Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Homeschool I: Cycles and Systems
2022-11-01 10:00 - 14:00, 2022-10-25 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
With Monya Relles
Grades 1-3, Ages 6-8
Tuesdays 10:00am -2:00 pm
September 13 -December 13 (No program September 27, October 18, and November 22 for Discovery Days and November 8 for Curriculum Day)
Tier A:$730 Tier B:$635 Tier C:$540 Tier D:$413
What does it mean to be in an ecosystem? How are we connected to each other? We will study ecosystems, nutrient cycles, energy cycles, and the ways we can interact with all the systems around us. We will approach learning with outdoor play, hands-on activities, journaling, songs, and more.

Nature Play Afterschool
2022-10-31 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-24 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-17 15:30 - 17:30
NATURE PLAY AFTERSCHOOL
Ages 6-9 or grades 1-3
Mondays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 12 – December 19 (no program October 10)
Extended Day: September 26
Fee per Child: Tier A-$411 | Tier B-$358 | Tier C-$304 | Tier D-$232

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, jump in leaf piles, build forts, climb trees, and make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits

Wild Children of the Woods
2022-10-31 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-24 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-17 15:30 - 17:30
WILD CHILDREN OF THE WOODS SERIES
Ages 8-11 or Grades 3-5
Mondays, 3:30pm-5:30pm
September 12 – December 19 (no program October 10)
Extended Day: September 26
Fee per Child: Tier A-$411 | Tier B-$358 | Tier C-$304 | Tier D-$232
We go to the woods to think, learn, play, and explore in this afterschool series for upper-elementary schoolers. We will roam the grounds of the Hitchcock Center as we watch Fall turn to Winter. We will visit stump city, ferns, and the far-away woods, play some organized games, and learn about the animals, plants, and life in these woods, including ourselves.

Fall Birding Course with Scott Surner
2022-10-29 07:00 - 12:00, 2022-10-23, 2022-10-22, 2022-10-21, 2022-10-15 07:00 - 12:00
Join the Hitchcock Center’s beloved Fall Birding Class with birding extraordinaire, Scott Surner. This fall class will consist of ten field trips to various locations in the Connecticut River Valley, plus three coastal areas. Scott will help you work through the confusing plumages of fall warblers, and the streak and unstreaked plumages of fall sparrows. Our trips to the coast should provide us with an opportunity to study the different plumages of adult and juvenile southbound Shorebirds, Herons, Gulls, Terns, and with a little luck, some pelagic birds (Shearwaters, Storm-Petrels, and Jaegers) off the beaches of Cape cod. All trips depart from the Hitchcock Center and car-pooling will be encouraged. The class will be limited to fifteen observers.
Scott has been birding for more than forty-five years all around the Connecticut River Valley, Canada, and North and Central America. Scott just finished up a very successful Spring Class that traveled to more than thirty-six different locations and encountered 201 species of birds!
Course is limited to 15 participants and will be outdoor only for COVID Safety.
Participants must be vaccinated and willing to carpool.
Sliding Scale Pricing; $700, $650, $600, and $550.
FALL BIRDING REGISTRATION

Registration opens Friday, July 29 at 9:00 AM.
Field Trip Dates and Details:
Aug 20: 5:00 AM – all day. Plum Island or another coastal location within a two-hour drive. This trip’s primary focus will be migrating Shorebirds from their breeding grounds in the Arctic.
Sept 3: Local. 7:00 AM -12:00 PM. Fall Warblers/Shorebirds of Hampshire & Franklin County.
Sept 10: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Warblers, with a special focus on locating the elusive Connecticut Warbler.
Sept 17: Local. 7:00 AM -12:00 PM. Warblers, Vireos, Flycatchers, etc.
Oct 1: Local. 7:00 AM -12:00 PM. Sparrows & Late Warblers.
Oct 15: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Prime time for migrating Sparrows!
Oct 21 – 23: Cape Cod Weekend. We’ll explore areas from Chatham down to Provincetown. More info after signing up. If accommodations are hard to come by, we may do a one-day trip to the Connecticut shore.
Oct 29: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Waterfowl & Sparrows
Nov 5: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Dec 3rd: 5:00 AM – all day. Last class, back to the MA Coast. Probably Cape Ann (Gloucester/Rockport area) Sea ducks, Grebes, and more.
All trips depart from the Hitchcock Center and car-pooling will be encouraged.

Nature Discovery Preschool Series - Mammal Friends - AM
2022-10-28 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-10-21 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-10-14 09:30 - 11:30
Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, September 16 – December 9 (no program October 7, and November 11 & 25)
Morning session: 9:30am-11:30 am
Fee per Child: Tier A-$434 | Tier B-$377 | Tier C-$321 | Tier D-$245
Limited to 15 participants. Limit of 2 children per adult. Siblings under 3 are free.
Come join us this Fall to learn about local mammals living right in our backyards! Squirrels, deer, skunks, rabbits and raccoons will be just a few of the friends we will make during our ten weeks together. We use live animal observations, puppets, stories, games and songs to help explore and discover.
This Nature Discovery Preschool is a ten week series that takes place outdoors unless there is extreme weather.

