Sundays once per month, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon (some class times may vary depending on topics) Members $275/Non-members $325 for the full course Drop-in cost is $27. For the Plum Island field trip, the drop-in cost is $45. Register here Join us for our fourth year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists […]

From chipmunk stripes to ladybug spots, spiral seashells to sunflowers, patterns are everywhere you look in nature. In this homeschool class we will discover what makes a pattern and find out how these designs can help animals, plants and people. We’ll explore animal patterns such as stripes, spots, camouflage and more subtle designs such as […]

Did you ever wonder how fiber becomes thread? Do you want to learn how to turn grass into ice cream? In such a product-oriented society, it is easy to lose connection with how things are made and the origins of the things we use every day. By researching the path of how a product is […]

Wednesdays, October 4, 11, 18, 25, 1:30pm – 2:30pm Registration required Hampshire College and the Hitchcock Center are working together to train docents in the Living Building Challenge and to lead innovative building tours for the public and special groups at our two new LBC buildings. Each building is a valuable educational tool to teach […]

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program for children ages 6–9 is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. There are many positive impacts of nature play on children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. It’s also an effective way to build a generation of committed […]

Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into 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 […]

with Jessica Schultz, Living Building Challenge Ambassador Thursday, October 5, 7pm-8:30pm FREE, Registration appreciated The Hitchcock Center took the Living Building Challenge in building its new building. The Challenge is an innovative philosophy that asks us, “What does good look like?” What does it mean to build healthy homes and communities that are regenerative, socially and environmentally just? […]

Welcome fall and all its colors at nature preschool at the Hitchcock Center with Colleen! Children will fill their art palettes with many colors and discover how colors affect animals, plants and their own lives. Through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations, children will investigate camouflage, natural plant dyes, plant patterns, chlorophyll and much […]

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. Public Building Tours First Fridays at 4pm Third Wednesdays […]

From chipmunk stripes to ladybug spots, spiral seashells to sunflowers, patterns are everywhere you look in nature. In this homeschool class we will discover what makes a pattern and find out how these designs can help animals, plants and people. We’ll explore animal patterns such as stripes, spots, camouflage and more subtle designs such as […]

Did you ever wonder how fiber becomes thread? Do you want to learn how to turn grass into ice cream? In such a product-oriented society, it is easy to lose connection with how things are made and the origins of the things we use every day. By researching the path of how a product is […]

Wednesdays, October 4, 11, 18, 25, 1:30pm – 2:30pm Registration required Hampshire College and the Hitchcock Center are working together to train docents in the Living Building Challenge and to lead innovative building tours for the public and special groups at our two new LBC buildings. Each building is a valuable educational tool to teach […]

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program for children ages 6–9 is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. There are many positive impacts of nature play on children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. It’s also an effective way to build a generation of committed […]

with John Green, naturalist Thursday, October 12, 9am-11am – Hadley Thursday, November 9, 9am-11am – Quabbin in New Salem FREE but space is limited and registration required. Join John Green a life long naturalist as he ambles through a habitat looking and listening. Fall is a wonderful time to explore nature and get breaths of fresh […]

Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into 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 […]

Welcome fall and all its colors at nature preschool at the Hitchcock Center with Colleen! Children will fill their art palettes with many colors and discover how colors affect animals, plants and their own lives. Through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations, children will investigate camouflage, natural plant dyes, plant patterns, chlorophyll and much […]

with Dianna Smith, Pioneer Valley Mycological Association Saturday, October 14, 9am – 12pm, Mt Toby State Reservation Members $20/Non-members $25 Space is limited. Register here. Join Dianna for an in-depth exploration of our fungi. She can identify to species whatever we find and fill us in on each species’ unique adaptations, identifying characters, and ecology. […]

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. No registration required. Groups of 6 or more please call ahead. with Patrick O’Roark Second Saturdays, September through December Free 10am - 11am Saturdays, September 9, October […]

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 […]

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. Public Building Tours First Fridays at 4pm Third Wednesdays […]

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program for children ages 6–9 is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. There are many positive impacts of nature play on children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. It’s also an effective way to build a generation of committed […]

Wednesdays, October 4, 11, 18, 25, 1:30pm – 2:30pm Registration required Hampshire College and the Hitchcock Center are working together to train docents in the Living Building Challenge and to lead innovative building tours for the public and special groups at our two new LBC buildings. Each building is a valuable educational tool to teach […]

Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into 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 […]

