You may be sick of the cold and snow, and with another bout of snow on the horizon, it's easy to fall into the winter blues. But Irvine Nature Center has something for you and the family to sweeten up the season—maple sugar.
"It's magical here," says Colby Bieschke, the manager of nature camps at Irvine Nature Center. "It's a perfect day for maple tapping and tree taping."
The maple magic program lasts approximately an hour and a half with a meet and greet in the main building, a hike through the woods, and some hands-on training for kids and adults on how to tap trees to get the delicious sap.
VIDEO: The art of making maple syrup
"We get to check buckets to see if there's any sap in any of our trees," Bieschke said.
With stops along the way for a little taste test.
And how does unprocessed maple sugar taste? Apparently, like coffee.
All of it to get you and your children to go outside.
"Learning isn't just for kids," Bieschke said. "When you come out in the environment and in nature, it's for everyone."
And at the aptly named sugar shack, volunteers show everyone the historical process of turning maple sugar into maple magic.
"How the European settlers learned from the indigenous groups how to make maple syrup, and then a little bit of how we do it today," Bieschke said.
And if you need more incentive, the program ends with a sweet treat which includes a blind taste test of real and fake maple syrup and some maple candy.
So, if you're looking to beat the winter blues and find something fun for the whole family, look no further than the [http://Irvine Nature Center.]Irvine Nature Center.
There will be another Maple Magic event on Feb. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. There will also be a member-only pancake breakfast from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 1.
