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Weekly Suggested Events for February 13-19, 2021
Home < Weekly Suggested Events < February 13-19, 2021
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 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!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: FEBRUARY 13-19, 2021
LEARNING RESOURCES
CREATIVE-FREE PLAY. Fairy Houses
ART STUDIES. Google Cultural Institute: A Portal to the Cultural Treasures of the World
FAMILY MUSIC. Hilltown Family Variety Show
STEM. Chemistry through Fermentation
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Sledding Hills in Western MA
ART STUDIES. National Museum of African Art
SENSE OF PLACE. Mass Audubon Outdoor Almanac for February
AMERICAN HISTORY. National Museum of American Hist ory for Families
ART STUDIES. Norman Rockwell Museum Curriculum Lab
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Trails at Mass Audubon
Featured Events, Resources, & Opportunities
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
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.
SEE YOUR AD HERE
Partner with Hilltown Families in your online advertising! Delivering your message each week to over 25,000 subscribers, web visitors, and social media followers, Hilltown Families can bring your message to thousands of readers in Western MA who are committed to their community and willing to support one another in times of need. In-person and virtual event organizers, local and online businesses, virtual and local service providers, non-profit organizations, and individuals are encouraged to reach out to find out about our affordable advertising options and marketing packages. To find out how we can partner together in your online marketing and outreach, contact Sienna at swildfield@hilltownfamilies.org.
Preschool Directory
Find what you’re looking for in our Preschool & Daycare Directory for Western MA
List of Weekly Suggested Events
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021
CITIZEN SCIENCE. Great Backyard Bird Count (At Home)
COMMUNITY TRADITIONS: Easthampton Winterfest (Virtual & In-Person)
NATURALIST SKILLS. 10am. Snowshoe Track and Tree ID in Windsor, MA (In-Person)
WOMEN’S HISTORY. 10am. Women in Science (Virtual)
NATURALIST SKILLS. 10am. Science Walk: Tracks and Traces in Amherst, MA (In-Person)
ORNITHOLOGY. 10am. Eagle Fest (Virtual)
HORTICULTURE. 10:30am. Home Orchard Pruning (Virtual)
AGRICULTURE. 10am-1pm. Northampton Winter Farmers Market (In-Person)
NATURAL HISTORY. 11am. Guided Winter Walk in Easthampton, MA (In-Person)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 11am. Valentine’s Craft Party with the Meekins Library (Virtual)
NATURE JOURNALING. 12pm. Introduction to Nature Journaling (Virtual)
NATURE JOURNALING. 12pm.Nature Journaling Workshop: Cloud & Water Patterns (Virtual)
CREATIVE WRITING. 1pm. Write-Up with the Springfield City Library (Virtual)
NATURAL HISTORY. 1pm. Animal Adaptations: “Colors in Nature” (Virtual)
GARDENING. 1pm. Winter Seed Sowing Workshop (Virtual)
HERPETOLOGY. 2pm. Learning about Reptiles (Virtual)
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY. 2pm. The Forgotten History of Indigenous Cultures of the Northeast (Virtual)
PERFORMANCE ART. 2pm. Northampton Youth Performance Festival (Virtual)
SOCIAL CHANGE. 4-6pm. Support and Empowerment Gathering for Women of Color, and Those Persons of Color Who Identify as Gender Non-binary (Virtual)
MUSIC STUDIES. 6pm. Songwriting Workshop (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
ANIMAL ADAPTATION
NATURAL HISTORY
1pm. Animal Adaptations: “Colors in Nature”
(Virtual)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021
CITIZEN SCIENCE. Great Backyard Bird Count (At Home)
NATURALIST SKILLS. 9am-12pm. Bark: Getting to Know Your Trees (In-person)
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. 12pm. Valentine’s Day Storywalk & Scavenger Hunt in Agawam, MA (In-Person)
NATURE JOURNALING. 12pm. Nature Journaling with Audubon Society (Virtual)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 1pm. Nature Crafts: Valentine’s Day Edition (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
VALENTINE’S DAY
ARTS & CRAFTS
1pm. Nature Crafts: Valentine’s Day Edition
