Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm offers birth – 1st grade education based on the Waldorf philosophy on a working farm in Essex, NY. Each week our Office Administrator, Kathleen Morse, writes on the Lakeside school and community and education based on the Waldorf philosophy through her perspective from the office window.
View from the Office Window: Maple Sugaring!
The view from my window today shows growing patches of mud and shrinking patches of snow. A sure signal of sugaring season!
When Robin gathered the tapping materials together earlier this week, I was sure to tag along with the children. With a verse of gratitude for the tree the hand drill came out and children began
drilling into the sugar maple. Each child took up the task of turning the hand drill with a mixture of delight and determination on their face. One of the children went to get the next piece, a spile, as she informed me. The spile, or spout, was tap, tap, tapped into the hole with a hammer and sweet sap began drip, drip, dripping into the bucket.
But first, little fingers tasted this slightly sweet liquid dripping from the tree. As we went off through the meadow to find other sugar maples, I was impressed at how the children knew just which trees they had chosen that were sugar maples. All the while singing sugaring songs. A feast for the senses.
Today the collection of sap sat on the top of the wood stove boiling away. I won’t spoil the surprise of the festival that is coming once the syrup is finished. You’ll have to check back next week!
Until then,
Kathleen Morse
Office Administrator
Lakeside School in Essex
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