Thursday, October 19, 6pm-9pm FREE, Registration appreciated With the League of Women Voters of Amherst, the Recycling and Refuse Management Committee of Amherst, the Sustainability Department of Amherst and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment With the League of Women Voters of Amherst, the Recycling and Refuse Management Committee of Amherst, the Sustainability Department of Amherst and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment Join […]

with James Lowenthal, Professor of Astronomy at Smith College and active in the International Dark-Sky Association Friday, September 29, 7:15pm Saturday, October 21, 7:00pm Friday, November 10, 6:30pm Saturday, December 2, 6:30pm FREE, Registration appreciated James will provide telescopes and help us view constellations, planets, galaxies and stars from our Hitchcock hilltop. We’ll discuss what we […]

Sunday, October 22, 1pm- 4pm Repair Public is an exercise in community resourcefulness. The basic idea is to encourage people to learn how and/or where to fix broken items instead of tossing them into a landfill and buying replacements. The participants and facilitators are local community members just like you. You bring a broken item that […]

Sunday, October 22, 1pm- 4pm FREE, registration appreciated Repair Public is an exercise in community resourcefulness. The basic idea is to encourage people to learn how and/or where to fix broken items instead of tossing them into a landfill and buying replacements. The participants and facilitators are local community members just like you. You bring […]

From chipmunk stripes to ladybug spots, spiral seashells to sunflowers, patterns are everywhere you look in nature. In this homeschool class we will discover what makes a pattern and find out how these designs can help animals, plants and people. We’ll explore animal patterns such as stripes, spots, camouflage and more subtle designs such as […]

Did you ever wonder how fiber becomes thread? Do you want to learn how to turn grass into ice cream? In such a product-oriented society, it is easy to lose connection with how things are made and the origins of the things we use every day. By researching the path of how a product is […]

Wednesdays, October 4, 11, 18, 25, 1:30pm – 2:30pm Registration required Hampshire College and the Hitchcock Center are working together to train docents in the Living Building Challenge and to lead innovative building tours for the public and special groups at our two new LBC buildings. Each building is a valuable educational tool to teach […]

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program for children ages 6–9 is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. There are many positive impacts of nature play on children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. It’s also an effective way to build a generation of committed […]

Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into 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 […]

Welcome fall and all its colors at nature preschool at the Hitchcock Center with Colleen! Children will fill their art palettes with many colors and discover how colors affect animals, plants and their own lives. Through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations, children will investigate camouflage, natural plant dyes, plant patterns, chlorophyll and much […]

Friday, October 27, 6pm- 7:30pm Members $10 per child/Non-members $12 per child, must come with an adult. Space is limited, registration required. Join us for an enchanted fall evening of a pumpkin lit walk and a family program about bats. In lieu of Enchanted Forest (which is being revamped) this year we will be offering […]

From chipmunk stripes to ladybug spots, spiral seashells to sunflowers, patterns are everywhere you look in nature. In this homeschool class we will discover what makes a pattern and find out how these designs can help animals, plants and people. We’ll explore animal patterns such as stripes, spots, camouflage and more subtle designs such as […]

Did you ever wonder how fiber becomes thread? Do you want to learn how to turn grass into ice cream? In such a product-oriented society, it is easy to lose connection with how things are made and the origins of the things we use every day. By researching the path of how a product is […]

Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program for children ages 6–9 is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. There are many positive impacts of nature play on children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. It’s also an effective way to build a generation of committed […]

Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into 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 […]

Welcome fall and all its colors at nature preschool at the Hitchcock Center with Colleen! Children will fill their art palettes with many colors and discover how colors affect animals, plants and their own lives. Through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations, children will investigate camouflage, natural plant dyes, plant patterns, chlorophyll and much […]

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. Public Building Tours First Fridays at 4pm Third Wednesdays […]

with Richard Little, Geologist Friday, November 3, 7pm – 8:30pm (indoor presentation) Saturday, November 4, 9am – 12pm (field trip) Members $32/Non-members $40 Space is limited. Register here. The Holyoke Range runs east-west extending to the west from the Amherst area and then curves southward extending across Connecticut. It is composed of more than 400 […]

with Richard Little, Geologist Friday, November 3, 7pm – 8:30pm (indoor presentation) Saturday, November 4, 9am – 12pm (field trip) Members $32/Non-members $40 Space is limited. Register here. The Holyoke Range runs east-west extending to the west from the Amherst area and then curves southward extending across Connecticut. It is composed of more than 400 feet […]