with Mara Silver, Local swallow researcher and dedicated conservationist Wednesday, November 15, 7pm- 8:30pm FREE, Registration appreciated Swallows are aerial insectivores, which means that they catch insects on the wing. Unfortunately, many species in this group are declining at an alarming rate. We don’t know all the reasons why, but possibilities include habitat loss, climate change, […]

Thursday, November 16, 10am-11:30am FREE but space is limited, Registration is required. We think it is good to know where our water comes from and where it goes. We just turn on our faucets and flush our toilets but what’s the infrastructure that makes that possible. Come tour the facility that receives Amherst’s wastewater and see […]

Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into its fourth year, 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 […]

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold with Rae Griffiths – Teaching Creatures and Casey Beebe – Hitchcock Center First half of book: Sunday, November 5, 2pm-3:30pm OR Thursday, November 16, 6pm-7:30pm Second half of book: Wednesday, January 10, 6pm-7:30pm OR Sunday, January 21, 2pm-3:30pm FREE, Registration appreciated Join us to read through some of the most classic and […]

with Brandon Hedrick, evolutionary and conservation biologist at Harvard University and collaborating scientist with the Hitchcock Center Friday, November 17, 6:30-7:30 pm FREE, Registration appreciated Following deforestation, window collisions are the number one, human-made cause of bird mortality, with estimates as high as 1 billion birds per year in the United States alone. By identifying areas that […]

Sundays once per month, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon (some class times may vary depending on topics) Members $275/Non-members $325 for the full course Drop-in cost is $27. For the Plum Island field trip, the drop-in cost is $45. Register here Join us for our fourth year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists […]

From chipmunk stripes to ladybug spots, spiral seashells to sunflowers, patterns are everywhere you look in nature. In this homeschool class we will discover what makes a pattern and find out how these designs can help animals, plants and people. We’ll explore animal patterns such as stripes, spots, camouflage and more subtle designs such as […]

Did you ever wonder how fiber becomes thread? Do you want to learn how to turn grass into ice cream? In such a product-oriented society, it is easy to lose connection with how things are made and the origins of the things we use every day. By researching the path of how a product is […]

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 […]

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program for children ages 6–9 is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. There are many positive impacts of nature play on children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. It’s also an effective way to build a generation of committed […]