Warm days, cold nights, melting snow-signs winter is waning and spring is nearing. Though winter may just be getting started in some areas, it's always fun to appreciate the good things about winter, including the special time at the end of winter in New England known as "sugaring time." The sap starts flowing in the sugar maples, and the process of turning sap into syrup begins. These "sugaring time" investigations will connect a familiar product, maple syrup, with properties of matter and can be adapted to introduce or further develop an understanding of this topic.