Hilltown Families 
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Learning Landscape for April: Spring’s Big Night & Vernal Pool Habitat The April Landscape April is a month of massive transition here in New England. March’s maple sugaring season often runs...
Whether the winter has been harsh or mild, late winter is the toughest time of year for wildlife to find food. Knowing a few easy-to-spot and heavily relied on food sources...
While projecting our human view of nature onto the natural world makes it seem dead and lifeless, it's actually full of life that's well-adapted to winter's ways. By learning basic...
While the suddenly-bleak landscape of December may not seem like an ideal context in which to begin to connect more deeply with nature, it truly is! The snowy backdrop brings...
While we've been aware that the seasons were changing, now that the leaves have mostly fallen, the brown and barren landscape has come as a bit of a shock. And what...
What was intended as a study of fall food and the culture surrounding it has turned into the creation of a small zoo of squashy creatures. Caterpillars make for a perfect...
Nature Table for August August is heavy in the air. Slightly shortened days, daytime humidity, and a slight evening chill are the hallmark (and ominous) signs of a summer that has...
In the sea of green that our surroundings have become, plants are nearly indistinguishable from one another. Leaves blend with needles blend with grass, and so our war on weeds...
When spring rain makes the earth soggy but puts rivers and streams off-limits, sink your boots into the muck of a pond's edge! This month's nature table tadpole habitat lends...
Feeling impatient for leaves and blossoms? Bring some branches inside and force buds to hasten your local leaf out. A nature table of forced buds is not only beautiful,...
It seems like maple is visible all over the place this time of year, but the trees themselves remain hidden to the untrained eye without their summer leaves. Learn...
Long seen as magical for their perpetual green color, evergreen trees are at their most fascinating during the winter months. Thanks to special traits that such trees have evolved to...
This month, our nature table focuses on an element of the fall season that, despite its usefulness in preparing families for winter, has waned significantly in popularity over the course of...
Focused on the search for patterns in nature, this month's nature table encourages families to consider their place in the local landscape - and the universe. From twigs to entire watersheds,...
Nature Table for July is crawling out of its skin! Found in and around the river, evidence of aquatic invertebrates is everywhere. From exoskeletons abandoned by suddenly-winged creatures to eggs disguised...
It's not truly seasonal, but lichen makes a fascinating nature collection! Able to survive in outer space, go dormant in order to wait for favorable growing conditions, and support microscopic life,...
Finally surrendering to the awakening brought on by spring, the local landscape is alive with once-buried treasure during the brief season of brown. Look closely to find what's left behind after...
Despite the intended meaning behind the phrase "bird-brained," birds are actually very intelligent creatures! This month's nature table features treasures from avian friends, and is intended to spark curiosity in the...
As we near the end of winter (did it ever begin?), our creature neighbors start to emerge more and more frequently. Exploring the meaning of "hibernation" and the habits of...
Since we're experiencing such a mild winter this year, birds are having a field day with the multitude of food sources that remain available. From feeders to berry bushes, feather friends...
Fall is a time for seeds! As the landscape becomes more and more bare, seeds of all kinds begin to turn up all around us. Waiting for a wind to blow...
This month, exploration of the landscape turns up some items not subject to seasonal change. In considering the impact that humans have on a landscape, we can use the changing seasons...
With the start of school comes the making of a new community and the end of immersive nature-based learning. However, with the sharing of treasures and the sharing of stories, the...
This month's nature table focuses not on a tangible collection of objects, but on the end result of the process of creating a collection of sensory experiences. Rather than searching...
Terrifying though they may be for some people, bugs are fascinating, and make a fantastic topic of study during the summer months. This month's nature table conquers all fear of...
A product of our own habit of observing our surroundings, our ability to identify the contrast between things allows us to deepen our understanding of specific plants, creatures, and other aspects...
Spring has finally hatched here in western Massachusetts, and along with the new season comes some more hatching - this time bringing new creatures to our landscape. This month's nature table...
April is a funny month. Our thumbs turn blue from pressing on the fast foward button to bring us kicking into Spring sunshine. It's a time that really requires we wring...
Every month, Hilltown Families features a new nature table whose contents inspire learning along a common theme easily spotted in our surroundings that month. A tradition carried out by teachers, environmental...