Springtime Little Bear Nature Walk
2026-04-29 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-05-02 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-05-05 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-05-11 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-05-21 10:00 - 11:15 (America/New_York)
Little Bear Nature Walks
With Chrissy Larson
Ages 0-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Walks are outdoors and take place unless there is extreme weather.
See dates and locations here
Little Bear Nature Walks are guided, open-ended walks that allow toddlers, preschoolers and their caregivers explore nature in an age-appropriate way. While on the walk, children borrow a backpack filled with simple tools for exploring and are led by a preschool educator. Children investigate plants and animals, engage with rocks, soil and water, and use their imaginations to play with the world. Walks incorporate observation, inquiry, and sensory learning. Each has a loose theme and includes a trail-side storytime. Come along with us!
See dates and locations here

Junior Nature Play Afterschool
2026-04-29 13:00 - 17:30, 2026-05-06 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-13 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-20 15:30 - 17:30
Junior Nature Play Afterschool Series
With: Isaiah Brown
Grades K-2
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 25 – June 10 (Extended days (1PM) on March 25, April 29, May 27, no program April 22)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$434 | Tier B-$378 | Tier C-$321
Limited to 12 participants
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 Spring Junior Nature Play we will play in the mud and spring rains, look for bugs, and enjoy the warming outdoors. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.

Nature Play Afterschool
2026-04-29 13:00 - 17:30, 2026-05-06 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-13 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-20 15:30 - 17:30
Nature Play Afterschool Series
With Jeff Mazur
Grades 3-5
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 25 – June 10 (Extended days (1PM) on March 25, April 29, May 27, no program April 22)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$434 | Tier B-$378 | Tier C-$321
Limited to 12 participants
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. In spring Nature Play Afterschool we will explore, watch the trees bud, celebrate the green and blooming springtime, and play in the mud. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.

Spring Birding Course
2026-05-02 06:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-06 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-05-09 06:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-16 06:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-23 05:30 - 12:00
Spring Birding Course
Led by Scott Surner
Space is limited, and this program sells out fast!
Sliding Scale: $380 / $440 /$500
Join this spring tradition. Are you wanting to delight in birds more often, learn what you are seeing and hearing, seek new species you haven’t seen, or just be in community with other birders?
LEARN MORE

Junior Nature Play Afterschool
2026-05-04 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-11 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-18 15:30 - 17:30
Junior Nature Play Afterschool
With: Isaiah Brown
Grades 1-3
Mondays 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 23 – June 8 (no program April 20 and May 25)
Limited to 12 participants
Come explore the outdoors as we travel in and around the Hitchcock Center’s outdoor spaces! We explore woodlands, fields, underbush and streams in this afterschool series for upper-elementary schoolers. Participants engage in a variety of games, activities, and discovery-based adventures every week. The hope with this program is to grow and develop young people’s appreciation for the outdoors while exploring their feelings of joy and curiosity in both play and exploration.

Girls into the Wild
2026-05-05 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-12 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-19 15:30 - 17:30
Girls into the Wild
with: Katie Koerten
Grades 4-6
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 24 – June 9 (no program April 21)
Limited to 12 participants
Girls into the Wild continues into 2026 for more romping wildly through the fields and forests of the Hitchcock Center. As always we’ll visit our favorite places to play in the forest, such as Slug City, the Forest Garden, and the Faraway Woods – exploring the seasonal beauty of nature as we go. Play games, make friends, and create nature projects in the outdoors! Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Any young people with an experience of gender marginalization are welcome!

Nature Play Afterschool
2026-05-05 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-12 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-19 15:30 - 17:30
Nature Play Afterschool Series
With Jeff Mazur
Grades 1-3
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 24 – June 9 (no program April 21)
Limited to 12 participants
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. In Winter Nature Play Afterschool we will explore snowy wooded trails and fields, make snow villages, and sled down the HCE hill. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.

Nature Discovery: Sky Explorers (Group A)
2026-05-08 09:30 - 11:30
Nature Discovery Series for 3-5 year olds (Adult/Child) Spring 2026
Sky Explorers: The Great Bird Adventure
with Chrissy Larson
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
All sessions 9:30-11:30 AM

Alternating Weeks on Fridays (activities are the same for Group A & Group B):
Please note: no classes scheduled on 4/24 or 5/22.
Group A Sessions: 3/6, 3/20, 4/3, 4/17, 5/8, 5/29
OR
Group B Sessions: 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 5/1, 5/15, 6/5

Limited to 12 children. Limit of 2 preK children per adult. Each preK student must register. Siblings under 3 are free.
Grab your wings and join the Sky Explorers on a magical adventure! From clever crows to soaring hawks, each class uncovers the wonders of a different New England bird — how they fly, hunt, and play. Children will learn about bird families, their homes, and all the amazing ways they move, eat, and communicate. This program encourages learning through exploration, movement, songs, stories, and crafts. An adult caregiver must attend with the child.
Please note: Nature Discovery classes typically start indoors with table activities and circle time, followed by an outdoor adventure that includes hands-on activities and a story.

Yoshi’s Big Swim Storytime with Author and Turtle Meet-and-Greet
2026-05-09 14:00 - 15:00
Yoshi’s Big Swim Storytime and Turtle Meet-and-Greet with author Mary Wagley Copp
Saturday, May 9 at 2pm
At Hitchcock Center
Join the Hitchcock Center for the Environment for a special storytime with award-winning children’s author Mary Wagley Copp on Saturday, May 9! The event will focus on Mary’s picture book, Yoshi’s Big Swim: One Turtle’s Epic Journey Home, which tells the true story of Yoshi, a loggerhead sea turtle who was rescued and cared for by scientists before being released back into the ocean. Discover an amazing story celebrating teamwork, conservation, and an animal hero who swam more than 22,000 miles to her true home—the longest journey of any animal ever tracked.
Following a fun and engaging presentation on the book, attendees will learn more about Yoshi’s real-world counterparts and have the chance to meet some of the Hitchcock Center’s turtles in residence. Books will be available for purchase through Odyssey Bookshop.
Mary Wagley Copp’s debut picture book, Wherever I Go, won numerous awards, including NPR’S 100 Best Children’s Books 2020, Notable Social Studies Book by the Children’s Book Council in 2021, and was the 2022 winner of the Massachusetts Book Award. Her nonfiction book, Yoshi’s Big Swim: One Turtle’s Epic Journey Home was longlisted for the 2024 Mass Book Award and was the winner of the 2024 Nutmeg Award. Mary’s students in her ELL class were the inspiration for her new book, Sometimes We Pray (2026). She and her husband live on a farm in Westport, MA. They have 3 grown children. You can learn more about Mary at marywagleycopp.com.
​​This Mass Kids Lit Fest event is presented in partnership with the Massachusetts Center for the Book.

Spring Forest Bathing
2026-05-17 14:00 - 16:00
Spring Forest Bathing
Sunday April 19,
and Sunday May 17
from 2 – 4 pm
Slow down, listen to the birds and discover what the forest might share at the Hitchcock Center on a Forest Bathing walk with certified guide, Todd Lynch. Forest Bathing allows us to renew and connect to the joyful relationships that await us outside through meditative walking and awakening the senses. Experience the magic of the Hitchcock forest and see what you might discover.
What to Expect:A leisurely walk of about one mile with stops along the way where we will gather and sit. We will focus on our senses to develop an immediate connection with the forest and have time to get to know and explore the beauty of the forest. This is a very relaxed, slow, and mindful way of being in nature. The walk lasts about 2 hours and we will finish with an herbal tea made from Todd’s organic herb garden.
Learn more
