“Hilltown Families is my go-to place to look for upcoming family activities in my community (and the surrounding communities). I truly appreciate this site and all of the work that’s put into it!” – Renee H. (Easthampton, MA) … Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Community Based Education
Museum Adventures: Yiddish Book Center
This month in “Museum Adventures: Highlights from Western MA Museum Educators,” Maureen Turner shares highlights from the Yiddish Book Center. Visitors to the Center don’t need to be able to read or speak Yiddish to enjoy the Center—although by visit’s end, they’ll realize they probably knew more Yiddish words than they thought (nosh, schmooze, and shlep are all Yiddish words commonly used in English), and leave knowing even more! 
Engage in Community-Based Learning & Service: Become a Pet Foster Family
Engage in some furry family community service by becoming a foster family for a local animal shelter or humane society! Cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, and even birds await foster placements all over western Massachusetts, and providing a fo…
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…
Science Cafes Provide Unique Community-Based Learning Opportunity
Scientific subjects need not be discussed exclusively in stuffy high school classrooms or college lecture halls… Science Cafes, a grassroots movement to open science to everyone and to bring presentations and engaging conversations into casual commun…
Diverse Range of Animals & Resources in Western Mass Support Community Based Education
A common theme throughout childhood, animals are part fascinating and part learning opportunity – and the best way to learn about them is by seeing them in real life. No need to travel around the globe to see interesting specimens – local community-based resources here in western Massachusetts present families with a wide array of animal-related adventures and offer lots of ways to learn about all sorts of creatures. No matter a child’s age or interest, local zoos, museums, aquariums, and farms can teach about everything from habitat and adaptations to biological classification and husbandry.
TED-Ed Clubs: Supporting Students & Their Big Ideas!
Bring TED to your classroom or community-based educational group with TED-Ed Clubs! Participation in a Ted-Ed Club can have many benefits for students of all ages, helping students to do great things…
Collaborative Consumption: Learning How to be Resilient Supports Community-Based Education
More and more, communities across western Massachusetts – and around the world! – are working together to create opportunities for pooling knowledge, sharing skills, and increasing each others’ access to useful resources. In creating systems and channels through which to access shared information and materials, communities are building resourceful, resilient foundations upon which to grow…The power of collaborative consumption not only supports sustainable efforts, but is a great source for community-based education too!
Butterfly House Sets Flight in the Berkshires
Project Native in the Berkshires has a new Native Butterfly House! This new addition will serve as a terrific community-based educational resource to help children and visitors understand the connection between butterflies and our native landscape here in Western MA. Pair a visit with a trip to Magic Wings in South Deerfield and the Springfield Museums’ “Amazing Butterflies” exhibit for a well-rounded educational experience that supplement nature studies involving pollinators & butterflies!
6 Ways to Observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Western MA
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Opportunities and Celebrations in Western MA Monday, January 21, 2013 Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and dedication to creating change in our country can be done in many ways. The day will be celebrated in Western MA at concerts, lectures, worship services, and ceremonies throughout the region. […]