DERRY TOWNSHIP -- This is the time of year to make maple syrup and some students got a firsthand look at the process during a field trip to the Montour Preserve near Washingtonville.
These students are from the "chef homeschool group" based out of Lewisburg.
"You're at home and you study with the books and it's nice to get the kids out and see the nature, especially on a beautiful day like today," said Kelly Landis of Watsontown.
During this time of year, the Montour Preserve opens up the sugar shack to school groups to teach them about making maple syrup.
First, the students hung a bucket on a tree and tapped for sap. After that, they learned about turning the sap into maple syrup.
The students say they learned a lot.
"A maple tree has a branch here and a branch here so they're kind of even," explained Macey Feick of Danville.
Volunteers say with the warmer weather we've been experiencing, maple syrup production isn't going very well.
"We need freezing temperatures at night and then in the daytime, this is great, if it would be 18 degrees last night," said Ken Mertz, Montour Area Recreation Commission.
Even though there wasn't much maple syrup to see, the students enjoyed the program. Some even read about maple syrup before they came.
"So we learned, talked about it, it was a little bit of a review here. A few new things, but I think maple syrup is one of the cool things you make," said Sarai Grover of Selinsgrove.
The tours are free and there is an open house at the Montour Preserve's sugar shack on Saturday.