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The Grand View of Fall Foliage in Western MA

In addition to bountiful harvests, autumn brings with a dramatic change in the color scheme of the local landscape. Leaf peeping is a favorite activity of folks from out of state – and for good reason! Make time to get outside as a family this fall and explore the brilliant red, orange, and yellow that the woods have to offer. The best leaf peeping excursions are ones that include not only woods walking but a view from a high place. We recommend…

Category: Hilltown Families, Nature Based Education, Suggested Activity, Supplement Tags: fall foliage, Leaf Peeping, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 6, Sense of Place, western massachusetts

Community-Based Resources: Plein Air Painting in the Autumn

En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air.” It’s used in English to describe a painting style that occurs outdoors. Made possible historically by the manufacturing of paint into tubes, artists no longer had to mix their paints in the studio from chemical compounds, freeing them to travel outdoors for inspiration. When participating in plein air painting, artists become fully engaged with the fall landscape through perspective, composition and, most importantly, color! Watercolors are the most portable and easiest to clean up, but plein air painting can be done in any medium – oil paint, acrylic, pastels, etc. – and by any age.

Category: Art, Hilltown Families, Resources, Supplement Tags: fall foliage, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 6, Plein Air Painting, Sense of Place

Art History: Summit of Mt. Holyoke

Really want to entrench yourself in local art history? Then paint at the summit of Mt. Holyoke! The mountain (not the college!) is the site of Thomas Cole’s 1836 painting “View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm” (commonly known as “The Oxbow”). This painting depicts the Connecticut River Valley and highlights Cole’s interest in depicting two parts of the American landscape: pastoral farmland and wild forest.

Category: art history, Hilltown Families, Supplement, Video Tags: Art History, fall foliage, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 6, Sense of Place, Thomas Cole

Science of Autumn Leaves

Crisp fall days are a great time for outdoor hands-on science! Using fall-harvested crops and the natural phenomena of autumn as inspiration, families can explore everything from weather prediction to animal tracks. These engaging outdoor science projects can be enjoyed by scientists of all ages, and require few materials – the learning inspired by each project will come naturally thanks to participants’ curiosity and ability to observe! Learn what color leaves different trees produce in the autumn and learn to read your landscape.

Category: Hilltown Families, Nature Based Education, Supplement, Video Tags: fall foliage, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 6, phenology, Science, Sense of Place, STEM

Think About This: Fall Foliage and a Sense of Place

Think about this:

How do you think American landscape painting helped to inspire the early conservation movement in the late 19th century?

What interesting colors stand out to you during fall foliage walks? Which trees’ leaves turn which colors? Make note and learn to read your landscape!

Why do you think the manufacturing of paint into tubes helped shape the way artists such as the impressionists (Monet) and post-impressionists (Van Gogh) paint in the style that they did?