with James Lowenthal, Professor of Astronomy at Smith College and active in the International Dark-Sky Association Wednesday, November 8, 7pm- 8:30pm FREE, Registration appreciated You may have seen images of Earth’s continents at night with metropolitan areas glowing from all our lights! James will lead a discussion of the current impacts that our use of lighting is […]

with John Green, naturalist Thursday, October 12, 9am-11am – Hadley Thursday, November 9, 9am-11am – Quabbin in New Salem FREE but space is limited and registration required. Join John Green a life long naturalist as he ambles through a habitat looking and listening. Fall is a wonderful time to explore nature and get breaths of fresh […]

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 […]

Come play outside on this no school day! We’ll play games, explore in the woods, and meet a live animal or two! Bring a snack, lunch, and water bottle and dress for the weather! (No school for Amherst schools) Registration Required with Patrick O’Roark, Hitchcock educator Friday, November 10, 8:30am-3:00pm Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3 $60 members/$70 nonmembers

Welcome fall and all its colors at nature preschool at the Hitchcock Center with Colleen! Children will fill their art palettes with many colors and discover how colors affect animals, plants and their own lives. Through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations, children will investigate camouflage, natural plant dyes, plant patterns, chlorophyll and much […]

with James Lowenthal, Professor of Astronomy at Smith College and active in the International Dark-Sky Association Friday, September 29, 7:15pm Saturday, October 21, 7:00pm Friday, November 10, 6:30pm Saturday, December 2, 6:30pm FREE, Registration appreciated James will provide telescopes and help us view constellations, planets, galaxies and stars from our Hitchcock hilltop. We’ll discuss what we […]

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. No registration required. Groups of 6 or more please call ahead. with Patrick O’Roark Second Saturdays, September through December Free 10am – 11am Saturdays, September 9, October […]

Amherst au Naturale: Up Close and Personal A Photo Show by Alan Hurwitz at the Hitchcock Center Living Building Opening Events: Wednesday, November 8th at 5pm and Saturday, November 11th at 11am This photo exhibit is designed to show some special aspects of our local natural world. All are of subjects found right here in […]

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 […]