(Virtual)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021
FEBRUARY VACATION. ArtPlay! February Vacation Program with the Northampton Center for the Arts (In-Person)
CITIZEN SCIENCE. Great Backyard Bird Count (At Home)
EARLY EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual & In-Person)
PLAYGROUP. 9:30-11:30am. Preschool Play Program in Great Barrington (In-Person)
MUSEUM ADVENTURES. 10am-5pm. Choose Your Own Adventure at the Springfield Museums (In-Person)
LITERACY. 11am. Kindergarten Write and Read in Great Barrington (In-Person)
PreK LITERACY. 11am. Storytime with Hubbard Memorial Library (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 11am & 2pm. Storytime at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum (In-Person)
PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION. 12pm. Three New Arguments for the Dynamic Theory of Time with Springfield College (Virtual)
SUSTAINABILITY. 4pm. Fast Fashion Workshop (Virtual)
LANGUAGE ARTS. 4-5:30pm. Poetry: How Pain Becomes Beautiful Power (Virtual)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Storywalk & Scavenger Hunt at the Westhampton Public Library (In-Person)
TEENS. I Spy Escape Room for Teens (Virtual)
PLAYGROUP. 10am. Virtual Playgroup with Hatfield Library. (Email for Zoom link) kids.hatfieldlibrary@gmail.com
PreK LITERACY 10am. Virtual Story Hour with Greenfield Public Library (Email for Zoom link) librarian@greenfieldpubliclibrary.org
CULINARY ARTS. 10am. Cookbook Club with the Springfield City Library (Virtual)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 10am. Make & Take at the Granby Library + Playgroup (Virtual)
STEM. 10am. 3D Printing Youth Workshop with Storrs Library (Virtual)
MUSEUM ADVENTURES. 10am-5pm. Choose Your Own Adventure at the Springfield Museums (In-Person)
NEW ENGLAND HISTORY. 11am Tours of Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
STEAM. 1pm & 3pm. STEAM Tours at Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
ASIAN FOLKTALES. 3pm. Folktales of Asia with Montague Public Libraries (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 3pm. Meet an Ornithologist (Virtual)
CREATIVE FREE-PLAY. 6:30pm. Family Fun Hour: Charades (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 10pm. Snowy Owl – A Visual Natural History (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
FOLKTALES
ASIAN FOLKTALES
3pm. Folktales of Asia w/Montague Libraries
(Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
CULINARY ARTS
CULINARY ARTS
10am. Cookbook Club w/Springfield Library
(Virtual)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Storywalk & Scavenger Hunt at the Westhampton Public Library (In-Person)
PLAYGROUP. 9:30-11:30am. Preschool Play Program in Great Barrington (In-Person)
PreK MUSIC & MOVEMENT. 9:30am. Interactive Music & Movement Workshop for Caregivers + Kids 1-5yrs (Virtual)
MUSEUM ADVENTURES. 10am-5pm. Choose Your Own Adventure at the Springfield Museums (In-Person)
PreK MUSIC. 10:30am. Family Jam (Virtual)
NEW ENGLAND HISTORY. 11am Tours of Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
CHEMISTRY. 11am Science at Home Kits with North Adams Public Library (Take Home)
HOMESCHOOLING. 12pm. K-8 V Info Session with Oak Meadow (Virtual)
MINDFULNESS. 12pm. Meditation and Mindfulness with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (Virtual)
FIBER ARTS. 12noon. Knot Just Knitters: Live at Lunchtime (Virtual)
STEAM. 1pm & 3pm. STEAM Tours at Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
CHINESE NEW YEAR. 1:30-3:30pm. Chinese New Year Celebration in Great Barrington (In-Person)
ART STUDIES. 3pm. Cartooning Class (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 4pm. Cushman Library Story Hour with the Cushman Library (Virtual)
CLIMATE CHANGE. 4pm. How To Help Youth Workshop (Virtual)
NEW ENGLAND FOLKLORE. 6:30pm. New England Folklore with Southwick Public Library (Virtual)
PARENTING. 7pm. Parent Cafe with Northampton/Hadley Family Connection (Virtual)
SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC. 7pm. Ladysmith Black Mambazo Live Performance (Virtual)
ENTOMOLOGY. 10pm. The Importance of Insects (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
CHINESE NEW YEAR
CHINESE NEW YEAR
