Mmm! These pancakes are delicious! And guess what? We have our favorite topping—maple syrup! I bought some from a person who made it from their own maple trees. But have you ever wondered how they get the syrup from the trees?
Maple trees are special. They have beautiful leaves that are famous, even appearing on the flag of Canada! During summer, these leaves work hard to make food for the tree. They use air, water, and sunlight to create sugar, which helps the tree grow strong, just like food helps us.
The sugar is mixed with water to form a liquid called sap. This sap moves through the tree, a bit like how blood moves in our bodies. It looks like water but tastes a little sweet.
To make maple syrup, we need to collect the sap. But we have to wait for a special time of year. During winter, the tree stores its food inside. When spring comes, the sap starts moving up and down the tree. This happens when nights are cold enough to freeze the sap and days are warm enough to melt it.
As the sap moves, it’s the perfect time to collect it. People tap the tree by drilling a small hole in the trunk and placing a spout in it. The sap flows out through the spout and is collected in a bucket or through tubes into big barrels.
But the sap isn’t syrup yet! Syrup-makers gather lots of sap and boil it in a big pan called an evaporator. As it boils, water evaporates, leaving behind thicker, sweeter, and stickier sap. It turns a lovely brown color as the sugars heat up. Finally, it becomes maple syrup!
Making maple syrup is hard work. Syrup-makers have to collect enough sap, boil it just right, and take care of the trees. So, let’s thank the maple trees for giving us this tasty treat!
Do you have maple trees where you live? Are there other plants getting ready for spring or providing delicious foods for you? Have fun exploring, and if you want to keep learning with us, make sure to subscribe to our channel. See you next time!
Maple Tree Detective: Go on a nature walk with a grown-up and try to find a maple tree. Look at its leaves and bark. Can you spot any signs of sap or places where someone might have tapped the tree? Draw a picture of the tree and its leaves in your notebook. If you can’t find a maple tree, look for other trees and compare their leaves and bark. What makes them different from maple trees?
Sap to Syrup Experiment: With the help of an adult, try a simple experiment to understand how sap turns into syrup. Mix a small amount of sugar with water in a pot and heat it on the stove. Watch as the water evaporates and the mixture becomes thicker. Be careful and make sure an adult helps you with the hot stove. Talk about how this is similar to making maple syrup from sap.
Sweet Math: Imagine you are a syrup-maker. If it takes about 40 buckets of sap to make 1 bucket of syrup, how many buckets of sap would you need to make 3 buckets of syrup? Use your counting skills to solve this fun math problem. You can draw pictures or use objects to help you count.
