Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Girls into the Wild
2018-05-24 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-05-31 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-06-07 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-06-14 15:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now in 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 that each girl can participate in at her own comfort level, from climbing trees, to playing camouflage in the forest, to running and whooping wildly through fields – all while noticing the birds that are singing, the flowers that are blooming and the animals that are leaving tracks behind. Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Families provide their own transportation to the Hitchcock Center.
with Katie Koerten, Hitchcock Educator
Ages 8-11, Grades 3-5
Thursdays, March 29 – June 14, 2018 (No program 4/19)
3:30pm-5:30pm
$270 members/$354 nonmembers

Nature Discovery Preschool
2018-05-25 09:30 - 11:30, 2018-05-25 13:00 - 15:00, 2018-06-01 09:30 - 11:30, 2018-06-01 13:00 - 15:00, 2018-06-08 09:30 - 11:30, 2018-06-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Spineless Wonders – Animals without Backbones
Pretend to shrink down real small to explore the spineless wonders of our natural world! This Spring, Colleen will introduce children to the crawling, sliding, hopping, flying world of worms, spiders, snails, pill bugs and insects. All those spineless wonders are animals without backbones. Through live observations, puppets, stories, model making, songs and snacks, children will become more familiar with these creatures. An adult is required to attend with each child. Space is limited. For children ages 3-5 years.
with Colleen Kelley, Hitchcock educator
Ages 3-5 (Caregiver required to attend with child)
Fridays, March 23 – June 8 (no program 4/20 or 5/4)
Morning session: 9:30am-11:30pm
Afternoon session: 1:00pm-3:00pm
Members: $205/Non-members: $225

Wild Designs Opening Day Festival at Peabody Essex Museum
2018-05-26 10:00 - 17:00
The Hitchcock Center has been invited to be part of the Peabody Essex Museum’s (PEM) exciting new Wild Designs exhibit that will profile the works of architects, artists, institutions and other creatives who are looking to nature and living systems for new ideas and creative solutions to human problems.
Opening May 26, 2018, Wild Designs will feature 24 projects and prototypes conceived by innovators who look to nature and living systems for new ideas and creative solutions to human problems. The exhibition includes mixed media sculptures, artist installations and drawings, as well as design projects ranging from preliminary concepts to realized products and buildings, including the Hitchcock Center’s recently constructed environmental learning center designed to meet the highest standard of sustainable development in the built environment through the Living Building Challenge™.
Hitchcock Center staff will offer Nature’s Design Lab, a “hands-on, minds-on” participatory space for visitors to explore nature’s genius. The Lab will integrate natural history objects, close observations of nature, design-making, games and activities to illustrate and illuminate what nature can teach us about invention.
Share your impressions with us on social media using #PEMwild
Tickets: http://my.pem.org/single/SelectSeating.aspx?p=7998
Read more: https://hitchcockcenter.org/blog/enewsletter/hitchcock-center-to-be-featured-in-wild-designs-exhibition-at-the-peabody-essex-museum/
Read more: https://www.pem.org/press-news/pem-explores-innovations-inspired-by-nature

Homeschool I
2018-05-29 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-06-05 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Feathers to Flight
It’s spring! What better time of year is there to discover the birds all around us? At Homeschool I we will explore the wonderful adaptations that makes a bird a bird, and how specialized beaks, feet and feathers make them suited for their habitats. We’ll learn tools for identifying a bird by examining field markings, size, and flight patterns. We will observe birds at our feeders and in different habitats on field trips. We’ll also meet live birds of prey with special visitor Tom Ricardi! Get ready for an amazing birding adventure with spring homeschool! Bring binoculars if you have them. Limited to 12 participants.
with Katie Koerten, Hitchcock educator
Tuesdays, March 13, 20, 27, April 10, 24, May 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5
(no program 4/3, 4/17, or 5/1)
10:00am-2:00pm
Ages 6-8
$420 members/$450 nonmembers – financial aid available

Homeschool II
2018-05-29 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-06-05 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Rocks and Water: The Shaping of Our Valley
Discover the stories in the stones around us! We live in a geologically unique area, and the landscape provides intriguing clues to the past. At Homeschool II we will find evidence of shifting plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciers, and the power of water. We will hike up mountains, collect rocks, and explore the rivers that have cut through the land. Join the fun as we conduct experiments, create crafts, explore home projects, and play outside.
with Jeff Mazur, Hitchcock educator
Tuesdays, March 13, 20, 27, April 10, 24, May 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5
(no program 4/3, 4/17, or 5/1)
10:00am-2:00pm
Ages 9-12
$420 members/$450 nonmembers – financial aid available

Nature Play Afterschool
2018-05-30 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-06-06 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-06-13 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Spring fever is in the air, and it is time to get the kids outside to let out some of their energy! Have them join Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program, which is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Spring Nature Play, we explore vernal pools, notice the first signs of spring, build forts, make up games and use our imagination as we explore the wooded trails and fields. Instructor Jeff Mazur provides a safe structure for children to explore nature and encourages children to stretch their limits as they balance on logs, hold salamanders, or co-create new games with their peers.
with Jeff Mazur
Ages 6-9, Graces 1-3
Wednesdays, March 28 – June 13 (No program 4/18)
3:30-5:30pm, extended days 1:30-5:30pm (4/4 and 5/9)
$275 members/$300 nonmembers

