Homeschool Discovery Day: How Sweet It Is: Making Maple Syrup
2020-03-03 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
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 fall. This is designed as a drop-off program. Limited to 12 participants per program.
Ages 6-12
with Katie Koerten or Jeff Mazur
Tuesdays 10am-2pm
January 14, January 28, February 11, March 3, March 31, April 28, June 9
Members: $45 per program/Non-members: $55 per program
REGISTER
March 3 | How Sweet It Is: Making Maple Syrup | with Jeff Mazur
It is time for sugaring off! Join us as we visit a sugarbush, collect sap, and learn all about the process of making maple syrup. It is going to be a sweet time.
March 31 | Amphibians of Spring | with Katie Koerten
Peep! Peep! This is the time of year that our local amphibians wake up! On this day we will learn the major frog and toad species found in Massachusetts and the sounds they make. We’ll visit the vernal pool in the forest at the Hitchcock Center to look and listen for signs of peepers, wood frogs, and spotted salamanders.
April 28 | Nature Did It First: Biomimicry | with Katie Koerten
Nature has a lot to teach us about how to solve problems in ways that are good for the Earth. Today we will discover the efficiency of nature’s adaptations and ask what we can learn from nature about how to live more sustainably.
June 9 | Energy is Electrifying | with Katie Koerten
Today we’ll explore energy and how the lights turn on. This will be a fun day with indoor and outdoor portions, in which we use simple everyday tools to see how electricity is made. We’ll compare conventional electricity with alternative, more sustainable ways of producing energy such as solar and wind.

Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children with the Natural World
2020-03-03 17:00 - 18:00
Nature play can awaken children’s senses, challenge their bodies, inspire their imaginations and build self-confidence. In order to grow up healthy and happy, children need abundant, unstructured time to play and explore in the natural world, but today’s children rarely have the opportunity to roam free outdoors. Bringing nature to the places where children spend their time is an answer.
Well-designed nature play spaces are inviting and endlessly engaging for children AND good for the planet. With rich, inspiring images from around the world, author, educator, and landscape designer Nancy Striniste explains why and how to bring the beauty, adventure, and sustainability of nature play to backyards, schoolyards, churchyards, neighborhood parks, early childhood settings, and more.
Nancy Striniste, founder and principal designer at EarlySpace, LLC, has a unique background as both a landscape designer and an early childhood educator.
With Nancy Striniste, Founder and Principal Designer at EarlySpace, LLC
March 3, 5-6pm
Registration encouraged
From her Arlington, Virginia design office, she has worked with schools, childcare centers, municipalities and organizations to create sustainably designed natural play and learning spaces and to teach teachers and others about how to use the outdoors for teaching and learning.
Ms. Striniste is the author of Nature Play at Home: Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children to the Natural World. She teaches at Antioch University New England in their Nature-based Early Childhood Education Graduate Program, serves on the Nature Play Work Group of the Maryland Partnership for Children and Nature, and on the Leadership Team of NoVA Outside.

Nature Play Afterschool: Winter Session
2020-03-04 13:30 - 17:30, 2020-03-11 15:30 - 17:30, 2020-03-18 15:30 - 17:30
Playing outside in the winter is super awesome! 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 Winter Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play in the snow, build forts, sled, make snow creations, climb trees, make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us and use our imaginations. Our instructors provide a safe setting 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. Bus transportation is available for Crocker Farm students.
Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3
Wednesdays with Jeff Mazur
January 8 – March 18 (no class February 19)
Extended day: March 4
3:30-5:30pm, extended days 1:30-5:30pm
Members: $255/Non-members: $306
REGISTER

Amherst’s Famous Spotted Salamanders
2020-03-04 19:00 - 20:30
Join Ted and Jeff for a talk about spotted salamanders, the ones that migrate under Henry Street in North Amherst. We will explain their wonderful yearly life cycle, including the first night of spring migration that has come to be called Big Night. We’ll also describe some of the fascinating adaptations unique to these creatures.
After the talk, for all interested in volunteering for Big Night, we will explain specifics about how you can help, what to wear, and what to look for. On Big Night we collect data about the numbers of animals using the tunnels. Also during this evening we will describe how you can help with our late April salamander egg mass count, the best way to census a population of these animals. The salamanders need you!
with Ted Watt and Jeff Mazur, Hitchcock Center Naturalists
Wednesday, March 4, 7 pm
Registration encouraged
Our thanks to W.D. Cowls, Inc. for their cooperation with the ongoing operation and maintenance of the Henry Street salamander tunnels on their property.

