Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Nature Discovery: Sky Explorers (Group A)
2026-04-17 09:30 - 11:30, 2026-05-08 09:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
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
Fee per child/adult pair: Tier A-$190 | Tier B-$166 | Tier C-$141
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.

Spring Birding Course
2026-04-18 07:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-25 07:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-02 06:30 - 12:00, 2026-05-06 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-05-09 06:30 - 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

April Vacation Days
2026-04-20 08:45 - 15:00, 2026-04-21 08:45 - 15:00, 2026-04-22 08:45 - 15:00, 2026-04-23 08:45 - 15:00, 2026-04-24 08:45 - 15:00
April Vacation Days
Monday through Friday, April 20-24
8:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Age Groups: Grades K-5
Fee per child per day: Tier A-$112 | Tier B-$97 | Tier C-$83
Come build rafts, forts, dams, animal homes, and human technology. We’ll combine science, art, and technology to create strange and wonderful inventions. We will have free play, games, nature crafts, and lots of time outdoors. Spend your days off from school learning and playing outside at the Hitchcock Center!
Sign up for as many days as you wish. Five year olds must be in kindergarten in order to participate. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all cancellations incur a 10% administrative fee.

Raptors, Rodenticides and Ricardi
2026-04-25 10:00 - 12:00
Raptors, Rodenticides and Ricardi: Rescue Area Wildlife from Rodenticides
Saturday, April 25th, 10am – 12pm
In person at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment
or virtually via a Zoom link provided after you register
Raptors, foxes, and other predators balance Massachusetts’ ecosystems. But shocking numbers of these iconic creatures have been sickened and killed after eating poisoned rodents. Mass Audubon’s Rescue Raptors team has partnered with a local group of wildlife advocates, Save the Raptors Connecticut River and Quabbin Valley, and Tom Ricardi’s Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway, MA to offer this free hybrid program to educate the public about this issue. Join us to learn about the harms of rodent poisons, wildlife-safe rodent control options, and how to get involved. This event is co-sponsored by Mass Audubon, Kestrel Land Trust, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, and the Amherst Conservation Department.
LEARN MORE

Wild Children of the Woods
2026-04-27 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-04 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-11 15:30 - 17:30
Wild Children of the Woods
With: Isaiah Brown
Grades 3-5
Mondays 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 23 – June 8 (no program April 20 and May 25)
Tier A:$301 | Tier B:$261 | Tier C:$222
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
2026-04-28 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-05 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-12 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)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$328 | Tier B-$285 | Tier C-$242
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
2026-04-28 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-05-05 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)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$328 | Tier B-$285 | Tier C-$242
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.

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
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
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
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.

Nature Discovery: Sky Explorers (Group B)
2026-05-01 09:30 - 11:30
