On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Mrs. Bailey, second grade teacher at Argyle Central School District, took students out to one of the three maple trees on campus that they have tapped this Spring as a part of an ongoing project of making maple syrup from scratch.
Bailey has been documenting the process, asking students to note the sugar levels in the sap, collect data, and learn from start to finish the science behind making maple syrup. The class has a total of 4 taps on campus that they have been collecting sap from, filtering, and boiling to make the syrup.
“We have already created our first batch of maple syrup, and it turned out great,” said Bailey. “One of the batches we boiled a bit too long but made maple candy out of it– which was a treat!”
Second grade students plan to continue tapping the trees and will compare different batches of maple syrup based on timing, water content, and other factors.
Families and community members can see photos, videos, and more on the District Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArgyleCSDScots
The project is funded by NYS Agriculture in the Classroom-a program called Schoolyard Sugaring.