Sugaring Time At Locust School

Arborist Michael Didyk helps students at Locust School tap a maple tree on the school grounds.

The sap is running in Garden City, and Locust School first graders in Carol Link's class know it first hand. The class recently received a visit from Garden City Arborist Michael Didyk, who showed the students how to tap the maple tree outside their classroom.

The group inserted a spike into the tree and collected the sap in a jug. The students learned that sap runs when days are relatively warm and nights are relatively cold.

The project provided an opportunity for the class to use math skills to create a graph showing how much sap they collected. The students also read about how Native Americans taught colonists how to tap trees to collect sap and boil it down to maple syrup. They also sharpened their writing skills by composing journal entries, as well as thank you letters for Mr. Didyk.

Students in Carol Link's first grade class at Locust School with Arborist Michael Didyk.