PERSONAL: Field Trip to the Tiffen Centre

I went on my first field trip since high school! I haven't ridden on a school bus since 1987 and I swear the seats have gotten smaller. LOL Well, perhaps the school busses in Ontario aren't the same as the ones in BC. ;)

Ben even wanted me to sit with him on the way up so I got this close up of his face.

Hellooooo!!

The kids watched a video on surviving in the wilderness and then they got to make their own little survival kit. Ben's going to take his camping this summer.

Making a Survival Kit

Outside, the kids tried to convince the chickadees to stop by for some seeds. It was the quietest they were the whole day! There were a few birds who came nearby, but none were brave enough to actually land on any of the kid's hands to get the seeds. I love the photos I have of the whole group standing out there with their arms out, waiting...and waiting... :)

Waiting.....

We learned about how the sap was collected back in the 'olden days'.

Two Types of Cuts

Next we learned about how the water was boiled off. Most of the liquid that comes from the Sugar Maples is water, so there's lots to boil off.

Boiling off the Water

There were many of these shiney buckets hanging off the trees as we walked around the property.

Collection Bucket

Our last stop was inside what I think was called the 'Sugar Shack'. These days they don't use big pots on top of fire pits to boil off the water. Today the water is evaporated off indoors in big tanks.

Almost Ready

It was so nice to be able to go on the field trip (my first one with Ben!). My group of kids were great! It was even nice to have to pack my lunch (haven't done that in a while either).

Thanks Ben and Mrs. Santo for having me on your trip as a volunteer :)

Thanks for looking!

-- Lisa P.