Hewlett-Woodmere Students Tap In To Maple Syrup Experience

HEWLETT, NY — It’s an age-old question for teachers of all ages: How do I make sure students are paying attention and participating?

For Franklin Early Childhood Center, the answer this week was simple: Sweeten the pot, literally.

The school gave students a weeklong crash course in maple syrup production, giving students the chance to tap trees, learn how sap is collected and transformed into syrup and get to see the final results of that process — more on that in a moment.

The week of learning started with tree tapping, which district officials said gave students some valuable time outdoors. The tree used, district officials said, was purchased by the PTA and Hewlett-Woodmere board of education two years ago, creating what officials called a “unique learning opportunity” that was enhanced by support from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County.

A week later, district officials said the school held a “Pancakes & Pajamas” celebration, bringing the sap-to-syrup cycle full circle with students gathering in their PJs to eat some pancakes with the same maple syrup they’d learned about.

“From tapping the tree to tasting the final product, students were able to connect classroom learning to real-world application in a memorable and interactive way,” district officials said.