By Patrick O’Roark
The arrival of spring brings many wonderful and welcome things: warmer weather, nesting songbirds, and wildflowers among them. If you’re a student it also brings another very welcome event, April vacation! During the week of April 18 to 22 many students in the region enjoyed a break from their studies at school. Some families take this time to vacation together, but not all parents can get away from work and other responsibilities. The Hitchcock Center offers a camp during this week to accommodate these folks, and for the kids that come it is an opportunity to engage with science and nature through games, crafts, songs, and outdoor exploration. At Hitchcock vacation camp the focus on learning through fun.
By Jessica Schultz
On May 9th, the Hitchcock Center provided testimony to the MA Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development < https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J30> during a listening session at UMASS Amherst co-chaired by Representative Cory Atkins (D-Concord) and Senator Eric P. Lesser (D-Longmeadow). Also, joining the session were Representatives Michael J. Finn (D-W. Springfield) and RoseLee Vincent (D-Revere). The following is our augmented written testimony submitted to the committee.
By Maddy Parker
The Hitchcock Center provided me and many other children with an education in the aspects of nature. The teaching method is very different from other nature centers; at the Hitchcock Center they allow children to take risks such as climbing trees and playing with sticks. I believe that children must face some sort of challenge to actually learn something.
By Marcus Simon
The Hitchcock Center for the Environment is calling all superheroes! April is Earth month, and Hitchcock is issuing a challenge to the local community: can you be a Salamander Superhero by changing some of your habits this month?
By Colleen Kelley
Every year in March a group of educators from the Hitchcock Center head to Worcester for the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society (MEES) annual conference at Holy Cross College. This one-day conference brings together teachers, students, informal educators and professionals from across the state to exchange information, ideas and practices.
By Elizabeth Farnsworth
It’s a rite of Spring in the Pioneer Valley, when hordes of nature enthusiasts emerge from their hibernation and scout out the living world around them: Biothon! Biothon is a great fundraiser for the Hitchcock Center, and an entertaining and educational event for all ages.
By Ted Watt
Just imagine … its pitch dark, 41 degrees, pouring rain, and you’re out there. Sound like fun? Pretty tough conditions for us warm-blooded mammals, but amphibians love it; especially spotted salamanders. They choose these conditions for their annual breeding migration. Even if we still have some snow, the animals know when it is time to move.
By Patrick O’Roark
Sam Cordero has always loved salamanders. In fact, since she was young she’s been drawn to animals of all types – as a child she desperately wanted a giant African millipede as a pet!
By Patrick O’Roark
How can a nature center educate about engineering? With a little help from a friend and a little inspiration from one of nature’s most amazing engineers, the beaver.
By Katie Koerten
What is a Rube Goldberg Machine, you ask? It’s a contraption that attempts to complete a simple task in the most complicated way possible. Named for Reuben Goldberg, a cartoonist and inventor in the early 20th century, these devices are usually highly complex, involving a series of chain reactions set off by one initial human motion. Rube Goldberg machines can be built to accomplish simple everyday tasks, such as turning on a light, zipping a zipper, or even pulling a tooth!
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Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at Hampshire College
845 West Street | Amherst MA 01002 | 413.256.6006 | 413.253.2809 fax