Nature Discovery Preschool: PreHistoric Preschool
2019-04-26 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
This season we will travel back in time to the days of the dinosaurs. Children will learn about dinosaurs through stories, songs, movement and crafts. We will compare different dinosaurs, dig for bones, and learn about the plants they munched on. Come have a dinomite time!
With Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, Morning session: 9:30a-11:30am, Afternoon session: 1-3pm
March 22, 29 April 5,12,26, May 3,10,17,24,31 (no class April 19)
Members: $220/Non-members: $255
Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee. Limited to 12 families per session.

May Migration Spring Birding Course
2019-04-27 07:00 - 12:00, 2019-05-04 07:00 - 12:00
Join Dan Ziomek in a variety of local habitats during peak birding migration.

Dan Ziomek birding with a program participant.

with Dan Ziomek, WRSI’s Bird Songs
Saturdays: April 27, May 4, 11, 18, 7am – 12pm
Members $90 Non-members $115
Space is limited, Please register

10th Annual Amherst Sustainability Festival
2019-04-27 10:00 - 16:00
Hitchcock has been a part of this festival since the beginning, come learn about all the amazing folks helping us build a more sustainable future.
Saturday, April 27, 10am – 4pm
Amherst Town Common

Discovery Yard Garden Volunteer Work Days
2019-04-27 12:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
This spring we are creating our Discovery Yard and Teaching Gardens and we need your help.
The Colleen Kelley Discovery Yard will include natural play structures, log balance beams, a play thicket, a StoryWalk path, and benches and picnic tables for visitors and families to gather. Situated across from the main entrance to our Visitor Center, and adjacent to additional planned teaching gardens and pavilion, The Colleen Kelley Discovery Yard will play a central role in fulfilling the Hitchcock Center’s vision to create a truly world-class environmental education center. Learn more…
Sunday, April 14, 12-3pm
Saturday, April 27, 12-3pm
Registration appreciated.

Nature Study Club - Program session filled
2019-04-28 09:00 - 12:00
Join us for our sixth year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists and citizen scientists. Each month, in our series of nature explorations with different local naturalists, we explore a focused, seasonal, natural history topic. We’ll look at nature in new ways, varying from broad habitat-wide perspectives to the finer details of individual species. Over the course of the year we’ll visit a variety of natural habitats in the greater Pioneer Valley area. Identification skills, ecological connections, adaptations, and life cycles of organisms will be the focus of our observations. Bring your curiosity and observation skills and be prepared to spend time outdoors. Dress for the weather as we rarely cancel due to inclement weather. Bring binoculars and a hand lens, water and snacks if you would like. Carpooling to more distant locations will be encouraged.
April 28: Ecology and Spring Fora of a Rich Forest with Glenn Motzkin – Program session filled
A rich forest is one where the soils are less acidic and richer in nutrients. Glenn will take us to a local site with these characteristics and you will see how the plant communities here are different from those we usually see. Spring wildflowers should be in full bloom!
Sundays once per month, 9am-12pm (some class times may vary depending on topics)
Full Year: Members: $265/Non-members: $315
Register here

Repair Public
2019-04-28 12:00 - 15:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Learn how and/or where to fix broken items instead of tossing them into a landfill and buying replacements. The participants and facilitators are local community members just like you. You bring a broken item that you want help repairing as well as a willingness to try to fix it. There will be repair facilitators on-hand to help you figure out how to fix your treasure, each with one or more areas of specialty. We’ll have various tools available for use, as well as some basic supplies like screws, tape, glue, wire nuts, needles, threads, and probably appliance cord with some plug-ends. With all these ingredients, we intend to help you repair whatever you decide to bring in. Learn more…
Sunday, April 28, 12 – 3:30pm
Donations and registration appreciated.

Nature Play Afterschool
2019-04-29 15:30 - 17:30, 2019-05-06 15:30 - 17:30, 2019-05-13 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean your kids need to stay inside to play. Have them join Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program, which is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Winter Nature Play, we make snow forts, sled, find animal tracks, play games in the dark and use our imagination as we explore the wooded trails and fields. Instructor Aemelia Thompson (Monday’s) and Jeff Mazur (Wednesdays) provides a safe structure for children to explore nature and encourages children to stretch their limits as they balance on logs, hold salamanders, or co-create new games with their peers.
with Aemelia Thompson
Mondays, 3:30-5:30pm
March 25 – June 12, 2019 (no class April 15 or May 27)
Age 6-9, Grades 1-3
Members: $225/Non-members $270
Limited to 10 participants.

Homeschool I: Animals That Build
2019-04-30 10:00 - 14:00, 2019-05-14 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
They don’t use blueprints or fancy tools, but animals can be amazing builders by using natural materials like leaves, sticks and even spit! Whether it’s for nests, homes, camouflage or catching prey, animals have a lot of reasons for their architecture. At this homeschool session we will explore the construction skills of animals and build creations of our own. While we study animals, we will also think about human architecture: we will learn about the features of Hitchcock Center’s “Living Building” and the choices we made to make our building kind to the planet. Hikes, home projects, games and field trips are all part of the fun!
With Katie Koerten
Tuesdays, 10am – 2pm
March 12 – June 4 (No program April 2, 16, May 7)
Members: $450/Non-members: $560
Limited to 15 participants per age group.

