1. Sugar Maple Craft Activity

2. Background: The adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 12 on March 7, 1949, authorized a vote by public school students and civic organizations to name the Sugar Maple as the official state tree of West Virginia. Sugar maple is one of the largest of the hardwoods and is sometimes called hard maple or rock maple. Maple syrup is made from the sap collected from the trunks of sugar maples. Trunks are tapped early in the spring to collect the sap. To produce 1 gallon of maple syrup, it requires 34 gallons of sap! To produce maple sugar, the sap is boiled into a syrup and concentrated further through evaporation. Sugar maple trees can also live 300 to 400 years, but rarely flower until they are at least 22 years old. The leaves of sugar maple trees turn brilliant colors of red and gold in the fall.

3. 1.Cut out the sugar maple leaf pattern. 2.Trace the pattern on the black construction paper. 3.Cut out your leaf shape.

4. 4.Cut a piece of contact paper large enough to cover your leaf shape 5.Remove the paper backing from the contact paper and lay it with the sticky side up 6.Press the leaf shape onto the contact paper

5. 7.Tear the different colored tissue paper into small, randomly shaped pieces. 8.Decorate the inside of the leaf shape with the pieces of tissue paper

6. 9.Once you have done decorating your leaf, cut a second piece of contact paper. 10.Remove the paper backing from the contact paper and place the sticky side face-down on top of your leaf. This will seal your craft.

7. 11.Cut around the leaf to remove the excess contact paper. 12.Your sugar maple leaf sun catcher can be taped to a window or use a hole punch and add a small piece of string for hanging.

8. References: State Symbols. Available at: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/Kids_P age/4.html http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/Kids_P age/4.html West Virginia State Tree: Sugar Maple. State Symbols USA. http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/West_Virginia/s tate-tree-w-virginia.html http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/West_Virginia/s tate-tree-w-virginia.html Fall Craft for Kids - Paper Crafts - Leaf Window Suncatchers. Available at: http://www.craftideas.info/html/leaf_suncatcher s_b.html http://www.craftideas.info/html/leaf_suncatcher s_b.html