Norval Maple Syrup Making Madness!

Today our JK, SK, and Grade 1 students took a field trip to the UCC Norval Outdoor School campus to explore and learn in wonderful mother nature. With it being Norval’s “Spring Maple Madness”, our students learned all about our Canadian staple sweet treat.

All the students explored Norval’s vast outdoor playground. They toured the maple tree fields and were guided through the intricate process of sap harvesting, to how we get that delicious, tasty syrup. They learned how the Indigenous Peoples of Canada used tools from the land compared to the Early Settlers who had more modern methods.

Our students got hands on and had the chance to tap a tree with their very own handcrafted wooden spiles and carry the heavy sap bucket just like the Indigenous People used to do. They were also shown how Early Settlers used more modern and quicker ways to tap maple syrup by drilling holes in the trees and collecting the syrup in big buckets. Some even got the chance to use one of the Early Settlers two-person saw to prep the fire that heats up the maple syrup caldron to melt it down through filtration.

They spent time around a cozy bonfire listening to an Indigenous Legend behind the discovery of maple syrup. Throughout the day they sampled some of the different syrup filtration levels like fresh tapped sap, maple tea, and of course maple syrup for their pancake lunch party!

Our students ended the day in Norval’s Free Play Forest! Here they could explore and create different forts and habitats with ropes, sticks and wooden materials based on the play area. There were climbing areas and slack lines to balance on. They even had an archery station to visit!

What a fantastic day for our JK, SK and Grade 1 students to embark on an outdoor adventure!