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FEATURED SUMMER PROGRAM
Charlemont, MA
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Calling all rising 7th-10th graders! Join The Academy at Charlemont July 24-28 for their Whitewater Kayaking & Hiking program w/Zoar Outdoor, or their Ultimate Frisbee sports camp experience w/Academy Coach Will Miller. Learn to navigate the hills & rapids of the Deerfield River Valley w/Zoar staff through an intro to whitewater kayaking, or hone your Ultimate skills w/a combo of agility, endurance & other Ultimate-specific exercise training, fundamental disc handling skills, cutting-edge offensive & defensive formations & strategies, & spirited engagement in low-stakes competitive games, all in a safe, supportive & enthusiastic environment. Transportation available from Greenfield & Shelburne Falls. www.charlemont.org/2023-summer-programs
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FEATURED SUMMER CAMP
ďťż
Granby, MA
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Camp MacDuffie is an exciting summer day camp for rising 1st to 8th graders. Participants spend the morning engaged in a program area of their choosing, enjoy lunch by Sage Dining Services (included), and then stay active with various outdoor/indoor activities and field trips throughout the week. Their program leaders are passionate and experienced, and they all look forward to creating a fun and supportive environment for your child to thrive in this summer. Come along and join Camp MacDuffie this summer! Dates: July 3-August 18, 2023. Age Range: 6-14yo. Contact: 413-255-0000. summer@macduffie.org; macduffie.org/summer-camp
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FEATURED SUMMER PROGRAM
Amherst, MA
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The Juniper Institute for Young Writers, an unforgettable week of wild invention, will be back in person on the UMass Amherst campus this summer, July 23â29. At Juniper, young writers come together in a community with like-minded peers and faculty to explore, play, create, question, celebrate, attempt, struggle, and share their voices. Juniper offers the rare and necessary space, creative curriculum, and mentorship to help participants develop a creative practice and move toward their writing goals. Applications are open to writers at all levels and to rising 10th through 12th graders. The Juniper Young Writers Online program will run the week prior to the in-person program, bringing young writers together in a virtual community July 17â21. Dates: July 17-29, 2023. Age Range: 14-18yo. Contact: 413-545-8988. juniper@umass.edu; www.umass.edu/juniperyoungwriters
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Often, math and art are seen as opposites: structure and the lack thereof. However, quilting lies at the intersection of the two: an inherently mathematical art form. The third Saturday in March is recognized as National Quilting Day. Let it be your catalyst for learning! Families can explore everything from shape identification to tessellations by learning to create quilts together! Read more in our post, Quilting Offers Multidisciplinary Exploration of Math and Art.
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Just before the moment arrives when the memory of cold river plunges on hot summer days becomes faded and difficult to place, the sap begins to run, the snow starts to melt, the vernal pools reemerge, and the spring peepers advertise their arrival with their ear-piercing choruses. The impermanence of winter and its long cold nights is made evident with the change of seasons towards the welcoming arms of summer through these micro-seasons of spring. Memories of the past are alive within every one of us. Experiences become memories, propelling us toward the future, moment by moment. Our perceptions draw the line between all three, defining what is past, what is present, and what is future. Our only hope is to let go of our preconceived notions of what should be and embrace what is. We may find relief, openness, and forgiveness in a forever-changing world by letting go of what no longer serves us and allowing what is new to arrive. Welcome, Spring!
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In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox falls on March 20 or 21, depending on when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. As we spend the month of March wishing away the snow and scouring the local landscape for the first signs of spring, we often forget to prepare ourselves for the most accurate sign of spring there is ⌠the vernal equinox! Marking the first official day of spring, the vernal equinox is when the Sun is located directly over the Earthâs equator. Along with a shadowless noontime around the equator, the equinox brings six months of darkness to the south pole and six months of a perpetually visible sun to the north pole. Read more in our post, Celebrate & Learn about the Vernal Equinox at UMass Sunwheel.
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Western Massachusetts has been home to many poets and writers inspired by this regionâs remarkable landscapes and natural settings. Since today is National Poetry Day, the spring season is a great time to explore some of the local poetsâ homes and writing places from the past. Read more in our post, Poetry & Place in the Hilltowns, and check out our archived column, One Clover & A Bee: Poems for Families to Learn & Love, for more encouragement that supports love for poetry in our children and ourselves.
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Western Massachusetts is home to many women changemakers dedicated to enacting social change through the arts, critical inquiry, and learning. Many women poets, writers, activists, artists, teachers, educators, and scientists who have resided in Western Massachusetts continue to have positive impacts on social change, including Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Porter Phelps, and Juanita Nelson. March is Womenâs History Month, a national observation that honors and pays tributes to women who dedicated their lives to social justice, the environment, education, and positive change for society. These women are a tiny sample to explore; however, note the incredible number of talented women today in Western Massachusetts who continue demonstrating the importance of womenâs rights. Their grit and perseverance as pioneers are honored during the month of March. Read more in our post, Local Women & Local History: Understanding New England Womenâs Lives from the Past.
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Like tiny submariners bursting up and out of the bottom of the brook, breaking into wings and soaring for a short time above the world they once knew, stoneflies begin molting from their crab-like shells in the early spring. Learn more in our post, The Ripple: Synchronization of the Watershed Flora & Fauna.
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Like autumn, spring is a time of transition as habitats and animals begin to respond to the change in weather and climate. Phenology-based activities coincide with the natural changing of our seasons (our ultimate accessible community-based educational resource) and are great catalysts for learning through community engagement. Maple syrup season, filled with delicious community activities and opportunities, is our first crop of the year, followed by another seasonal event as winter transitions into spring⌠Vernal Pools! Studies of vernal pools support learning in many subjects, and a close look at amphibian reproduction can help spark childrenâs curiosity about aspects of amphibian life. Read more in our post, Learning Ahead: Spring Landscape & Vernal Pools.
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HFVS Creatures & Critters Episode
with Guest DJ, Alexei Wajchman
Guest DJ Alexei (of Alexei and the Rock OâClock Band) explores the world of creatures and critters in search of what they mean to us. Tune in for a diverse playlist all about animals, real and imagined.
Every Saturday, listen to the Hilltown Family Variety Show either on your FM dial at 103.3FM WXOJ (Northampton, MA) or on our website for a full hour of commercial-free, quality family programming! Encores air Sunday mornings from 7-8am.
LISTEN NOW!
Hilltown Families eNewsletter subscribers are invited to an exclusive preview each week!
You can also listen anytime to our podcast! Check out our archives to listen to over 300 podcasts,
ďťż16 years of family programming!
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What is Hilltown Families? |
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Hilltown Familiesâ mission is to support the common good of our community through the development of a sense of place by a shared understanding in the value of self- directed learning through community engagement. These learning values are referred to as âcommunity-based educationâ and are accessible and inclusive to an intergenerational audience. This process of learning unites community members through shared interests, establishes a shared history, and deepens a connection to place. |
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Hilltown Familiesâ list of Suggested Events is supported in part by grants from the Agawam, Amherst, Bernardston, Buckland, Chester, Goshen, Greenfield , Hadley, Heath, Huntington, Lee, Montgomery, Northern Berkshire, Orange, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Springfield, Tolland, Washington, Westhampton, Windsor, and Worthington Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. |
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