Archives

25 Self-Guided Hikes in Western MA to Support Place-Based Learning

Here is a list of self-guided hikes to do with your family or on your own. To support place-based learning, before you head out, conduct an online search about the natural and human history of some of these community-based educational resources. Bring with you field guides, sketchbooks, cameras, and magnifying glasses and spend the afternoon engaged in self-directed, nature-based learning!

Category: Hilltown Families Tags: Hiking, Nature Based Learning, Nature Trails, place-based learning, Sense of Place, Social Distancing

On the Trail: Nature and the Woodland Forests

Exploring Literature, Art & History through Nature Trails Hiking is an engaging way to explore seasonal patterns with family and friends. It requires very little gear, just walking shoes, a water bottle, and a map! You can also bring a trekking pole to keep your footing steady. Art activities such as sketching, painting, and journaling encourage hikers to thoughtfully observe the macro and micro patterns found in their surroundings. Like Henry David… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, Reading Lists, Supplement Tags: Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 5, Nature Trails, Sense of Place

4 Guided Hike Resources in Western MA

Guide Hikes Connect to Nature In The Maine Woods (1864), Henry David Thoreau writes: Talk of mysteries! — Think of our life in nature, — daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it, — rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! The solid earth! the actual world! the common sense! Contact! Contact! Who are we? where are we? Before asking the questions “Who are we? Where are we?” Thoreau already… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, Suggested Activity, Supplement Tags: Hiking, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 5, Nature Trails, Sense of Place

25 Self-Guided Hikes in Western MA

Self-Guided Hikes in Western Massachusetts The following is a list of places to discover in your community with friends, family, or on your own. Before exploring, become aware of the literary, artistic, and historic connections that some of these places offer. Easy Hikes in Western MA: Chesterfield Gorge, West Chesterfield Dinosaur Footprints, Holyoke Field Farm, Williamstown Field Farm features a garden with 13 modern sculptures, including works by artists Henry Ferber and… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, Suggested Activity, Supplement Tags: Hiking, Learning Ahead Week 5, Nature Trails, 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!