1:30-3:30pm. Chinese New Year Celebration
in Great Barrington
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Storywalk & Scavenger Hunt at the Westhampton Public Library (In-Person)
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual & In-Person)
BIOLOGY. 9am. Microscopy (Virtual)
K-9 EDUCATION. 9am. Tour of The Bement School Campus (Virtual)
PreK DEVELOPMENT. 9:30am. Grow Play & Learn Weekly Group with Hubbard Memorial Library (Virtual)
PreK PLAYGROUP. 10am. Music & Movement with the Montague Public Libraries (Virtual)
SCIENCE PIONEERS. 10am. STEM STARS (Virtual)
MUSEUM ADVENTURES. 10am-5pm. Choose Your Own Adventure at the Springfield Museums (In-Person)
PreK LITERACY. 10:30am. Lenox Library Outside Story Time (In-Person)
NEW ENGLAND HISTORY. 11am Tours of Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
ARTS & CRAFTS. 11am & 2pm. Crafts at Amelia Park Children’s Museum (In-Person)
MEDICINE. 11am. How do we discover medicines? (Virtual)
ART STUDIES. 12:15pm. American Portraiture Today with the Springfield Museums (Virtual)
STEAM. 1pm & 3pm. STEAM Tours at Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
PSYCHOLOGY. 2pm. Make Your Own Magic Tricks Workshop with the North Adams Public Library (Virtual)
SOCIAL CHANGE. 5-6:30pm. The Climate Emergency: Identifying Leverages of Power (Virtual)
ART SHOW. 6pm. 10×10 Real Art Party with the Berkshire Art Association (Virtual)
ART STUDIES. 6pm. Collage Club (Virtual)
FIBER ARTS. 6pm. Sit & Stitch with the Gaylord Memorial Library (Virtual)
SCIENCE. 6pm. Life Science Cafe (Virtual)
ARCHITECTURE. 6:30pm. Cape Cod Modern House Architecture Talk with the Hubbard Memorial Library (Virtual)
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. 7pm. Peregrine Falcon & American Kestrel (Virtual)
CULINARY ARTS. 7pm. Chocolate Cooking Circle with Greenfield Public Library (Virtual)
ART STUDIES. 7pm. Introduction to Watercolor Techniques (Virtual)
CONSERVATION. 7pm. Reading Nature with the Forbes Library: Silent Spring (Virtual)
ORNITHOLOGY. 7pm. Peregrine Falcon & American Kestrel with Mass Audubon (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
PSYCHOLOGY
MAGIC
2pm. Make Your Own Magic Tricks Workshop with the North Adams Public Library (Virtual)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. Storywalk & Scavenger Hunt at the Westhampton Public Library (In-Person)
EARLY EDUCATION: February at the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Virtual & In-Person)
CHINESE NEW YEAR. Lunar New Year with the Peabody Essex Museum (Virtual)
CHINESE NEW YEAR. Lunar New Year: Community Lantern Project (Virtual)
PHYSICS. 9am. The secret science of hula hooping (Virtual)
PreK LITERACY. 10am. Virtual Story Hour with Greenfield Public Library (Email for Zoom link) librarian@greenfieldpubliclibrary.org
PICTURE BOOK ART. 10am. Exploring Race and Representation in Picture Books (Virtual)
MUSEUM ADVENTURES. 10am-5pm. Choose Your Own Adventure at the Springfield Museums (In-Person)
PreK PLAYGROUP. 10:30am. Art Museum Playdate (Virtual)
NEW ENGLAND HISTORY. 11am Tours of Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
CIVICS. 11am. Civics 101: Judicial Branch (Virtual)
FORENSIC SCIENCE. 11am. The Science Behind Solving A Murder (Virtual)
ANIMAL STUDIES. 11am & 2pm. How Do Polar Bears Stay Warm? (Virtual)
NATIONAL PARKS. 12-1:30pm. Yellowstone in the Off-Season (Virtual)
STEAM. 1pm & 3pm. STEAM Tours at Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA (In-Person)
ASTRONOMY. 2pm.A Guide to the Night Sky (Virtual)
BLACK HISTORY. 2pm. Black History Beyond the Amistad (Virtual)
NATURAL HISTORY. 3pm. How life on Earth began (Virtual)
SUSTAINABILITY. 4pm. Renewable Energy Youth Workshop (Virtual)
MARINE BIOLOGY. 6pm. Teen Science Café: Marine Mammals (Virtual)
Self-Directed Learning:
NATIONAL PARKS
NATIONAL PARKS
12-1:30pm. Yellowstone in the Off-Season
(Virtual)
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Hilltown Families’ list of Suggested Events is supported in part by grants from the Colrain, Plainfield, Worthington, Agawam, Greenfield, Deerfield, Palmer, and Charlemont/Hawley Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
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.