An evening with Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)
2018-05-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
You’re invited to an evening with Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) at the Hitchcock Center in Amherst. CLF, a New England-wide environmental advocacy organization, forges lasting solutions for the region’s most critical environmental challenges. CLF President, Brad Campbell, will share the urgent work CLF is doing on the ground across Massachusetts and New England. CLF was one of the main players that fought to shutter the Mt. Tom coal plant, and today is hard at work pushing back against federal rollbacks, fighting to end our region’s addiction to fossil fuels, and moving forward our clean energy economy.
Light refreshments will be served.
with Brad Campbell, CLF President
Thursday, May 31, 6-8pm
FREE Donations and registration appreciated

Biothon
2018-06-01, 2018-06-02, 2018-06-03
The Hitchcock Center’s 19th annual Biothon in Memory of Elizabeth Farnsworth happens May 11-13 and June 1-3, 2018! You’ve heard of marathons, walk-a-thons, and dance-a-thons: this is our version. Biothon is a fundraiser for the Hitchcock Center’s environmental education programs. And it’s a fun and educational way to document the biodiversity of our region. Biothon is a team event during peak spring biodiversity.
Learn more about Biothon and how you can get involved!

Living Building Tour
2018-06-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Come meet our newest educator – our building! It is designed to model systems in nature, it is net zero energy, net zero water, has composting toilets, and has been made with responsibly sourced non-toxic materials, come check it out at one of our bi-monthly tours. Tours typically last from 1-1.5 hours.
Spring tour schedule:
First Fridays at 4pm: April 6, May 4, June 1
Third Wednesdays at 12pm: March 21, April 18, May 16, June 20
FREE but please register online

Private Building Tours
The Hitchcock Center offers private group building tours, based on availability. The fee for these tours is $50/group for a one hour weekday tour (during business hours). Please limit group size to 15-20 for the best experience. Please contact Jessica Schultz, Living Building Coordinator, to arrange your group’s tour.

Nature Play and Learning Places Garden Work Day
2018-06-03 12:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
The Hitchcock Center is expanding its nature play area. Join this community effort and come help us dig, weed, plant, mulch, haul, etc. Bring tools and gloves if you have them.
Saturday, March 31, 12-3pm
Sunday, April 22, 12-3pm
Saturday, May 5, 12-3pm
Sunday, June 3, 12-3pm
Registration appreciated

Battle of the Botanicals
2018-06-07 17:30 - 20:30
It’s back! Our third annual Battle of the Botanicals returns to the PowerHouse at Amherst College with an outstanding line-up of teams from our region’s hottest restaurants.
Check back soon to see who’s participating this year!

Second Saturdays at Hitchcock
2018-06-09 09:00 - 13:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Second Saturdays: December 9, January 13, February 10, March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9
The Hitchcock Center is open to families and the community second Saturdays of the month, December thru June from 9am-1pm. Stop by to explore our building, talk with an educator, read a book with your kids or grandkids in our visitor center, and join us for one of our family science programs.
9am-1pm
Saturday Family Science Series
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.
10am-11am
Free, registration appreciated. Groups of 6 or more please call ahead.

Saturday Family Science Series
2018-06-09 10:00 - 11:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002

Gathering Rain: 3-Season Rainwater Collection for Outdoor Use - CANCELLED
2018-06-09 14:00 - 16:00
You’d be surprised how much water comes off your roof in a short rain storm. Gathering rain is a straight-forward and practical step you can take to abundantly provide for your outdoor water needs. Come learn the important concepts in system design, ask questions about the expandable 100 gallon do-it-yourself kit I’ll have on hand that could get you up and running more quickly than starting from scratch, and afterwards tour the systems I’ve been using for years to water my gardens. Whether you take what you learn and build it all yourself, or make use of a DIY kit in your system design, make this the year that you start gathering rain.
with Kris Walter
Saturday, June 9, 2-4 pm in Greenfield
Members $15/Non-members $18
Registration required, space is limited.

Homeschool Discovery Day
2018-06-12 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
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 Day programs are appropriate for everyone from first time to veteran homeschoolers, and we welcome almost-6 year olds who are interested in joining our class in the spring. This is designed as a drop-off program, although the occasional parents and younger siblings stay as long as disruptions are kept to a minimum. Limited to 12 participants per program.
with Katie Koerten or Jeff Mazur
Tuesdays 10:00am-2:00pm
Ages 6-12
Members: $42 per program/Non-members: $46 per program
Tuesdays, January 9, January 23, February 27, March 6, April 3, May 1, June 12

January 9 Animals in Winter with Jeff Mazur
January 23 How Does Water Get To Our Faucet? Field Trip with Jeff Mazur
February 27 How Sweet It Is: Making Maple Syrup with Jeff Mazur
March 6 Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands with Katie Koerten
April 3 Poisonous or Venomous? An Exploration of Natural Defenses with Jeff Mazur
May 1 Making and Tinkering Workshop with Katie Koerten
June 12 The River in Our Backyard: Field Trip to Groff Park with Katie Koerten

Edible Wild Plants Presentation - CANCELLED
2018-06-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
This is a powerpoint presentation offering a comprehensive introduction to identification and uses of wild plants for food and beverage. Distinguishing characteristics, seasons of availability, habitats, methods or preparation and nutritional and medicinal value of our region’s most common and appealing wild plants are discussed.
with John Root
Tuesday, June 12, 7-8pm
$8 Members/$10 Non-members
Registration required
