Maple Syrup Education Program

To a member of the Cree Nation, "Sisibaskawat" means the time of the melting snow, better known as Maple Sugaring Time. The MacKenzie Center's Maple Education Program is created around this special time of year.
The program's target audience is grades 4-6 but is also available for older students. Trained staff and volunteers will guide visitors through the program which demonstrates and explains the history and process of making maple syrup; beginning with winter tree identification, continuing with tapping a tree and ending with a sample of some pure MacKenzie maple syrup!

	2010 Program dates:   Tuesday's, Wednesday's and Thursday's the entire month of March. (Specifically March 2,3,4,5,9,10,11,16,17,18,23,24,25,30,31) Note:   We will keep a few days open and available in case of group cancellation due to inclement weather. Telephone registration begins on Thursday, February 11th at 7:30am. Call (608) 635-8105 to schedule your trip. If the lines are busy and you get a recording, please hang up and call right back. You need to talk to a "real" person to make a reservation and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.
	Sessions:   Two (2) sessions, beginning promptly at 9:00am and 11:45am, are offered on the dates listed above. The program lasts about 2 hours and is 100% outdoors! It is very important for students to bring suitable hats, gloves, boots and a warm jacket. Upon arrival, your class will be divided into smaller groups of 10-12 students who will then go with their own MEEC guide. It would help a great deal to have the class already divided into small groups prior to arrival at the MacKenzie Center. One parent or teacher is required to accompany each group. We can typically accommodate a total of 50 students per session
	Accessibility: Deep snow, ice, mud, branches and uneven terrain could make the program difficult for someone in a wheel chair or mobility impaired in some other way. Please let us know when you register if you have a student who will need special accommodations so that the staff and volunteers at MEEC can plan accordingly.
	2010 Program Fees:   Each session (9:00am or 11:45am) costs $2 per student (teachers and chaperones free) along with a $10 registration fee. Fees are payable the day of your field trip. Please have a designated leader from your group pay the MEEC representative that greets your bus. You may also pay ahead of time by sending your fees directly to our office. Checks should be payable to the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. (i.e. class of 42 students = $94.00)
Please call (608) 635-8105 if you have any questions regarding our Maple education program.

General Information to help assist with your registration and field trip planning for the maple program
	Reservation Form Photo Release Form Property Map Evaluation Form
Teacher Resources:
	The Sugar Bush Maple Vocabulary Sugar Maple tree identification Photosynthesis & Sugar How a Tree Grows Maple Resources Maple Education Worksheet

	Join Us for our Maple Syrup Festival Saturday, April 3rd, 2010: 8am - 2pm
Begin your day with a pancake breakfast ($7) in our lodge. Enjoy free guided tours of the sugarbush, demonstrations of how to tap a maple tree for sap and how to make syrup, interpretative talks about how Native Americans and pioneers made maple sugar and syrup as well as current methods used in our own MacKenzie sugarbush. Participants will have the opportunity to watch home-made ice cream being churned with an antique engine; listen to live, old-time, country music; and take a horse-drawn wagon ride. In addition, the live wildlife exhibit, which includes animals native to Wisconsin and the museums, will be open.
For more information call 608-635-8105.

The MacKenzie Center has a lot to offer above and beyond our Maple Syrup Program. Contact us for more information or explore our web site at www.wiwf.org/education/MEEC.php.