Kids Activities
November 12, 2022
How Maple Syrup is Made

How Maple Syrup is Made

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In the spring our homeschool kids were able to take a fieldtrip to see first hand how maple syrup is made. Whether you are looking for an excuse to get out of the house or making a farm theme, this maple syrup for kids is a fun way to learn abou thow the thick, yummy maple syrup goes from sap in a tree to your favorite pancake topping! This homeschool field trips is fun for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade and 6th graders too. So join us on a virtual field trip as we discover how maple syrup is made for kids.
In the spring our homeschool kids were able to take a fieldtrip to see first hand how maple syrup is made. Whether you are looking for an excuse to get out of the house or making a farm theme, this maple syrup for kids is a fun way to learn abou thow the thick, yummy maple syrup goes from sap in a tree to your favorite pancake topping! This homeschool field trips is fun for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade and 6th graders too. So join us on a virtual field trip as we discover how maple syrup is made for kids.

How Maple Syrup is Made

Teach kids something new by joining us as we discovered how maple syrup is made. This is a fun way to lean about maple syrup for kids from toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students. This would be a great homeschool fieldtrip in late winter to early spring depending on what your climate is like.

 

How maple syrup is made for kids

In our Midwest climate, March is usually prime maple syrup time.  We learned that sap is gathered more easily in March because it starts to flow up the tree. By the time spring hits the sap is dispersed in the branches and leaves.

The best time to tap a tree is when the night is just below freezing and the day gets above freezing. This rising temperature creates pressure in the tree that makes the sap rise.  Sap will flow for 4-6 weeks. You can tap a tree 1-4 times depending on how old the tree is. Trees that are over 100 years old can be tapped 4 times, just not directly above or below another previously made hole.

drilling a hoel in a maple tree

How to Tap a Maple Syrup Tree

To tap a tree you drill a hole (power or manually) about 3 feet off the ground.  Now insert the spout or spile, you may need to use a hammer to get it in the hole. You should begin seeing tap come out pretty quickly.

Gathering sap from maple tree

Collect Sap from a Maple Tree

Now you will need to attach a clean container to collect the sap. Any food grade container will work. It is recommended that when sap is flowing you collect your sap daily, using a cheesecloth or similar to filter out any foreign material. Collected sap must be stored at about 38 F and used within 7 days. Sap is like milk and will spoil.

boiling maple sap down

Turning Maple Sap into Maple Syrup

It is important to boil your maple syrup to kill any bacteria that may be there.  The picture below is what maple sap looks like – clear and very runny.

Homeschool Fieldtrip - How to make maple syrup

Because of the large amount of steam, it is recommended to boil your sap outdoors.

20 galloons of sap to make 1 galloon of maple syrup

Continue boiling until it reduces dramatically; add more sap and continue boiling.  It takes about 20 galloons of sap to make 1 galloon of maple syrup.

Homeschool Fieldtrip - How to make maple syrup

When it has been boiled down it will be a golden color and will be somewhat thicker. On our fieldtrip we got to taste some freshly made maple syrup – YUM! (They had us use pasta to dip in the syrup to taste so the “spoons” could be composted. So clever!)


If you’d like to see how Maple Syrup is made first hand like we did check your local forest preserves, historic farms, and national parks for dates and locations in your area.

Where are you going on your next Homeschool Fieldtrip?

We’d all love to know where you’ve been this week. Please tell us about it in the comments!

 

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Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! With over 20 years educating children, she has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids alphabet, math, science, English grammar, history, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables – www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com. Beth studied at the University of Northwestern where she got a double major to make her effective at teaching children while making education FUN!

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