Vacation Camp and Curriculum Days
We continue to find flexible and adaptive new ways to meet the needs of children and families . Our emphasis is on providing inquiry-based environmental and outdoor education programs for small groups. Our programs, as always, are focused on learning from nature, but we are placing a heightened focus on meeting the need children have for unstructured time with their peers. It is essential to children’s social-emotional development and general sense of well-being to be able to play and be free outside with each other!
Winter programs will be outdoor programs with small portions inside, to allow for warm ups and a longer duration program. While inside everyone will be required to be masked. We will attempt to limit indoor eating to more extreme weather but if we do eat inside everyone will be socially distanced by at least 6 feet.
Programs may also be viewed in a calendar.
Registration for Winter 2022 programs will open on December 7.
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.
January Curriculum Days -No school for Amherst public schools
Thursday, January 6th
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Ages 6-9 or grades 1st – 3rd*
Fee per Child: Tier A-$95 | Tier B-$76 | Tier C-$57 | Tier D-$38
Total number of participants: 12
Friday, January 28th
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Ages 6-9 or grades 1st – 3th*
Fee per Child: Tier A-$95 | Tier B-$76 | Tier C-$57 | Tier D-$38
Total number of participants: 12
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. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.
Winter Vacation Days
Monday through Friday, February 21st-25th 2022
8:30-am-3:00pm
Age Groups:
Jumping Mice: Ages 5-6, Grades K-1
Brown Bats: Ages 6-8, Grades 1-2
Groundhogs: Ages 8-10, Grades 3-5
Fee per child per day: Tier A-$95 | Tier B-$76 | Tier C-$57 | Tier D-$38
Spend your days off from school learning and playing outside at the Hitchcock Center! We’ll explore topics in winter 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. Camp will be held outdoors as much as possible and masks will be worn if/when going inside. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.
Limited 12 Participants for Jumping Mice
Limited to 15 participants for Brown Bats and Groundhogs
Spring Vacation Days
Monday through Friday, April 18th-22nd, 2022
8:30-am-3:00pm
Age Groups:
Jumping Mice: Ages 5-6, Grades K-1
Brown Bats: Ages 6-8, Grades 1-2
Groundhogs: Ages 8-10, Grades 3-5
Fee per child per day: Tier A-$95 | Tier B-$76 | Tier C-$57 | Tier D-$38
Spend your days off from school learning and playing outside at the Hitchcock Center! 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. This camp will be held completely outdoors if possible, only coming inside in extreme weather. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.
Limited 12 Participants for Jumping Mice
Limited to 15 participants for Brown Bats and Groundhogs
COVID-19 Safety
Read our complete COVID-19 Program Participant Guidelines.
Our programs are designed to be fun and engaging and above all safe. The COVID-19 program guidelines are designed to help protect everyone as we meet the strict health and safety requirements of the CDC and our state. Please take the time to read the information thoroughly. If you feel that you or your child(ren) cannot follow these guidelines, we ask that you wait until these restrictions have been lifted to join one of our programs or events. We may change our guidelines to reflect new guidance from CDC and Massachusetts.
Fees
Given this time of financial hardship for our community and our organization, we are offering a new sliding scale fee structure aimed to provide greater flexibility in choosing a price that is right for you and your family.
- Tier A: The fee is set 25% higher than what it costs to run the program and helps to support those who cannot afford the full cost of the program.
- Tier B: The fee is set to cover 100% of the program costs.
- Tier C: The fee is set at 25% less than what it costs to run the program.
- Tier D: This fee is set at 50% less than what it costs to run the program. This option is available for EBT, WIC, and Connector Care Card to Culture participants, that is, households receiving benefits through the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and the Massachusetts Health Connector
