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Weekly Suggested Events for February 6-12, 2021
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Are you looking for things to do in western Massachusetts? Seeking curriculum ideas for remote learning or homeschooling? Are you a self-directed, life-long, and/or experiential learner? Are you curious or wanting to support the interests of your family. Our weekly Suggested Events list includes suggested learning ideas, resources, and online & in person events for all ages, each week!
Scroll down to discover featured events, learning opportunities, and educational videos to support learning from home. And be sure to subscribe to our free weekly eNewsletter so you never miss out!
WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS: FEBRUARY 6-12, 2021
LEARNING RESOURCES
INTERGENERATIONAL. Board Games
MINDFULNESS. Mindfulness Through the Seasons
PEDAGOGY. Integrating Permaculture with Community-Based Education
CREATIVE-FREE PLAY. Fresh Ways to Engage Toddlers in Creative Free-Play
STEM. The Science of Snow and Frost
ART STUDIES. National Museum of African Art
SENSE OF PLACE. Mass Audubon Outdoor Almanac for February
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN. Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
NEW ENGLAND HISTORY. 3D Tours: Virtual Village from Old Sturbridge Village
LOCAL HISTORY. Virtual Local History Learning Opportunities with The Trustees.
Featured Events, Resources, & Opportunities
WinterFest Amherst 2021: Amherst Recreation, The Business Improvement District, and The Amherst Area Chamber presents Ice Sculptures on the Common! A Drive-Through Experience, on February 5 & 6 from 5-7pm. Welcome one and all to Winterfest 2021! This fantastical event will feature at least 11 life-sized animal ice sculptures displayed on the Amherst Common. Your favorite Winterfest mascot, Flakey, along with mascots from our local colleges and businesses, will join this event in waving to passers-by. Please DRIVE by and celebrate this amazing event! Ice Sculptures on the Common! A Drive-Through Experience takes place on the Amherst Town Common.
This February, bring love into your learning! Take 20% off all items in Oak Meadow’s bookstore from February 14-28. Oak Meadow’s K-12 homeschooling curriculum provides a comprehensive educational experience, delivered with imagination and heart. The curriculum includes weekly lesson plans for a full year and can be customized to meet your student’s needs and interests. Purchase complete curriculum packages for K-8 or individuals courses for high school, purchase craft supplies, homeschooling resources, books, and more. Shop February 14-28 at oakmeadowbookstore.com.
Hartsbrook Farm Camp in Hadley, MA. Spend the summer safely and joyfully outside! For almost two decades, children have loved Farm Camp: the animals, the crafts, and the feeling of being part of something meaningful. Children feel grounded and inspired while exploring the natural world. After this year of uncertainty, children need nature more than ever. This summer, Hartsbrook Farm Camp invites your child to tend the goats, feed the chickens, work with wool, play under the trees and enjoy unhurried time outside in 55 acres of fields, farm, and forest. Their caring camp staff makes all children feel welcome. This year, spend some time on the farm! (For everyone’s safety, clear COVID protocols will be in place.) Dates: June 28 – July 30, 2021; Age Range of Participants: 4-11yo. Contact: 413-586-1908 ♦ farmcamp@hartsbrook.org ♦ www.hartsbrook.org
Programming on Demand at the Springfield Museums is a new way to experience the Springfield Museums. Programming on Demand, or PODs, are field trips for families, friends, and small groups. Customize a field trip to the Museums for your group of five to 30 people (divided into smaller groups of 10). Children & adults will participate in up to three hour-long curriculum-based school programs. Mix and match science, art, history, and Seuss! Summer camp classes at the Museums will include art, nature, and space explorations for children 5 -12yo. Teens will enjoy drawing, painting, and printmaking. July 12-16; July 19-23; July 26-30. All experiences require a mask & social distancing. Classes will be kept small. For more info, call 413-314-6477.
FEATURED SCHOOL
The Bement School
Join The Bement School admission office for a LIVE virtual campus tour this month! While they wish they could invite visitors to tour in person, they hope these LIVE virtual tours will allow visitors to learn a bit more about Bement and see their students and faculty engaged in-person this year. Throughout February, they are offering one hour campus tours and Q&A sessions. Registration is required. Visitors will receive a Zoom invitation. They are accepting applications for fall 2021. Contact the admission office at admit@bement.org with questions or to register for one of their virtual tours.
