Nature Play Afterschool
2025-09-24 13:00 - 17:30, 2025-10-01 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-08 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-15 15:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York)
Nature Play Afterschool Series
Grades 3-5
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 3 – December 17 (Extended day (1 PM) on September 24, October 29, November 19 and December 17, no program November 26)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$570 | Tier B-$496 | Tier C-$422
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.

Little Bear Nature Walk
2025-09-25 10:00 - 11:15, 2025-10-01 10:00 - 11:15, 2025-10-06 10:00 - 11:15, 2025-10-14 10:00 - 11:15, 2025-10-18 10:00 - 11:15
Ages 0-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
See dates and locations below
Fee per child (adults and younger siblings under 16 months are free): Tier A-$15 | Tier B-$13 | Tier C-$11
NEW for 2025, Come along on a Little Bear Nature Walk! Little Bear Nature Walks are a way for toddlers, preschoolers and their caregivers to explore nature in an age-appropriate way. While on the walk, children borrow a backpack filled with simple tools for exploring. Nature educators guide children in small groups and explore plants, animals, rocks, and soil. Walks incorporate observation, inquiry, and sensory learning, but also make space for imagination and play. Each walk has a loose theme and includes a story or a song if time.
Learn more and register

Fall Nature Discovery Preschool (Group A)
2025-09-26 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-10-17 09:30 - 11:30
Nature Discovery Preschool Series for 3-5 year olds (Adult/Child) Fall 2025
The Secret Life of Trees
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: 9/12, 9/26, 10/17, 10/31, 11/14, 12/5
Group B Sessions: 9/19, 10/3, 10/24, 11/7, 11/21, 12/12

Fee per child/adult pair: Tier A-$352 | Tier B-$306 | Tier C-$260
Limited to 12 children. Limit of 2 preK children per adult. Each preK student must register. Siblings under 3 are free.
Spend six weeks uncovering the secret lives of trees! Learn tree anatomy, explore the science of leaves and roots, hunt for tree homes, and try to figure out who might live in a tree. Trees are an important part of our ecosystems, and through crafts, experiments, and hands-on activities, we will discover the ways trees help animals (and plants and fungi) survive! This program encourages learning through exploration, movement, songs, stories, and crafts. An adult caregiver must attend with the child.

Fall Birding Course
2025-09-27 07:00 - 12:00, 2025-10-04 05:45 - 17:00, 2025-10-08 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-10-11 07:00 - 12:00
August – November 2025
Sliding Scale $350 / $410 / $470
There is a maximum of 15 people
Join Scott Surner as he guides you through the fall migration in New England. The class starts with a trip to Plum Island to experience the southbound migration of shorebirds as well, we hope to encounter many Herons, Gulls, Terns, and an early Warbler on that first trip. The local trips will focus on the drab plumages of fall warblers, along with Vireos, Flycatchers, and of course “The Sparrows”. There will be two additional trips to coastal areas.
Fall Birding Class Dates:
All trips leave from the Hitchcock Center. Carpooling will be encouraged. Participants will need to make their own lodging arrangements for the final weekend overnight trip to the Cape, course cost only includes birding instruction. Additional information will be provided after signing up.
FIELD TRIPS:
August 23rd – Plum Island. Depart 5:00 AM Looking for southbound Shorebirds, Herons/Egrets, Terns, Gulls, and more.
September 13th – Local. 7:00 AM Fall warblers, Vireos, and flycatchers.
September 20th– Local. 7:00 AM Fall Warblers and more.
September 27th– Local. 7:00 AM Fall Warblers and the beginning of Sparrow season.
October 4th – Light House Point, Connecticut. Depart 5:45 AM Migrating Raptors and many other songbirds. Last year, we tallied 1183 Blue Jays migrating.
October 11th – Local. 7:00 AM. Local- more Sparrows and early waterfowl.
October 25th – Local- 7:00 AM. Local. Waterfowl.
November 7th-9th. Cape Cod. Depart the Hitchcock Center at 5:00 AM for a weekend on Cape Cod. We’ll hit several areas on the outer Cape, including locations in Provincetown, Wellfleet, Eastham, and Orleans.
CLASSROOM SESSIONS:
Wednesdays – Sept 10 & Oct 8 – 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Hitchcock Center
REGISTRATION AND MORE INFO

