Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Wild Children of the Woods
2026-10-05 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-19 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-26 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-11-02 15:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York)
with Isaiah Brown
Grades 1-3
Mondays 3:30-5:30 PM
September 14 – December 21 (no class October 12)
Tier A: $439 | Tier B: $366 | Tier C: $311
Limited to 12 participants
We go to the woods to think, learn, play, and explore in this afterschool series for lower-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.
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Nature Play Afterschool
2026-10-06 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-20 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-27 15:30 - 17:30
with Jeff Mazur
Grades 1-3
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 1 – December 22 (no programs on October 13, November 3)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$467 | Tier B-$389 | Tier C-$331
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. 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.
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Girls into the Wild
2026-10-06 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-20 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-27 15:30 - 17:30
with Katie Koerten
For grades 3-5
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 1 – December 22 (no programs on October 13, November 3)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$472 | Tier B-$393 | Tier C-$334
Limited to 12 participants
Girls into the Wild is for girls and nonbinary kids in fourth through sixth grade. Together we build a space where kids can be themselves, make friends, and take a few risks in nature. This fully outdoor afterschool program is a mix of structured and unstructured fun as we play games, do nature projects and explore nature in all weather. We’ll do our favorite activities that have been invented over the years, such as trading nature goods at the fairy market, building hotels for slugs, and fencing with staghorn sumac poles. We’ll visit our favorite places to play such as Roots, Jumping Rock, and the Faraway Woods. What new activities will we invent together?!
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Autumn Little Bear Nature Walk
2026-10-07 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-10-13 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-10-17 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-10-19 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-10-29 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
2026-10-07 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-14 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-21 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-28 13:00 - 17:30
with Isaiah Brown
Grades K-2
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 2 – December 16 (Extended days (1 PM) on September 23 & October 28, no programs November 11 & November 25)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$508 | Tier B-$423| Tier C-$360
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 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.
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Nature Play Afterschool
2026-10-07 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-14 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-21 15:30 - 17:30, 2026-10-28 13:00 - 17:30
with Jeff Mazur
Grades 3-5
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 2 – December 16 (Extended day (1 PM) on September 23, October 28, no programs November 11, November 25)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$508 | Tier B-$423 | Tier C-$360
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. 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. For those parents deciding between the junior and nature play programs, the latter often travels further and is away from the Hitchcock Center’s play yard longer.
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Fall Nature Discovery Preschool: Group A
2026-10-09 09:30 - 11:30, 2026-10-23 09:30 - 11:30
Fall Nature Discovery Series for 3-5 year olds (Adult/Child)
Marvelous Mammals!
with Chrissy Larson
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, 9:30-11:30 AM
Alternating Weeks (activities are the same for Group A and Group B):
Group A Sessions: 9/11, 9/25, 10/9, 10/23, 11/6, 11/20 OR
Group B Sessions: 9/18, 10/2, 10/16, 10/30, 11/13, 12/4
The mammals of Massachusetts are an interesting bunch! Every fall they spend time readying their homes and bodies to survive the winter. Be it a timid mouse or a sly fox, each class teaches the traits of a different New England mammal — their habits, their adaptations, and how they survive. Children will learn about the characteristics of mammals in general and focus on six common species that are sometimes overlooked. This program encourages learning through exploration, movement, songs, stories, and crafts. An adult caregiver must attend with the child.
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Mushroom Class
2026-10-11 14:00 - 16:00
Mushroom Classes at Mount Toby
Sunday, August 30th from 2 – 4pm
Sunday, October 11, from 2 – 4pm
Join mushroom enthusiast and educator Jessica Benson Evans of the Pioneer Valley Mycological Association as she explores and teaches us about the ecology and magic of fungi. Jessica has a conservation approach so this will be an educational and identification course rather than foraging. One class for $25 or both for $40.
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School Vacation Day
2026-10-13 08:45 - 15:00
October 13 – Fall Recess – No school for Amherst Public Schools
with Isaiah Brown
Wednesday, October 13
8:45 AM to 3:00 PM
Grades 1 – 3*
Fee per Child: Tier A-$118 | Tier B-$98 | Tier C-$83
Limited to 12 participants
Come play outside on this day off for Amherst elementary schoolers! Bring a snack, lunch and water bottle and come prepared to play outside, no matter what the weather! Limited to 12 participants. *Depending on enrollment, your Kindergartner or 4th grader may be able to join.

Fall Nature Discovery Preschool: Group B
2026-10-16 09:30 - 11:30, 2026-10-30 09:30 - 11:30

Hitchcock Harvest: A Celebration of Sustainability
2026-10-18 15:00
Hitchcock Harvest: A Celebration of Sustainability
Harvesting hope for more than 60 years – one petal at a time!
Sunday, October 18, 2026
3 PM – 6 PM
Rain or shine at Hitchcock Center
The Hitchcock Center has been sowing seeds of change and educating for a healthy planet in the Valley for more than 60 years. Come together in community to enjoy local food & libations in our Brew Garden & wander through interactive stations themed around the petals of the Living Building — Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. See what local innovators, and Hitchcock Center, are doing to show what it means to shape a hopeful, resilient future.
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