FEATURED SCHOOL
Four Rivers Charter Public School
Four Rivers Charter Public School in Greenfield, MA, is accepting applications for Fall 2021. Prospective families can attend a Virtual Open House this Saturday, February 6 at 10am. Four Rivers is a small Expeditionary Learning school for grades 7-12, dedicated to educating young people for lives of learning and service. Four Rivers offers a rigorous college preparatory program aligned with the MA curriculum frameworks and emphasizes character development for moral and social responsibility. Students connect learning to the real world, work hard, and develop the independence and thinking skills needed in college and beyond.For more info & Zoom link, visit FourRiversCharter.org.
FEATURED SCHOOL
Amherst Montessori School
Amherst Montessori School in Amherst, MA, believes your child is inherently intelligent and that hands-on learning is critical to their developing brains. In mixed-age classrooms, your child is empowered to explore, discover, and learn through all five senses. AMS offers Spanish language learning in the Children’s House level for ages 3 through 6 (preschool-K). In a beautiful new building designed uniquely for children, classrooms are filled with sunlight, natural materials, and views outside to playgrounds. Trained Montessori teachers nurture each child’s innate curiosity and independence. Daycare & Preschool ♦ Ages 3mo-12yrs. For more information: sthompson@amherstmontessori.org; 413-253-3101; amherstmontessori.org.
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List of Weekly Suggested Events
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2021
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
MUSIC STUDIES. Winter Community Group Classes with Berkshire Music School (Virtual & In-Person)
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Intro to Outdoor Skills for Girls (K-1) (In-Person)
ORNITHOLOGY. 9am-12pm. Birding Workshop: How to Get Started Birding (In-Person)
ENTOMOLOGY. 10am. Winter Insects in Easthampton (In-Person)
MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. 10am. Four Rivers Charter Public School Open House (Virtual)
AGRICULTURE. 11am. Holyoke Winter Farmers’ Market (In-Person)
ART STUDIES. 12pm. Painting with Scissors (Virtual)
MUSIC STUDIES. 1pm. Chantey Blast with Mystic Seaport Museum (Virtual)
SOCIAL CHANGE. 1-4pm. Anti-Racism for Activists (Virtual)
PHOTOGRAPHY. 2pm. Pet Photography (Virtual)
WINTER FESTIVAL. 5-7pm. Amherst Winterfest (In-Person)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 5:30pm. Needle-Felted Valentine Ornaments with Arms Library (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
BOARD GAMES
Board Games Spark Play-Based Learning and Inspire Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2021
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
AGRICULTURE. 10am. Easthampton Winter Farmers’ Market (In-Person)
CHURCH & STATE. 2:30pm. Freedom of Worship with the Norman Rockwell Museum (Virtual)
MUSIC STUDIES. 4pm. Three Generations of Asian American Music with the Pioneer Valley Symphony (Virtual)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021
EARLY EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual)
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
PLAYGROUP. 9:30-11:30am. Preschool Play Program in Great Barrington (Virtual)
TEENS. 10am. Teen Pillow Craft Take-Home with Southwick Public Library (Virtual)
PREK MUSIC. 10:30am. Sing With Your Little Ones with Pelham Library (Virtual)
LITERACY. 11am. Kindergarten Write and Read in Great Barrington (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 11am. Storytime with Hubbard Memorial Library (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 11am & 2pm. Storytime at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum (In-Person)
CULINARY ARTS. 12pm. Cookbook Club with Storrs Library (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 7pm. Brown Pelicans and Their Coastal Habitat (Virtual)
URBAN STUDIES. 8pm. Grand Central Terminal and the Secrets Within (Virtual)
COMPUTER CODING. 7pm. Free 9-Week Computer Coding Course for 11-16yo (Virtual)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021
EARLY EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual)
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