GIRLS INTO THE WILD AFTERSCHOOL
2022-10-27 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-20 15:30 - 17:30
Ages 8-11 or grades 3-5
Thursdays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 8 – December 22 (no program November 24)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$418 | Tier B-$364 | Tier C-$309 | Tier D-$236
Girls into the Wild is back in Fall 2022 for more romping wildly through the field and forests of the Hitchcock Center. As always we’ll visit our favorite places to play in the forest, such as Stump City, the Ferns, and the Faraway Woods – exploring the seasonal beauty of nature as we go. Play games, make friends, and create nature projects outdoors! Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Genderqueer, nonbinary, agender and trans young people are welcome!

Junior Nature Play Afterschool
2022-10-26 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-19 15:30 - 17:30
JUNIOR NATURE PLAY AFTERSCHOOL
Ages 5-7 or grades K-1
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 7 – December 21 (no program October 5, November 23)
Extended Days: October 12 & December 7
Fee per Child: Tier A-$469 | Tier B-$382 | Tier C-$325 | Tier D-$248
Hitchcock’s Junior Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Junior Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play pretend in our mud kitchen, and make leaf crowns. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.

Nature Play Aftershool
2022-10-26 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-19 15:30 - 17:30
NATURE PLAY AFTERSCHOOL
Ages 6-9 or grades 1-3
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 7 – December 21 (no program October 5, November 23)
Extended Days: October 12 & December 7
Fee per Child: Tier A-$469 | Tier B-$382 | Tier C-$325 | Tier D-$248
Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, jump in leaf piles, build forts, climb trees, and make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.

Wednesdays with the Animals
2022-10-26 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-19 15:30 - 17:30
WEDNESDAYS WITH THE ANIMALS
Ages 8-11 or grades 3-5
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 7 – December 21 (no program October 5, November 23)
Extended Days: October 12 & December 7
Fee per Child: Tier A-$412 | Tier B-$358 | Tier C-$304 | Tier D-$232
Come spend some time with animals inside and outside at the Hitchcock Center. Some weeks we’ll meet and spend some quality time with the Hitchcock Center teaching animals and some weeks we’ll go out in search of what we can find. We’ll also have some time for outdoor free play and visit all our favorite places in the woods. **This program will only be available in the fall.**

Wild Children of the Woods
2022-10-25 15:30 - 17:30, 2022-10-18 08:00 - 17:00
WILD CHILDREN OF THE WOODS SERIES
Ages 8–11 or Grades 3–5
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 6 – December 20 (no program Nov. 8) Fee per Child: Tier A-$414 | Tier B-$360 | Tier C-$306 | Tier D-$234

Wild Children of the Woods is a nature based after school for upper-elementary schoolers. We will learn, play, and explore outdoors, roaming the grounds of the Hitchcock Center and watching Fall turn to Winter. We will visit stump city, ferns, and the far-away woods, play some organized games, and learn about the animals, plants, and life in these woods, including ourselves.

Homeschool II: Community Science
2022-10-25 10:00 - 14:00
With Jeff Mazur
Grades 4-6, Ages 9-12
Tuesdays 10:00am – 2:00 pm
September 13 -December 13 (No program September 27, October 18, and November 22 for Discovery Days and November 8 for Curriculum Day)
Tier A:$747 Tier B:$649 Tier C:$552 Tier D:$422
Calling all future scientists! Community scientists are people — young or old — who help collect data for research projects conducted around the world. We will work with local researchers and on national science projects collecting data that matters! Areas that we will investigate include – Climate change’s impact on when leaves fall? Monarch migration? What is living in our streams and more! Bring your scientific mind, observation skills and unique perspective to our class. Through field visits, surveys, and special guests we will study the world around us and contribute to science while also having fun, exploring and playing games.

Bodacious Beavers Discovery Day
2022-10-18 10:00 - 14:00
With Jeff Mazur
Tuesday, October 18, 10am-2pm
Grades 1-6, Ages 6-12
Tier A:$74 Tier B:$65 Tier C:$55 Tier D:$42
Are you ready to get busy? In this class we will dive into the world of Massachusetts largest rodent. We will learn about its amazing adaptations, and take on the beaver dam challenge!

Hitchcock Harvest Feast and Celebration
2022-10-16 15:00 - 18:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
The Hitchcock Center has been sowing seeds of change and educating for a healthy planet in the Valley for 60 years. Hitchcock Harvest will celebrate the Hitchcock Center’s 60th anniversary with food, drink, community, garden and building tours, mission-based activities, a short program, and lots of fun. Come and help us celebrate the harvest with local friends and businesses and learn what we are brewing up next!
Sunday, October 16, 3:00pm – 6:00pm – outside at the Hitchcock Center
LEARN MORE AND GET TICKETS NOW

Saturdays with the Animals
2022-10-15 10:00 - 11:00
Ages 5–7 or Grades K–1
Saturdays, 10–11am
Third Saturdays
Suggested Donation: $5–$30 per family
Join us for a series of four classes focusing on the Hitchcock Center teaching animals. Designed for children (ages 5–7) with their parents, these programs will include some time with one of the Hitchcock Center teaching animals and a craft.
September 17 – Cob
October 15 – Ivy and Terra
November 19 – Isopods
December 17 – Cockroaches
