Embracing Maple Season at Forest School

We have said goodbye to winter and hello to spring and something magical has began to happen in the woods—the maple trees have started to "wake up," and the sap has began to flow! This marks the beginning of a special time when the trees give us the gift of maple sap to be used to make maple syrup.

For the children at our forest and nature school, this season is more than just about the syrup; it’s about learning, exploring, and experiencing nature in a new way.

Tapping the Maple Trees

During our March Break Camp we tapped three magical maple trees to collect sap from. Throughout the following weeks the children in our programs have been monitoring the sap collection and storing it away to make our own Wild Fauna Maple Syrup.

Learning about Tree Growth

This is a perfect opportunity to learn about how trees grow, the different parts of a tree, and how the sap moves through the tree to nourish it. The sap of the tree does so much more than provides a sweet treat!

Forest Walks to Check the Progress

We love exploring our forest but it is even more exciting when we get to check on how the sap collection is doing!

Making Maple Syrup

Once the sap is collected the next step is to boil it down! Did you know it takes approximately 40L of maple sap to create 1L of maple syrup? This could be done in a traditional outdoor setup, using a campfire and large pots but our friends at Domain Labrador have a commercial size set up ready to go!

What is your favourite way to enjoy maple syrup? On pancakes? On snow to make taffy? In cooking?