PREK STEAM. 9:30am. STEAM: Paint a Racecar (Virtual)
PLAYGROUP. 10am. Playgroup with Hatfield Library. (Email for Zoom link) kids.hatfieldlibrary@gmail.com (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY 10am. Story Hour with Greenfield Public Library (Email for Zoom link) librarian@greenfieldpubliclibrary.org (Virtual)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 10am. Make & Take at the Granby Library + Playgroup (Virtual)
TEENS. I Spy Escape Room for Teens (Virtual)
CULINARY ARTS. 3:30-5pm. After-School Cooking Class (Ages 8-13) (Virtual)
CREATIVE FREE-PLAY. 6:30pm. Family Fun Hour: Charades (Virtual)
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. 6:30-8pm. Full Moon Forest Walk (In-Person)
SOCIAL JUSTICE. 7pm. Just Mercy: The work of the Equal Justice Initiative (LIVE SCREENING)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
PREK MUSIC & MOVEMENT. 9:30am. Interactive Music & Movement Workshop for Caregivers + Kids 1-5yrs (Virtual)
PLAYGROUP. 9:30-11:30am. Preschool Play Program in Great Barrington (Virtual)
PREK. 10am. Gentle Family Yoga (Virtual)
PreK MUSIC. 10:30am. Family Jam (Virtual)
FIBER ARTS. 12noon. Knot Just Knitters: Live at Lunchtime (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 4pm. Cushman Library Story Hour with the Cushman Library (Virtual)
NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES. 3pm. Homelands History Talk Series: Mohican Women in New Stockbridge (Virtual)
SOCIAL JUSTICE. 6:30-8pm. Conversation About Racism (Virtual)
PARENTING. 7pm. Parent Cafe with Northampton/Hadley Family Connection (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 7-8:30pm. Marsh Owls (Virtual)
NATURALIST SKILLS. 7:30pm. Winter Tracks & Signs (Virtual)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021
EARLY EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual)
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
PreK DEVELOPMENT. 9:30am. Grow Play & Learn Weekly Group with Hubbard Memorial Library (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 10:30am. Lenox Library Outside Story Time (In-Person)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 11am & 2pm. Crafts at Amelia Park Children’s Museum (In-Person)
FOOD HISTORY. 4pm. Food & Dining in Wharton’s Life & Work (Virtual)
SPACE TRAVEL. 5pm. Get Ready for the Mars Landing (Virtual)
SOCIAL CHANGE. 5-6:30pm. The Ballot and Community Control Over Police (Virtual)
FIBER ARTS. 6pm. Sit & Stitch with the Gaylord Memorial Library (Virtual)
PREK PLAY. 6pm. Valentine’s Day BINGO (Virtual)
MARDI GRAS. 6:30pm. A Traditional Mardi Gras—New England Style (Virtual)
EAST ASIAN STUDIES 7pm. Picture Book Share with the Five College Center for East Asian Studies (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 7pm. Bald Eagles (Virtual)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
CHINESE NEW YEAR. Lunar New Year with the Peabody Essex Museum (Virtual)
CHINESE NEW YEAR. Lunar New Year: Community Lantern Project (Virtual)
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
PreK LITERACY. 10am. Story Hour with Greenfield Public Library (Email for Zoom link) librarian@greenfieldpubliclibrary.org (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 6:30-9pm. Owl Prowl in Amherst (In-person)
EARLY EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual)
OCEANOGRAPHY. 11am & 2pm. Explore the Layers of the Ocean (Virtual)
SPACE TRAVEL. 6:30pm. Ask Me Anything with Dr. Cady Coleman, Former Astronaut (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 7-8:30pm. Winter Raptor Identification (Virtual)
Online and in-person events and resources shared above are done so as a courtesy and not as an endorsement. While we do our best to share accurate and up-to-date information, please take the time to confirm information, age appropriateness, registration requirements, safety protocols, and associated costs.
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Hilltown Families’ list of Suggested Events is supported in part by grants from the Amherst, Bernardston, Buckland, Chester, Gill, Goshen, Hadley, Heath, Hinsdale-Peru, Holyoke, Montgomery, Mt. Washington, New Salem, Northern Berkshire, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Springfield, Washington, Westhampton, and Windsor Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
