Carl J. Lamb Elementary Students Get a Sweet Lesson in Science, Math, and New England Tradition

Students at Carl J. Lamb Elementary School in Springvale have had a sweet lesson in science, math, and New England tradition, thanks to a school-wide maple sugaring project.

This initiative transformed playground maple trees into educational tools, as children collected sap, tracked data, and ultimately created their own maple syrup in a unique cross-curricular learning experience.

“We have to check the buckets to make sure the sap is going up every time,” second-grader Morrigan Duggan explained. “The temperature needs to be above freezing for the sap to come out.”

This project, years in the making, is the brainchild of teachers Kim Minchin and Robert Rothwell (also known as “Mr. Bob”), who have transformed a New England tradition into a comprehensive learning opportunity for the entire school.

“We’ve been talking about doing this for probably four or five years,” Minchin shared. “This was the year we decided to go whole-school because a lot of our students don’t get to experience maple syrup weekend, where you go to farms and see the process.”

What makes this project particularly valuable is how it integrates multiple subjects. Students learn across disciplines – geography, math, science, and literacy – all through the authentic context of maple syrup production.

In math classes, students track the gallons of sap collected daily. Fourth-graders work on converting measurements (gallons to cups, pints, and quarts), while second-graders calculate temperature differences to understand how weather affects sap flow.

“I have a little more flexibility in math,” Minchin said. “We can still work on what they’re learning in the classroom but use the context of maple syrup and sap collection to make it meaningful.”

The maple sugaring process begins with identifying and tapping maple trees on school grounds. Though the playground features red maples rather than sugar maples, they still produce sap. Mr. Bob has also tapped about 14 sugar maple trees at the Spring Road library to ensure enough sap for production.

Students are involved in every step – from drilling holes and inserting taps to collecting sap daily and measuring volumes. They learn that it takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce just one gallon of maple syrup—a ratio that amazes even adults.

“It looked like water,” second-grader Thomas Lapointe recalled of the first sap collection, “but, when we tried to taste it, it was a little bit sugary.”

Beyond academics, this initiative builds community and life skills. Students work together, communicating and problem-solving as they carefully collect and measure the sap.

“There’s a lot of teamwork,” Mr. Bob said. “They have to communicate and plan together.”

For many students, especially those who struggle in traditional classroom settings, the hands-on nature of this project provides a confidence boost.

“Our students don’t always feel like they have that success,” Minchin noted. “So, to be able to have the floor and teach others about something they’ve experienced firsthand – it’s pretty uplifting for their confidence.”

This story was submitted by Carl J. Lamb Elementary School. To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.