Wild Children of the Woods
2025-09-29 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-06 15:30 - 17:30
Wild Children of the Woods
Grades 3-5
Mondays 3:30-5:30 PM
September 8 – December 22 (no class October 13)
Tier A: $438 | Tier B: $381 | Tier C: $324
Limited to 12 participants
We go to the woods to think, learn, play, and explore in this afterschool series for upper-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.

Nature Play Afterschool
2025-09-30 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-07 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-14 15:30 - 17:30
Nature Play Afterschool Series
Grades 1-3
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 2 – December 16 (no program November 11)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$438 | Tier B-$381 | Tier C-$324
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.

Girls into the Wild
2025-09-30 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-07 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-14 15:30 - 17:30
Girls into the Wild
Grades 4-6
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 2 – December 16 (no program November 11)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$444 | Tier B-$386 | Tier C-$328
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?!

Junior Nature Play Afterschool
2025-10-01 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-08 15:30 - 17:30, 2025-10-15 15:30 - 17:30
Junior Nature Play Afterschool Series
Grades K-2
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 3 – December 17 (Extended day (1 PM) on September 24, October 29, November 19 and December 17, no program November 26)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$570 | Tier B-$496| Tier C-$422
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.

Mushroom Class
2025-10-04 10:00 - 12:00
Mushroom Classes
with Jessica Benson Evans
Sunday, May 25, 10-12 – Mt. Toby
Saturday, July 19, 10-12 – Cadwell Forest
Saturday, October 4, 10-12 – Morse Hill

Join mushroom enthusiast 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. Meeting locations and further instructions provided with registration, sign up for 1 class or for the series for a discount. One class $25 or All 3 for $65.

REGISTER HERE

Let's Talk About DAFs: Community Discussion
2025-10-15 12:00 - 14:00
Let’s Talk About DAF’s
Wednesday, October 15
12:00 PM EST on Zoom

Last Spring, staff from Hitchcock Center sat down with a few nonprofit leaders working in farming, conservation, food, and environmental justice.

The stories we shared around that potluck table were strikingly similar: our budgets had been slashed by 25%, 40%, or more, almost overnight, due to cuts in federal funding. We realized the power of working collaboratively to meet the moment. So, we began meeting more regularly. Our ranks grew. After much discussion, we are ready to share and discuss a path forward with you, our donors and community.

REGISTER NOW

Forest Bathing
2025-10-16 17:30 - 19:30
Forest Bathing

Thursday October 16th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Sunday, November 2nd, 2 pm – 4 pm
One session $25 or $40 for both sessions
Space is limited

Connecting with nature an essential part of who we are as people. Time spent in forests has been proven to reduce stress-hormone levels and lower blood pressure, a perfect way to navigate the challenges of the modern world. A Forest Bathing experience allows you to slow down and immerse yourself in the world around you. Our time together will consist of a leisurely walk with stops along the way to explore themagic of the Hitchcock Center woodland.
This is a very relaxed, slow, and mindful wayof spending time in nature. Walks typically last about 2-3 hours and finish with an herbal tea from Todd’s garden. There is hardly a better antidote for these times!

Hitchcock Harvest: A Celebration of Sustainability
2025-10-19 15:00 - 18:00
Harvesting hope for more than 60 years – one petal at a time!
Sunday, October 19, 2025
3 PM – 6 PM in Hitchcock Center’s gardens
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.
Follow the petals of possibility and share your climate hopes and dreams in our collective art project and harvest hope, one petal at a time!
