Maple syrup unit study filled with maple sugaring activities, maple syrup craft ideas, maple recipes, and more! Especially fun maple syrup lesson for February activities, winter lesson plans, or kid friendly activities for a variety of ages!
How To Create A Maple Syrup Unit Study
Maple syrup making is a fun topic to learn about for kids. Creating a maple syrup unit study can be an educational and fun way to teach your kids about the process of making maple syrup. Here are some ideas for creating a successful unit study!
Maple Syrup Lessons Ideas:
- Teach kids how to make maple syrup (maple syrup production ) and tapping maple trees
- Include a maple tree unit study
- Learn how maple syrup was discovered / when did maple syrup originate
- Play maple syrup games
- Make maple syrup snow candy
- Read Curious George Makes Maple Syrup
- Do maple syrup crafts
- Create a maple theme sensory bin
- Look at a drop of maple syrup under a microscope for maple syrup science
- Create a maple syrup lapbook
- Go on a maple tap lines scavenger hunt in the woods and see if you find any maple tree taps (don’t touch, though!)
- Download maple syrup coloring pages
- Watch a how maple syrup is made video
- Cook with maple syrup and make maple syrup goodies
- Join a local maple syrup gathering (search maple syrup tapping near me, maple syrup farm near me, or working sugarhouse near me) or look for local maple syrup classes
KEEP SCROLLING for the full maple unit study ideas, maple education ideas (sugaring education), maple downloads, and other resources for maple syrup kids activities!
What is so special about maple syrup?
Maple syrup was first discovered by Native Americans. It has since become an essential ingredient in many recipes and dishes, and its popularity has spread across the globe! Here are some fun facts about maple syrup for kids!
Maple Syrup Facts for Kids:
- Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees, which are native to North America.
- There are different grades of maple syrup, depending on its color and flavor. Grade A syrup is usually the lightest in color and has the most delicate flavor, while Grade B is darker with a bolder taste.
- Maple sap is clear when it comes out of the tree. Boiling down the maple sap is what makes the syrup!
- To make one gallon of maple syrup, you need to collect the sap from 40 gallons of tree sap!
- Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States, followed by New York and Maine.
- Maple syrup was initially discovered by Native Americans. It is also used in traditional Native American ceremonies to honor special occasions.
- Maple syrup is not that same as pancake syrup! Maple syrup is pure from a maple tree. Pancake syrup is generally made from corn syrup with maple extract as flavoring. (So, don’t try to use it as a substitute for maple syrup when making maple syrup candy / maple syrup recipe where it needs to harden!)
- Maple syrup has many health benefits due to its antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It can help reduce inflammation, lower blood sugar levels, and boost immunity.
- Maple syrup is a great alternative to processed sugars and syrups as it has fewer calories and contains beneficial nutrients.
- Maple syrup production has been a tradition for centuries, but now modern technology helps make it much easier to produce.
- Maple syrup is not just used to sweeten foods and drinks. It can also be used as a marinade for meats (like maple syrup ham glaze!), glaze for vegetables, and added to salad dressings!
- Maple syrup can last up to two years when stored in the refrigerator.
- There are festivals dedicated to maple syrup all around the country! The Maine Maple Sunday Festival is one of the most popular celebrations as is the Vermont Maple Festival.
- The maple leaf is the symbol of Canada and can be found on their flag, coins, and other national symbols – a reminder of how important maple syrup is to Canadians!
Learning About Maple Syrup (Maple Sugaring)
Use the following activities for kids, teaching resources, and maple resources for planning a maple sugaring unit study!
Maple Tree Unit Study
- Learn about the steps to making maple syrup (aka: maple sugaring process), the science of maple syrup, when is maple syrup harvested and then have kids draw how is maple syrup made step by step (watch where does maple syrup come from video)
- Get a free gathering sap maple syrup history worksheet (and also here)
- Read about maple trees and download maple coloring sheets
- Download a full exploring maple syrup lesson plan (preschool lesson plan/pre-K through Grade 5)
- Get a from sap to syrup lesson (Kindergarten lesson – grade 2)
- Get a maple tree printable (maple download here)
- Make maple tree labels into flashcards
- Learn the difference between maple trees vs sugar maples
- Get a worksheet to help you understand the weather for maple syrup
- Learn about maple syrup taps and how they work with sugaring maple syrup
- Watch a how is maple syrup made video here and then ask kids to explain where does syrup come from
- Sing a maple syrup song
ALSO CHECK OUT MORE WINTER KIDS ACTIVITIES:
Snow Day Activities (Fun Indoor and Outdoor Winter Ideas for Kids)
- Paint a maple leaf craft using these
- Make maple syrup snow candy for a tasty maple syrup project (fun things to make with maple syrup!)
- Read Curious George maple syrup book
- Make an acrostic maple syrup poem
- Do a maple syrup science project: How Sweet Is Maple Syrup printable
- Learn about maple tree rings with a free worksheet
- Help kids understand the difference between pancake syrup vs maple syrup
- Learn about maple syrup Indigenous history like Ojibwe maple syrup, Iroqouis, and Algonquin maple syrup (start here)
- Read Native American legends about maple syrup
- Watch a maple syrup documentary
- Download a Sugar Maple Days lesson to learn about maple sugaring in the Northeast
- Make a Vermont maple cream pie recipe
- Download free sap to syrup flashcards
- Complete a maple geography printable
- Use free agriculture worksheets to learn about maple trees
- Do a sugarbush animal classification worksheet
- Download maple syrup coloring pages
- Print a free maple word search printable (and another one here)
- Do a maple syrup recipe project – how to make maple cream
- Have maple trees on your property? Grab some maple syrup supplies and tap your own maple trees! (Look for a maple syrup tapping kit like this.)
- Go to a maple syrup festival (search maple syrup festivals near me)
Maple Syrup Book Recommendations for Kids
Try these children’s maple syrup books for maple unit studies!
Best Maple Syrup Kids Books:
- Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall
- Almost Time by Gary D Schmidt
- Sugar Snow by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton
- Sugaring by Jessie Haas
- Bear Goes Sugaring by Maxwell Eaton II
- At Grandpa’s Sugar Bush by Margaret Carney
- How to Tap a Maple! by Stephanie Mulligan
- The Sweetest Season by Elissa Kerr
- A Kid’s Guide to Maple Tapping: Let’s Make Maple Syrup by Julie Fryer
- M Is For Maple Syrup: A Vermont Alphabet
Enjoy your maple syrup unit study!
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