The vote wasn’t even close, the syrup won the taste test, hands down,

Classes shared a sweet story “Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse” and saw how a community came together to share in the hard work of maple sugaring and syrup making. The pictures in the story connected to what they had seen in practice. The story ended with the whole group enjoying a special treat of maple syrup topped pancakes! These young learners were curious and inquisitive and brought a big dose of joy to their last Nature Center field experience of the year.

*BHS DK students attend a field experience each month throughout the year, alternating between the Johnson Nature Center and Bowers School Farm.