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 […]

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 […]

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: […]

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

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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!  

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Saturdays, 10:30am-11:30am April 28: Looking for a Moose May 19: A Fairy Went A-Marketing June 16: Turtle Splash! FREE Register here Looking for a fun Saturday morning activity with your young children? This spring, we are excited to be offering a free StoryWalk series with Dawn Ward! Designed for pre-readers and their families, Dawn’s StoryWalks […]

Join us for our fifth year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists and citizen scientists. Each month, in our series of nature explorations with different local naturalists, we explore a focused, seasonal, natural history topic. We’ll look at nature in new ways, from broad habitat perspectives to close details of individual species. […]

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: […]

Hear Jo Comerford, Steven Connor, Chelsea Kline, Ryan O'Donnell, David Morin and Dave Murphy -- the Democratic primary candidates for the Senate seat formerly held by Stan Rosenberg -- speak about what they would do if elected to curb greenhouse gas emissions and the worst effects of climate change. Bring questions for the candidates on […]

Have you found a tick on yourself or your child and felt worried? Are you concerned about tick-borne disease? The Hitchcock Center is delighted to welcome back Dr. Stephen Rich, chief medical zoologist at the UMASS Amherst Laboratory of Medical Zoology. Steve will present his work at the "Tick Lab" and his findings over the […]