Homeschool II: Spring into Citizen Science
2019-04-30 10:00 - 14:00, 2019-05-14 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Spring is an amazing time of year! As the natural world begins to wake up from winter there are lots of changes happening. As part of Spring into Citizen Science – we will become researchers. Working with scientists on local and national science projects, collecting data that matters! For this homeschool series we will dive into different science projects and asking lots of questions, such as: What do spotted salamanders do in spring? Who are our local migrating fish, and why do they migrate? When do flowers bloom and buds burst? And more! Kids can offer a new way of looking at an issue, so bring your scientific mind, observation skills and unique perspective to our class. Through observation, special guests, field trips, and surveys, we will study the world around us and contribute to science while also having fun, exploring and playing games.
With Jeff Mazur
Tuesdays, 10:00am-2:00pm
March 12 – June 4 (No program April 2, 16, May 7)
Members: $450/Non-members: $560

Nature Play Afterschool
2019-05-01 15:30 - 17:30, 2019-05-08 13:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean your kids need to stay inside to play. Have them join Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program, which is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Winter Nature Play, we make snow forts, sled, find animal tracks, play games in the dark and use our imagination as we explore the wooded trails and fields. Instructor Aemelia Thompson (Monday’s) and Jeff Mazur (Wednesdays) provides a safe structure for children to explore nature and encourages children to stretch their limits as they balance on logs, hold salamanders, or co-create new games with their peers.
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30pm, Extended Days, 1:30pm-5:30pm
March 27 – June 12, 2019 (no class April 17), Extended Days: March 27, April 10, May 8
with Jeff Mazur
Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3
Members: $290/Non-members: $350
Limited to 10 participants.

Girls into the Wild
2019-05-02 15:30 - 17:30, 2019-05-09 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Girls into the Wild is designed to get girls outside, playing and engaging with nature in their own way. Instructor Katie Koerten strives to offer games and activities that each girl can participate in at her own comfort level, from climbing trees, to playing camouflage in the forest, to running and whooping wildly through fields. Even in winter we’ll spend the entirety of the afternoon outside so bring your warmest layers and come have some snowy fun! Families provide their own transportation to the Hitchcock Center.
Thursdays, 3:30-5:30pm
March 28 – June 13 (no program April 18)
With Katie Koerten
Ages 8-11, Grades 3-5
Members: $300/Non-members: $330
Limited to 10 participants.

Nature Discovery Preschool: PreHistoric Preschool
2019-05-03 09:30 - 11:30, 2019-05-03 13:00 - 15:00, 2019-05-10 09:30 - 11:30, 2019-05-10 13:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
This season we will travel back in time to the days of the dinosaurs. Children will learn about dinosaurs through stories, songs, movement and crafts. We will compare different dinosaurs, dig for bones, and learn about the plants they munched on. Come have a dinomite time!
With Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, Morning session: 9:30-11:30am, Afternoon session: 1-3pm
March 22, 29 April 5,12,26, May 3,10,17,24,31 (no class April 19)
Members: $220/Non-members: $255
Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee. Limited to 12 families per session.

Living Building Tour
2019-05-03 16:00 - 17:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Did you know the Hitchcock Center is a Living Building? It is designed to model systems in nature, it’s net zero energy and water, has composting toilets, and has been made with responsibly sourced non-toxic materials. Come find out what makes our building a special teaching tool empowering visitors to ask, “what does sustainability look like in the built environment and in my community?” Bring your questions so we can learn together. Tours typically last from 1-1.5 hours.
First Fridays at 4pm: May 3, June 7
Third Wednesdays at 12pm: May 15, June 19
FREE but please register online
While you’re here, check out our neighbors over at the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, another Living Building Challenge project.

Self-organization, Co-evolution, Resiliency, and Stability
2019-05-03 19:00 - 20:30
Self-organization is a natural process—that, as a system grows it also becomes more complex. The complexity is derived from the components of the system, such as species in an ecosystem which become ever more specialized through time and tightly integrated together creating systems that are energy efficient, resilient, and stable. The talk will focus on how this process works in ecosystems via co-evolution to generate the incredible biodiversity we see in nature. Many examples of regional co-evolved relationships will be used to illustrate how co-evolution works. The talk then shows how this process is a wonderful model for creating sustainable
human systems.
with Tom Wessels
Friday, May 3, 7:00– 8:30pm
Suggested donation: $10
Registration appreciated
Tom Wessels is a terrestrial ecologist and professor emeritus at Antioch University New England where he founded the master’s degree program in Conservation Biology. He has conducted workshops on ecology and sustainability throughout the country for over three decades. He is the author of numerous books including, “Reading the Forested Landscape”, “The Myth of Progress”, “Forest.Forensics” and his latest publication, “Granite, Fire and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia”.

