Maple Sugary Sweetness and Becoming a MapleTapper!



Isaiah asked me once about making maple syrup. I'm not sure where he even got the idea, but he asked, and so we set out to learn. At the time, we scoured the Internet for resources and videos on how to make maple syrup. We were intrigued, and it really sounded like fun! But it required taps and buckets and most importantly a maple tree, none of which we had at our disposal. 

Fast forward a year or so, and enter Clovers Garden Center, with the Maple Tapper Kit for kids!  It's available on Amazon here!

I was so very excited to receive this product! We could finally give maple tapping and maple syrup making a go! It features a full color book with lots of instructions and education about all things maple syrup. How do you find the right tree, pick the right time of year, tap the tree and finally collect sap and make syrup - it's all there! But it's not just a book.... 

Isaiah learning about maple syrup!
The kit has two maple tree taps, two large buckets, lids to cover the buckets, and even a fine filter to run the tree sap and syrup through!  All of the products are sturdy and seem like they will last through many, many years worth of use.  To some, this just isn't very exciting, but I am ecstatic! I can not wait to try this fun science experience with my kids! 

And the kids were quite enthralled with the kit as well, as I'm sure is evident in the pictures! They can not wait to find some trees to tap, and it's going to be tough for them to wait for spring!  It's neat to find a product to help us learn about something in which Isaiah's expressed interest - making maple syrup. 

The book is extremely helpful for anyone with no background in making maple syrup, which is probably most people!  It contains a narrative section with an entire story about the process to make maple syrup with facts and figures and great illustrations.  It was probably a bit much text for my five and three year old students, but I was able to hold their attention by breezing through some more in-depth sections.  The book also contains a section of art, science, and cooking activities for the kids.  And to help the adults (you know you'll need it!), there is an entire "how to" section with the nitty gritty details of maple tapping for adults.  If you need more information, articles or how-to videos, you can check out the Maple Tapper website!  


Annika reading our book, ready to become a maple tapper! :)
I have always loved maple syrup, so much so that maple sugar candies were my favorite candy for many many years. My mom would always include a box of the sugary sweet confections in my Easter basket every year as a child! My hometown had a yearly maple sugar festival when I was growing up, and they would showcase the various stages of making maple sugar, from tapping trees to boiling off the sap.  And so this kit probably inspires a bit of nostalgia for me.  It also inspires and enables me to pass on my love for maple syrup, and learn the whole syrup making process right along with my own kids. What fun!

So now to find a maple tree and become a #mapletapper! :) 



Note: I received a Maple Tapper Kit for free in exchange for my review.  It does in no way effect just how excited I am about this product! :)

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