Girls into the Wild: Winter Session
2020-03-05 15:30 - 17:30, 2020-03-12 15:30 - 17:30, 2020-03-19 15:30 - 17:30
Often you just need to run, explore and play outdoors! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Girls into the Wild is designed to get girls outside, playing and engaging with nature in their own way. Instructor Katie Koerten offers 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 – not to mention sledding, sliding on ice and exploring animal tracks in the snow. Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Bus transportation is available for Crocker Farm students.
Ages 8-11, Grades 3-5
with Katie Koerten
Thursdays, January 9 – March 19 (no program February 20)
Members: $275/Non-members: $330
REGISTER

Living Building Tour
2020-03-06 16:00 - 17:00, 2020-03-18 12:00 - 13:00
Did you know the Hitchcock Center is a Living Building? It is the 23rd building in the world and the 4th in Massachusetts to achieve the Certified Living Building designation! It is designed to model systems in nature, it’s net zero energy and water, has composting toilets, and has been made with responsibly sourced non-toxic materials. Come find out what makes our building a special teaching tool empowering visitors to ask, “what does sustainability look like in the built environment and in my community?” Bring your questions so we can learn together. Tours typically last from 1-1.5 hours.
First Fridays at 4pm: January 3, February 7, March 6
Third Wednesdays at 12pm: January 15, February 19, March 18
FREE but please register online
Note: We are pleased to be able to offer Spanish language translators for our building tours. If you or someone you know could benefit from translation, please let us know in advance, so that we may schedule a translator for your tour date.
While you’re here, check out our neighbors over at the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, another Living Building Challenge project.

Nature Play Afterschool: Winter Session
2020-03-09 15:30 - 17:30, 2020-03-16 15:30 - 17:30
Playing outside in the winter is super awesome! 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 Winter Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play in the snow, build forts, sled, make snow creations, climb trees, make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us and use our imaginations. Our instructors provide a safe setting 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. Bus transportation is available for Crocker Farm students.
Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3
Mondays with Aemelia Thompson
January 6 – March 16 (no class January 20 or February 17)
3:30-5:30pm
Members: $210/ Non-members $252
REGISTER

Homeschool I: Raindrop to Reservoir
2020-03-10 10:00 - 14:00, 2020-03-17 10:00 - 14:00, 2020-03-24 10:00 - 14:00
For all creatures on Earth, water is life. In this weekly homeschool class, we will explore the wonders of water, from the molecular level to the watershed level and everything in between. We will discover how vital water is in our lives, and the lives of all living creatures, and improve our “aqua-literacy” by learning where our water comes from and where it goes. Every day we’ll explore the outdoors, play games, learn new vocabulary words and further the learning at home with optional home projects. Limited to 12 participants. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.
with Katie Koerten
Ages 6-8
Tuesdays, 10am-2pm
March 10 – June 2 (no class March 31, April 21, or April 28)
No class Members: $450/Non-members: $540
REGISTER

Homeschool II: Digital Ecology
2020-03-10 10:00 - 14:00, 2020-03-17 10:00 - 14:00, 2020-03-24 10:00 - 14:00
Join us to become Eco-photographers! We will be using the camera as a tool to study nature and enhance our observation skills. We’ll explore our world by viewing it through different lenses. During this spring’s Homeschool II class we will delve into the environment through outdoor activities, games, observations and investigations, field trips, art and photography projects. We will investigate different habitats and change how we see the world around us and further learning at home with optional home projects. Limited to 12 participants. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.
with Jeff Mazur
Ages 9-12
Tuesdays, 10am-2pm
March 10 – June 2 (No class March 31, April 21, or April 28)
Members: $450/Non-members: $540
REGISTER

Forest Carbon: An essential natural solution to climate change - Cancelled
2020-03-12 18:30 - 20:00
Forests provide a critical natural solution to reduce the effects of climate change. There is a growing debate about the most appropriate strategy to maximize this benefit. Ultimately, we need landscapes with both active and passive approaches to maintain the many benefits forests provide, including carbon sequestration and storage. The intent of this presentation is to help provide a better understanding of the role carbon plays within forests, the impacts of two land-use options on forest carbon – forest conversion and forest management, and the trade-offs of these decisions. The presentation will also provide specific carbon-informed forest management strategies to help maintain carbon storage if an active approach is taken.
Paul Catanzaro is an Associate Professor and the State Extension Forester at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Paul teaches courses in the Forest Ecology and Conservation concentration and is co-Director of the Family Forest Research Center, a partnership of the USDA Forest Service and UMass Amherst. Paul’s research and outreach work focuses primarily on legacy planning and forest resiliency.
For more information visit this Forest Carbon publication.
with Paul Catanzaro, Associate Professor and the State Extension Forester at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Thursday, March 12, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Free, donation encouraged
Register here

Second Saturday Family Science: Backbones Not Required - Cancelled
2020-03-14 10:00 - 11:00
This program has been cancelled.
Hitchcock Center’s COVID-19 Public Statement and Updates

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.
March 14: Backbones Not Required
Ranging in size from microscopic to gigantic, invertebrates make up the largest group of animals in the animal kingdom. Come learn about some awesome invertebrates with the Hitchcock Center! Be prepared to get hands on with one of the Hitchcock Centers spineless teaching animals.
Saturday Family Science programs are generously sponsored by Pelham Auto Service.
Second Saturdays, 10-11am
September – June
Members: Free/Non-members: $10 per family
Register here
Groups of 6 or more please call ahead.