Reading the Forested Landscape
2019-05-04 09:00 - 17:00
9:00am – Reading the Forested Landscape
This slide show presentation will introduce people to the ample visual evidence that can be seen in the woods to unravel former agricultural, logging, or wind histories in our forests. Using the shapes of trees, where scars are found on their trunks, stump decay patterns, the construction of stone walls, the surface topography of the forest floor and much more, Tom will show how any forest’s history can be deciphered in great detail.
10:30am – Interpretive Field Walk to Elf Meadow
Lunch back at Hitchcock Center
2:30pm – Interpretive Field Walk to East end of Holyoke Range
The focus of these walks will be to interpret forest histories, unique adaptations in trees and plants, co-evolved interrelationships, geological history, or a combination of two or more of these themes.
with Tom Wessels
Saturday, May 4, 9am – 5pm
Members $45/Non-member $60
Space is limited, Register here
Tom Wessels is a terrestrial ecologist and professor emeritus at Antioch University New England where he founded the master’s degree program in Conservation Biology. He has conducted workshops on ecology and sustainability throughout the country for over three decades. He is the author of numerous books including, “Reading the Forested Landscape”, “The Myth of Progress”, “Forest.Forensics” and his latest publication, “Granite, Fire and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia”.

Nature Study Club: Spring Bird Migration
2019-05-05 09:00 - 12:00
Join us for our sixth year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists and citizen scientists. Each month, in our series of nature explorations with different local naturalists, we explore a focused, seasonal, natural history topic. We’ll look at nature in new ways, varying from broad habitat-wide perspectives to the finer details of individual species. Over the course of the year we’ll visit a variety of natural habitats in the greater Pioneer Valley area. Identification skills, ecological connections, adaptations, and life cycles of organisms will be the focus of our observations. Bring your curiosity and observation skills and be prepared to spend time outdoors. Dress for the weather as we rarely cancel due to inclement weather. Bring binoculars and a hand lens, water and snacks if you would like. Carpooling to more distant locations will be encouraged.
May 5: Spring Bird Migration with Ted Watt – Program session filled
We’ll get out early and search for some of the beautiful birds that return in May to nest and raise their young in our New England woods and fields. We’ll hope to see warblers, vireos and orioles and more! And we will listen to the various songs and start to distinguish some of the patterns of notes.
Sundays once per month, 9am-12pm (some class times may vary depending on topics)
Full Year: Members: $265/Non-members: $315
Register here

Homeschool Discovery Day: Mountains & Valleys
2019-05-07 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Do you love science and nature? Do you want to see what the Hitchcock Homeschool program is all about? Sign up for our Discovery Days, our one-time programs about science and nature. In a mixed-age setting, we explore cool topics at the Hitchcock Center, meet science experts, and sometimes go on field trips. Our Discovery Day programs are appropriate for everyone from first time to veteran homeschoolers, and we welcome almost-6 year olds who are interested in joining our class in the spring. This is designed as a drop-off program. Limited to 12 participants per program.
May 7: Mountains and Valleys with Katie Koerten
Travel to Skinner State Park to explore some of the most fascinating geology in the world on Mount Holyoke! We’ll go back in time as we imagine the geologic events that took place millions of years ago right under our feet, and see the proof in the rocks. This field trip involves a hike that is strenuous at times.
Tuesdays 10am-2pm
January 15, 29, February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 11
Members: $45 per program/Non-members: $55 per program
Ages 6-12

Get the Buzz on the Latest Electric Vehicles
2019-05-09 19:00 - 20:30
Curious about electric vehicle (EVs)s? How they work, how far they can go on a charge? An increasing number of electric vehicles on the market are competitively priced and can go over 100 miles on a charge. This workshop will start with a brief ride around the parking lot in a plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt for anyone who arrives around 6:45pm. Participants will learn about EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs available, their features and range, big incentives that bring down their purchase price, charging an EV and matching the right EV and charger with your driving habits and needs. You’ll also learn about pairing solar power for your home with the charging demands of your car, and when to charge for the lowest carbon impact.
Thursday May 9th, 7-8:30pm
FREE, Registration encouraged

May Migration Spring Birding Course
2019-05-11 07:00 - 12:00
Join Dan Ziomek in a variety of local habitats during peak birding migration.

Dan Ziomek birding with a program participant.

with Dan Ziomek, WRSI’s Bird Songs
Saturdays: April 27, May 4, 11, 18, 7am – 12pm
Members $90/Non-members $115
Space is limited, Please register

Saturday Family Science: Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Ladybugs!
2019-05-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Join us for seasonal nature and science programs each second Saturday of the month. Designed for children with their parents, these programs will explore cool topics in nature.
May 11: Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Ladybugs!
After waking up from their winter sleep Ladybugs are very hungry! Learn what ladybugs want for lunch and what they do in spring.
Second Saturdays, 10-11am
Free
Registration appreciated. Groups of 6 or more please call ahead.
Saturday Family Science Programs are generously sponsored by Pelham Auto Service and through a grant from the Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation.
