Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Nature Play Afterschool: Spring
2024-03-28 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-04 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-11 15:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York)
Nature Play Afterschool Series: Spring
with Lauren Dausch
Grades 3 – 5
Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
March 21 – June 6 (no program April 18)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$350 | Tier B-$292 | Tier C-$248 | Tier D-$190
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 After School 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.

Girls into the Wild: Spring
2024-03-28 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-04 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-11 15:30 - 17:30
Girls into the Wild: Spring
with Katie Koerten
Grades 4 – 6
Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
March 21 – June 6 (no program April 18)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$350 | Tier B-$292 | Tier C-$248 | Tier D-$190
Limited to 12 participants
Girls into the Wild continues into 2024 for more romping wildly through the field and forests of the Hitchcock Center. As always we’ll visit our favorite places to play in the forest, such as Stump City, the Ferns, 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!

Spring Curriculum Day
2024-03-29 08:45 - 15:00
March 29th School Holiday
With Alanna Rutledge
Friday, March 29, 8:45 AM – 3:00 PM
Grades 1 – 3*
Fee per Child: Tier A-$110 | Tier B-$92 | Tier C-$78 | Tier D-$60
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.

Girls into the Wild
2024-03-31 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-07 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-14 15:30 - 17:30
with Katie Koerten
Grades 4 – 6
Tuesdays, 3:30 – 5:30 PM
September 3 – December 17 (no program November 5)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$453 | Tier B-$378 | Tier C-$321 | Tier D-$245
Limited to 12 participants
Girls into the Wild is back in Fall 2024 for more romping wildly through the field and forests of the Hitchcock Center with Katie! As always we’ll visit our favorite places to play in the forest, such as Stump City, the Ferns, and the Faraway Woods – exploring the seasonal beauty of nature as we go. Play games, make friends, and create nature projects outdoors! Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Genderqueer, nonbinary, agender and trans young people are welcome.

Wild Children of the Woods: Spring
2024-04-01 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-08 15:30 - 17:30
Wild Children of the Woods
With: Monya Relles
Grades 3 – 5
Mondays 3:30 PM – 5 :30 PM
March 18 – June 3 (no program April 15 and May 27)
Tier A:$314 | Tier B:$261 | Tier C:$222 | Tier D:$170
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 the seasons change in our beautiful woods. 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.

Homeschool I: Water Protectors
2024-04-02 10:00 - 14:00
Homeschool I: Water Protectors
With Lauren Dausch
Grades 1 – 3, Ages 6 – 8
Tuesdays 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
March 5 – May 28 (No program Mar 12, Apr 9 for Discovery Days, no class Apr 16 for April Vacation Week)
Tier A: $771 | Tier B: $643 | Tier C: $546 | Tier D: $418
Limited to 12 participants
Inspired by the Indigenous water protectors of Standing Rock, Homeschool 1 will focus on the sacredness of water. We will explore questions such as what is the importance of water, and how does it connect everything? What is the water cycle? How can water support so many diverse habitats and creatures? We will gently learn about current issues involving clean water and water conservation, and discover how we can be change-makers and caretakers of the earth no matter how old or young we are! Our group will explore this topic through outdoor play, hands-on activities, journaling, songs, community projects, field trips, and more. Join us as we become the water protectors we were meant to be!
Non-refundable within a week of the start of the program; all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Homeschool II: H2WHOA
2024-04-02 10:00 - 14:00
Homeschool II: H2WHOA!: How Water Connects Us
Grades 4-6, Ages 9-12
Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
March 5 – May 28 (No program Mar 12, Apr 9 for Discovery Days, no class Apr 16 for April Vacation Week)
Tier A: $771 | Tier B:$643 | Tier C:$546 | Tier D:$418
Limited to 12 participants
How do clouds form? Where does water go once it’s down the drain? What lives in a vernal pool? Discover the answers as we explore daily water-related themes, and the ways this vital liquid connects all life. Learn about aquatic plants and animals, the ways humans affect our ecosystem, and the importance of caring for our shared waters as members of communities. Try building a beaver dam, forming your own snowflakes, and measure the health of local ponds and streams. This class will feature field trips, engineering challenges, games, crafts, journaling, and more.
Non-refundable within a week of the start of the program; all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Junior Nature Play Afterschool: Spring
2024-04-03 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-10 15:30 - 17:30
Junior Nature Play Afterschool Series: Spring
with Lauren Dausch
Grades K – 2
Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
March 20 – June 5 (no program April 17)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$346 | Tier B-$288 | Tier C-$245 | Tier D-$187
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: Spring
2024-04-03 15:30 - 17:30, 2024-04-10 15:30 - 17:30
Nature Play Afterschool Series: Spring
with Jeff Mazur
Grades 2 – 4
Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
March 20 – June 5 (no program April 17)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$346 | Tier B-$288 | Tier C-$245 | Tier D-$187
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 After School 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 Preschool: Our Rainbow World (Morning)
2024-04-05 09:30 - 11:30, 2024-04-12 09:30 - 11:30
Nature Discovery Spring Preschool Series: Our Rainbow World
Colleen Kelley – Last chance to join a program with Colleen before she retires!
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, April 5-June 14 (no class April 19)
Morning session: 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM (please note earlier start time for Spring)
Afternoon session: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Fee per child/adult pair: Tier A-$486 | Tier B-$405 | Tier C-$344 | Tier D-$263
Limited to 8 families. Limit of 2 children per adult.
Please note: This ten-week series will take place outdoors unless there is extreme weather.
We will welcome Spring and all its colors at our Nature Preschool at the Hitchcock Center with Colleen Kelley. Children will fill their art palettes with natural colors and discover how colors affect animals, plants and our own lives. Through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations, children will investigate camouflage, natural plant dyes, plant patterns, chlorophyll and much more.

Nature Discovery Preschool: Our Rainbow World (Afternoon)
2024-04-05 13:00 - 15:00, 2024-04-12 13:00 - 15:00

Spring Birding Course
2024-04-06 07:00 - 12:00
Spring Birding Course with Scott Surner
February 24 – June 8 2024
Classes and field trips
Sliding scale tickets: $375, $325, $280
Up to 15 participants. Registration required.
April 6: Local. 7 am -12 pm. Hampshire County- Early warblers, Wilson Snipe, and perhaps some more waterfowl.
REGISTER HERE

Book Circle: All We Can Save
2024-04-08 19:30 - 20:30
All We Can Save Book Circle
January – May
2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Are you hungry for deeper dialogue about the climate crisis and building community around solutions? We are too. All We Can Save Circles are like a book club, but a cooler, deeper, extended version. Let’s strengthen the “we” in All We Can Save. Circles were created by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson. Join us for this bimonthly book circle, must commit to most dates. Please submit interest here or email casey@hitchcockcenter.org. Some copies available to borrow from Hitchcock.
All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and solutions for the Climate Crisis
Edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson
REGISTER HERE

Homeschool Discovery Days: Spineless Wonders
2024-04-09 10:00 - 14:00
Spineless Wonders
With Alanna Johnston-Rutledge
April 9, 2024 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Ages 6 – 12 or grades 1 – 6
Tier A:$81 | Tier B:$67 | Tier C:$57 | Tier D:$44
Limited to 12 participants
What do worms, millipedes, lobsters and tarantulas all have in common? They’re all invertebrates! We’ll discover local creatures without backbones, and investigate how they wiggle, skitter, and creep through the world.

Spring Birding Course
2024-04-13 07:00 - 12:00
Spring Birding Course with Scott Surner
February 24 – June 8 2024
Classes and field trips
Sliding scale tickets: $375, $325, $280
Up to 15 participants. Registration required.
April 13: Local. 7 am – 12 pm. Depending on reports, we could visit Westover to look for Upland Sandpipers and rough-winged Swallows and then hike in Tilley Street. Other possibilities include looking for Vesper Sparrows in Hadley, along with Wilson’s Snipe.
REGISTER HERE

Second Saturday Family Science
2024-04-13 10:00 - 11:00
Second Saturday Family Science
with Lauren Dausch
Ages 5–7 or Grades K–1
Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Jan. 13, Feb. 10, March 9, April 13, May 11
Suggested Donation: $5 – $30 per family
Join us for seasonal nature and science programs each second Saturday of the month. Designed for children (ages 5–7) with their parents, these programs will explore cool topics in nature. We will be learning while moving, often exploring the woods behind our building.
April 13: Vernal Pools
Also called “ephemeral pools,” these spring habitats are teeming with life, and only around for part of the year! Together we’ll explore the importance of vernal pools and search for springtime creatures!

Teen Program: Climate Action Saturday
2024-04-13 13:00 - 17:00
Climate Action Saturday
With Monya Relles
Saturday, April 13
Suggested ages 11-14
Special time: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Suggested Donation: $10-$40 per teen
Come learn about climate action in a hopeful, uplifting way! We’ll have a local youth activist or two, a hands-on action, and resources to think about how to bring climate action home. It might be artistic or science-y but either way it will be loads of fun.

Spring Vacation Days
2024-04-15 08:45 - 15:00, 2024-04-16 08:45 - 15:00
Monday through Friday, April 15-19
8:45 AM – 3:00 PM

Age Groups:
Jumping Mice: Grades K-1
Brown Bats: Grades 1-2
Groundhogs: Grades 3-5
Fee per child per day: Tier A-$110 | Tier B-$92 | Tier C-$78 | Tier D-$60
Limited to 12 participants for Jumping Mice
Limited to 15 participants for Brown Bats and Groundhogs

Spend your days off from school learning and playing outside at the Hitchcock Center! Our theme this spring is water conservation. We’ll explore topics in spring ecology while playing games, making crafts and spending time with our live animals. Sign up for as many days as you wish. Five year olds must be in kindergarten in order to participate. First graders may register for the K-1 age group or the 1-2 age group. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all cancellations incur a 10% administrative fee.
