Recently, students at A.W. Becker and Pieter B. Coeymans spent some time outside collecting sap as the weather began to warm up. That first step was just the beginning of their syrup-making journey! After the set-up was complete, all of the participating classes were responsible for monitoring their sap collection until the trees had dried up for the year. Since then, A.W. Becker was able to collect over 40 gallons of sap from 12 trees, and Pieter B. was able to collect almost 50 gallons from 16 trees.
The sap was then boiled in-house by our wonderful kitchen staff in each building, creating a tasty homemade treat for the students to enjoy. Both schools ended up with syrup that had a very different color, taste, and consistency. For their taste test, each class held a Syrup Pancake Party! They got to enjoy delicious pancakes and try out the syrup that they worked hard on creating. All the students had positive things to say about their syrup and the activity.
And although pancake parties are fun, the students also continued to learn more about the final product. They also reviewed what they learned over the last few months, reviewing the journey from sunshine to syrup. “The classes created some absolutely delicious syrup,” said Project-Based Learning Coach Melinda White. “Not only did the syrup come out great, but the students really enjoyed learning about the process and participating in this hands-on project. We can’t wait for next year to do it all again!”
A.W. Becker Syrup on the left and Pieter B. Syrup on the right:
