Family Programs

A note about registration: Many of our programs fill quickly, so we highly recommend registering on the waiting list. We go to this list first if a space opens up. And by adding your name, you can help us better plan for the programs that are in high demand.

Coming up for families

On the Same Page 2026: Community Reading Program

A program series in collaboration with The Jones Library
See the Jones Library website for the full lineup of events
All events are free and open to the public
March 19 through March 25, 2026

Featuring the book Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila Philip
*It is encouraged but not necessary to have read the book to attend these programs!

The entire Amherst community is invited to read the book and participate in the programs offered this year, with a variety of programs for all ages exploring the unique animal that is the beaver. A variety of programs are being offered to enrich the reading experience of this best-selling title and to encourage dialog about the themes the book presents, including a book discussion to delve into the book itself.

Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. – North Amherst Library Meeting Room

Beaver Tales: Native Traditions and Colonial Relations – This talk by Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac considers shifts in Indigenous approaches to hunting beaver in the Connecticut River valley. For millennia, hunting practices were rooted in reciprocity and sustainability, as recorded in oral traditions and archaeological records. During the 1600s, however, the English colonial settler fur trade encouraged over-hunting and introduced a debt economy, provoking land loss and conflicts that resonate into the present day.

Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac is Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she founded the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative. For more than 30 years, she has also served as a consultant to Historic Northampton, Historic Deerfield, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, and Old Sturbridge Village Museum.

Saturday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m. – Wentworth Farm Conservation Area

Family Beaver StoryWalk and Program – Wood you believe that beavers are some of nature’s most important engineers? Join the Hitchcock Center for a beaver StoryWalk for young ones! We’ll waddle through beaver habitat, reading the pages of a beaver-themed StoryWalk as we go. We’ll slap our “tails,” waddle like beavers, and sing a song about our favorite lodge-builders. Spend time in the outdoors engaging in early literacy and movement. Best for little explorers ages 1-6 with their caregivers. Led by Katie Koerten of the Hitchcock Center.

Katie Koerten is the Education Director at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst, MA.

Monday, March 23 at 6:00 p.m. – Hitchcock Center @ 845 West Street

Screening of Beaver Family Life – Join us at the Hitchcock Center for a screening of a new documentary by New England Forests, as we follow a beaver family over a year’s time, beginning in autumn as they prepare for and endure winter; and then as warm spring and summer weather returns. The filmmaker, Ray Asselin, will be on hand to answer questions.

Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 pm – Munson Memorial Library Hall

On the Same Page author event with Leila Philip – Join us for an exciting in-person evening with author Leila Philip, as she reads from and discusses her book Beaverland.

Praised by reviewers (“Fascinating” ~ The Washington Post; “Full of charm and wonder” ~ The Wall Street Journal; “Inspiring” ~ The New York Times), Beaverland offers a revelatory dive into the world of the beaver – the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future.

Award-winning author Leila Philip follows fur trappers through waist-high water, as well as wildlife managers, PETA activists, Native American environmental vigilantes, scientists, engineers, and the colorful group of activists known as beaver believers. Philip describes the ways in which beavers can repair our broken landscapes – cleaning water of nitrogen and phosphorus, helping to stave off droughts, providing refuges for wildlife during massive wildfires, reducing the impacts of flooding, protecting valuable topsoil. She presents solutions that allow people and beavers to coexist, and shows why this keystone species deserves the public’s support.

This book was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and an NPR Science Friday Book Club Selection.

We hope to see you at one, some, or all of these Beaver Land-related events!

Past programs for families

Glimpses of Winter Wildlife

Photo by Jenny Zhao

Wednesday, February 25, 7pm
Free or by donation, registration required.

Glimpses of Winter Wildlife — Trail cameras give us a window into the natural world, capturing details of animals’ lives we rarely see in person. Naturalist Allison Bell will share what her cameras reveal about wildlife in winter—bobcats, coyotes, otters, porcupines, mink and more. Allison Bell is a field guide author and co-owner of Quonquont Farm in Whately. Her wildlife videos can be seen on Quonquont Farm and ValleyWild social media.

Owl Prowls

with Dan Ziomek
Saturday, January 3rd, 6:30 – 9pm
or Friday, January 16th, 6:30 – 9pm
with a bad weather date of Saturday, January 24th

For ages 10 and up
Space is limited; please register now
Sliding Scale: $20, $30, $40

Have you been on an owl prowl? It is a very special treat in the heart of winter. Come seek out the Great-horned owl on a winter (hopefully snowy) night with expert birder Dan Ziomek. Dress super duper warmly.

Christmas Bird Count for Kids and Families

Sponsored by Hampshire Bird Club (SOLD OUT!)
Sunday, Dec 14, 2025, 1-3 pm
All Ages Welcome
Free, Space is Limited – Registration Required

Do you want to learn more about birds? Would you like to contribute to science? Join birdwatchers all over America in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC)!

The CBC is a 125-year old event in which bird lovers of all ages and skill levels count all the birds they see in a 24-hour period in December. At this program, there will be something for everyone. We’ll meet at the Hitchcock Center for an indoor program about how to recognize common birds and a story about the history of the Christmas Bird Count. Afterwards, families who are interested may participate in an outdoor bird count, with ID help by Hampshire Bird Club members at the Hitchcock Center bird feeders and beyond. We’ll count every bird we see! Younger participants may decorate “eye focusers” and hit the trails for a self-guided bird scavenger hunt (with paper birds!). Stay as long as you wish. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to a real bird census! This event is rain, slow, sleet or shine. Families may stay and count birds for as much time as they wish but we recommend that you arrive on time for the indoor portion in order to get introduced to the common winter species we are likely to see. Binoculars are welcome but not required.

Monarch Tagging

with Jennifer Unkles

all ages
Saturday, September 6, 4-5:30pm
FREE, but registration appreciated

It’s time to tag monarchs before they head south to the overwintering grounds in Mexico. Join Hitchcock Educator Jennifer Unkles who has been tagging monarchs for 25 years, to learn about the monarch’s life cycle, their epic annual migration, how the tagging program works, and tag any monarchs you’re able to catch and release! Bring your family and bring the kids for this hands-on community science tradition!

Monarch Tagging CLASS

with Jennifer Unkles

all ages
Thursday, Sept. 11, 4-5:30pm
Space is limited, registration is required
Donations for materials $10-$25 per family

Celebrate 25 years of this community science tagging program. Get up close to live monarch butterflies, learn how to tag them and release them as well as make your own butterfly net to take home. We will learn how this project helps us understand more about the amazing monarch butterfly migration.

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