Nature Play Afterschool: Spring Session
2020-03-23 15:30 - 17:30, 2020-03-30 15:30 - 17:30
Spring fever is coming, and your kids need to be outside! Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program 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 will explore wooded trails and fields, play in and near streams, build forts, climb trees, make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us and use our imaginations. Our instructors provide a safe setting 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. Bus transportation is available for Crocker Farm students.
Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3
Mondays with Aemelia Thompson
March 23 – June 8 (no class April 20 & May 25)
3:30-5:30pm
Members: $230/Non-members $276
REGISTER

Nature Play Afterschool: Spring Session
2020-03-25 13:30 - 17:30, 2020-04-01 15:30 - 17:30
Playing outside in the winter is super awesome! 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 Winter Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play in the snow, build forts, sled, make snow creations, climb trees, make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us and use our imaginations. Our instructors provide a safe setting 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. Bus transportation is available for Crocker Farm students.
Wednesdays with Jeff Mazur
January 8 – March 18 (no class February 19)
Extended day: March 4
3:30-5:30pm, extended days 1:30-5:30pm
Members: $255/Non-members: $306
REGISTER

Girls into the Wild: Spring Session
2020-03-26 15:30 - 17:30
Often you just need to run, explore and play outdoors! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Girls into the Wild is designed to get girls outside, playing and engaging with nature in their own way. Instructor Katie Koerten offers 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 signs animals leave behind. Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Bus transportation is available for Crocker Farm students.
Ages 8-11, Grades 3-5
With Katie Koerten
Thursdays, March 26 – June 11 (no program April 23)
Members: $330/Non-members: $396
REGISTER

Nature Discovery Preschool: Beanstalks to Butterflies
2020-03-27 09:30 - 11:30
Metamorphosis and how things change in nature is the theme for this popular program. Children will compare their own lives, from newborn to preschooler, with the life cycles of other living things. Through live animal and plant observations, stories, songs, movement, imagery and crafts, children will learn about how and why changes happen. Start your metamorphosis now! An adult must attend with the child to develop a sense of wonder together.
With Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, March 27 – June 19 (No class April 24, May 15 or May 29)
Morning session: 9:30-11:30 am
Afternoon session: 1-3:00 pm
Members: $220/Non-members: $264
Register here

Nature Discovery Preschool: Beanstalks to Butterflies
2020-03-27 13:00 - 15:00
Metamorphosis and how things change in nature is the theme for this popular program. Children will compare their own lives, from newborn to preschooler, with the life cycles of other living things. Through live animal and plant observations, stories, songs, movement, imagery and crafts, children will learn about how and why changes happen. Start your metamorphosis now! An adult must attend with the child to develop a sense of wonder together.
With Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, March 27 – June 19 (No class April 24, May 15 or May 29)
Morning session: 9:30-11:30am
Afternoon session: 1-3pm
Members: $220/Non-members: $264
Register here

CANCELLED: Woodcock: Skydancer
2020-03-27 18:30 - 20:30
Have you heard the telltale peep of the woodcock looking for a mate to do its early spring sky dance? If not you are in for a treat that will likely become an annual tradition, you’ll be hooked. Join bird song radio personality and our favorite garden advisor Dan Ziomek to enjoy this special spring event. Recommended for adults and young people 4th grade and up.
with Dan Ziomek, local birder and naturalist
Friday, March 27, 6:30-8:30pm
Members $12/Non-members $16
Register here

Homeschool Discovery Day: Amphibians of Spring
2020-03-31 10:00 - 14:00
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 fall. This is designed as a drop-off program. Limited to 12 participants per program.
Ages 6-12
with Katie Koerten or Jeff Mazur
Tuesdays 10am-2pm
January 14, January 28, February 11, March 3, March 31, April 28, June 9
Members: $45 per program/Non-members: $55 per program
REGISTER
March 31 | Amphibians of Spring | with Katie Koerten
Peep! Peep! This is the time of year that our local amphibians wake up! On this day we will learn the major frog and toad species found in Massachusetts and the sounds they make. We’ll visit the vernal pool in the forest at the Hitchcock Center to look and listen for signs of peepers, wood frogs, and spotted salamanders.
April 28 | Nature Did It First: Biomimicry | with Katie Koerten
Nature has a lot to teach us about how to solve problems in ways that are good for the Earth. Today we will discover the efficiency of nature’s adaptations and ask what we can learn from nature about how to live more sustainably.
June 9 | Energy is Electrifying | with Katie Koerten
Today we’ll explore energy and how the lights turn on. This will be a fun day with indoor and outdoor portions, in which we use simple everyday tools to see how electricity is made. We’ll compare conventional electricity with alternative, more sustainable ways of producing energy such as solar and wind.
