With temps averaging around 10° F this week I’ve been on the hunt to find quick activities to give us opportunities to get outside – even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time. My oldest LOVES maple syrup and I remembered seeing this activity on instagram recently so I thought I’d give it a try! Although the recipe calls for real maple syrup, all we had in the pantry was Log Cabin… it worked but the result was a hard candy rather than taffy-like. I think the important thing when choosing syrups is for it not to have high fructose corn syrup. Either way – it’s super fun and tasty!
What you need:
- Real maple syrup – the amount you use depends on how many lollipops you want. I used about half a cup which made 5 lollipops.
- Pan and spoon
- Skewers or popsicle sticks
- Snow! (If there is no snow where you live, crush some ice and spread it out on a baking sheet!)
What to do:
- Have an outdoor space ready for use – a clean patch of flat snow and a place to set down your pan.
- Inside, pour maple syrup into pan (I used our camping pan knowing it was going to get sticky and messy!)
- Heat until boiling while continuously stirring – will take between 5-10 minutes depending on the type of syrup.
- When syrup is nice and hot run it outside quickly!
- Pour a spoonful on the snow.
- Place skewer/popsicle stick on top of syrup.
- If you move quickly you can mold it into shape – be fast because if it’s as cold as it is here it hardens in a flash!
Parents are the First Teachers 