Sugaring time at Kurn Hattin Homes

Science teacher Tom Fontaine helps a student with tapping a sugar maple on the Kurn Hattin farm.

Students in grades K-8 at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children began their annual sugaring that will run through March 7. Every February for the past 120 years, the children at Kurn Hattin Homes have taken part in the Vermont tradition of maple sugaring on the Kurn Hattin farm. For many students who have come from urban areas, helping on the farm is their first exposure to agriculture and the farm-to-table experience.

Guided by farm manager Pat Barry and their science teachers, students assist with every aspect of the sugaring process, from tapping trees and gathering sap, to running the evaporator, to bottling the syrup. As reward for their hard work, the kids enjoy the finished product at breakfast time in the Kurn Hattin cafeteria.

Kurn Hattin Homes for Children provides a safe home and quality education for boys and girls, ages 6–15, whose families are experiencing a time of personal or financial need. Kurn Hattin Homes is entirely funded by private donations. For more information, visit www.kurnhattin.org.