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Hilltown Families on Mass Appeal: Debut of Seasonal Cultural Itinerary

Hilltown Families and Mass Appeal (a weekday, hour-long lifestyle program on NBC) have teamed up to offer a live monthly segment on WWLP 22News! Each month, Hilltown Families’ Founder & Executive Director, Sienna Wildfield, joins Mass Appeal hosts to talk about ways to engage in your community while supporting the interests and education of your children (and yourselves!).

This monthly segment continued on Monday, August 29, 2016. This month Sienna and Lauren talked about agricultural fairs, fall festivals, one room schoolhouses and apples featured in the debut of “Learning Ahead: Cultural Itinerary for Western MA.”

Category: Community Based Education, Mass Appeal, Nature Based Education, Resources, Suggested Activity Tags: 22News, 22News Mass Appeal, Agricultural Fairs, Agriculture, Apples, Back-to-School, Community Based Education, Education, Fall Festivals, Harvest, History, Humanities, Interpretive Programming, Literature, Mass Appeal, Mass Humanities, Sense of Place

Learning Ahead: Sept & Oct Cultural Itinerary for Western MA

Who am I? Where am I? These are the fundamental questions proposed by the humanities. Inquiries related to local history, literature, and education, inspire us to think deeply about the places where we live and how our identity fits into the context of our community and the seasons.

Funded in part by Mass Humanities, Learning Ahead: Cultural Itinerary for Western Massachusetts is a NEW bimonthly publication produced by Hilltown Families that sheds light on embedded learning opportunities found in cultural resources that exist within the geography, history, and cultural traditions of Western Massachusetts.

By emphasizing place-based exploration through humanities inquiry, these cultural itineraries connect residents of all ages to their place, helping to shape a more comprehensive understanding of our cultural identity, heritage, and history. This contributes to establishing meaningful relationships between young people and elders, and more active citizens.

With these FREE downloadable seasonal itineraries, self-directed teens, lifelong learners, and families are encouraged to engage together in cultural opportunities that support similar interests, resulting in a shared history and a strengthened sense of place. Click through to download a free 38-page PDF!

Category: Andrea Caluori-Rivera, Community Based Education, Cultural Itinerary, Hilltown Families, Suggested Activity Tags: Agricultural Fairs, Agriculture, Apples, Autumn Foliage, Back-to-School, Education, Fall Festivals, Foliage, Halloween, Harvest, History, Humanities, Literature, Local Hauntings, Mass Humanities, Nature Trails, Plein Air, Pumpkins, Sense of Place

Hilltown Families on Mass Appeal: Learning Experiences at Agricultural Fairs

This monthly segment continued on Friday, July 31, 2015, this time looking at community-based education through the lens of culture found in yearly agricultural fairs. Sienna and Seth talk about ways agricultural fairs offer families opportunities to participate in a community integrated tradition while offering a myriad of learning experiences!

Category: Community Based Education, Mass Appeal, Suggested Activity Tags: 22News, 22News Mass Appeal, Agricultural Fairs, Community Based Education, Mass Appeal, Nature Based Learning, Sense of Place

History, Culture & Community Can All Be Found at Western MA Agricultural Fairs

Agricultural fairs, primarily established by agricultural societies for the purpose of agriculture promotion, science and education, celebrate New England history and local culture in communities all over western Massachusetts throughout late summer and early fall. These generations-old traditions of agriculture, self-sufficiency, and resiliency in rural communities afford families opportunities to participate in intergenerational community-based traditions while offering a myriad of entertainment and learning experiences through the lens of culture and food.

Category: Community Based Education, Hilltown Families, Suggested Activity Tags: Agricultural Fair, Agricultural Fairs, Community Based Education, County Fair, Culture, Farm Education, farm exhibits, Farming, Integrative Learning, multidisciplinary learning

Local Agricultural Fairs Showcase Rich Local Heritage

The insightful person who said that Western MA was the bread basket of Massachusetts absolutely nailed it! There are incredible things happening in agriculture in the western part of the state, in the areas of sustainability and organic growing- all stemming from a strong agrarian tradition. Western MA agriculture is showcased broadly across the many late summer events that occur in the region. Here families can celebrate the local agri-culture and local food through learning opportunities, where children are afforded opportunities to exhibit projects and develop their multidisciplinary learning.

Category: Entertainment, Food, Hilltown Families Tags: Agricultural Fair, Agricultural Fairs, Communty-Based Education, Farm Education, farm exhibits, Farming, multidisciplinary learning

Language Play: Fair Season Language Games

Did you know that American agricultural fairs originated in Western MA over 200 years ago, and that one of the main objectives of American agricultural fairs is to educate? This month in “Time to Talk,” speech-language pathologist Kathy Puckett writes about agricultural fairs in Western MA and how a trip with young kids can support not only language skills but also math skills with games based on your visit together.

Category: Contributing Writer, Kathy Puckett Tags: Agricultural Fairs, Language developlent, math games

Exhibiting at the Fair

Agricultural fairs are an important tradition in New England, and all across the country. Such events showcase rural skills and traditions, and help to promote a strong connection between communities and their physical surroundings. Of course, families can learn about agriculture & rural skills by viewing displays, watching demonstrations, and meeting local experts. However, a learning opportunity that is perhaps even more valuable for kids is becoming a fair exhibitor!…

Category: Community Based Education Tags: Agricultural Fairs, Agriculture, Community Based Education

Suggested Events for Sept 3rd-9th, 2011

Discover fun and educational events happening this week in Western Mass, along with announcements, upcoming events, links, resources and the HFVS podcast. SUGGEST AN EVENT If you have a family friendly event or educational program happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, post your event on our “Suggest An Event” page. The events below are “suggested.” Please take the time to confirm that these events are happening,… Read More