Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz
Third-graders at the elementary school had two recent opportunities for hands-on learning. At a Star Party on March 17, sponsored by the Harvard Schools Trust, members of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston set up scopes in front of Bromfield House on Mass. Ave. so that students and their families could view celestial objects. The same week, third-grade classes walked to Bob Donaldson’s house on Willow Road for a demonstration of maple sugaring, complete with a pancake breakfast.
Samantha Merrow watches as Al Takeda of the Amateur Telescope Makes of Boston adjusts his telescope.
Kevin Yu checks out a telescope pointed at a more earthly target—the weather vane atop the Unitarian Church in the center of town.
Madison Drummey, Beth Drummey, Kim Houston, and Logan Houston gather around one of the many telescopes.
From left: Taylor Tracey, Kirsten Niland, and Brady Niland watch the stars from a different perspective.
From left: Navon Williams, Katie Adams, Nicky Lambert, and Chloe Cushing listen as Bob Donaldson explains how his evaporator turns sap into syrup.
From left: Oliver Smelanskas, Baylor Ashe, Liam Wang, Kevin Yu, Jack Donaldson, Sara Bibbo, and Antonio Bibbo gather ‘round to watch the progess of the pancakes as they cook atop a woodstove griddle.
Bob Donaldson pours syrup fresh from the evaporator onto Liam Wang’s pancakes.