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Building Fairy Houses Promotes Learning, Creative-Free Play & Citizen Science

Explore and learn about your local woods while building forest fairy houses.

Category: Hilltown Families, Nature Based Education, Suggested Activity Tags: Commercial Free, Creative Free Play, DIY, Fairy Houses, Gnome Home, Non-Commercial, Play, Playhouses

Skillsharing: Community Through Sharing & Learning

Want to share your knowledge & creativity with others? Skillsharing is the answer, where you can proudly share your skills, talents and knowledge with others. Of course it’s not a one-way street…skillsharing means that you can pick up some great tips and skills in return. It’s a wonderful collaborative consumptive way to learn! Best of all, skillsharing means “community” because it is the foundation on which it is built. Think outside the box on ways you can learn and share in your community and check out what that might look like here in Western MA and where you can go to tap into these community-based learning resources. Read on…

Category: Collaborative Consumption, Community Based Education, Hilltown Families, Suggested Activity, Sustainability Tags: Community Based Education, Community Building, DIY, folk schooling, Recycling, skill sharing

DIY Cinnamon Ornaments for the Holidays

Here’s a simple project to do in the kitchen with your kids… get creative in the kitchen while adding a little spice to your holiday traditions!

Category: Craft Ideas Tags: cinnamon, Cinnamon Ornaments, craft, DIY, ornaments

Expressing Appreciation to Teachers & Administrators as the School Year Draws to an End

End of the School Year Gratitude & Appreciation End of the school year is fast approaching and many families are looking for creative ways to express their gratitude of the teachers and administrators that educate and support their children throughout the school year! Gift ideas can range from making something from scratch in your kitchen, to pairing up store bought sweets for a fun association that expresses your appreciation, to a summer… Read More

Category: Question and Answer, Questions and Answers Tags: DIY, Education, end of the school year, Gift Ideas, School, Teacher Appreciation

DIY: Repurposed Planters for Paperwhites For Giving

DIY Pictorial: Yarn Wrapped Tin Can Planters By Amber Ladley When Hilltown Families asked Knack: The Art of Clever Reuse to come up with a creative (and decorative) way to help families plant Paperwhite bulbs donated by Hadley Garden Center at the first ever Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Night, we put our clever minds to work. Our goal was to have an activity that was easy enough for people of all… Read More

Category: Amber Ladley, Craft Ideas, Guest Writer, Howto, Volunteer Opportunity Tags: Community Service, DIY, Do It Yourself, Make Your Own, MYO, Repurosed Planter, Reuse Project, Volunteer Opportunity

Little Homes for Little Folks: Make Your Own Gnome Home

Little Homes for Little Folks By Alethea Morrison of North Adams, MA As a child, I would try to make gnome houses out of twigs and moss, always with rather disappointing results, but one of the best things about being a parent is getting to relive parts of your childhood with the skills of an adult. The opportunity to try my hand again at building a miniature house presented itself when our… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families Tags: Alethea Morrison, DIY, Fairy Houses, Gnome Home, Storey Publishing

DIY: Mexican Sugar Skulls

The culinary experience of exploring food customs from around the world can bring families an integrated course of study on cultural traditions and arts! Check out our archived DIY post on how to make your own Mexican Sugar Skulls for the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead (El Diá de los Muertos), and make it into a social activity with friends and families too…

Category: Art, Craft Ideas, Cultural Events, Family, Food, Hilltown Families, Holidays, Homeschooling, Howto, Marie Westburg, Recipes, Suggested Activity, Williamsburg Tags: Culinary Art, Day of the Dead, DIY, Do It Yourself, El Diá de los Muertos, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Sugar Skulls, Sugar Skulls

Create an Eco-Savvy Basket for Spring

Eco-Savvy Basket for Spring Celebrate Green by making an easy Easter basket that can become an heirloom This basket is simple to make and as cute as they come. Children as young as three can help and most six or seven-year-olds can make it themselves. Find out how at Celebrate Green.

Category: Craft Ideas, Family, Holidays, Press This Tags: Basket, DIY, Easter, Spring

DIY: Halloween Paper-Maché Piñatas

Make your own Halloween Paper-Maché Piñata! Check out this DIY post from our archives from a two day workshop in the studio with guest artist, Kara Kitchen…