Calendar of Events
Events
Exploring Nature with Young Children: A Workshop for Pre-K–2nd Grade Teachers
Join Harris Center teacher-naturalists Jenna Spear and Jaime Hutchinson for a hands-on workshop exploring creative ways to bring outdoor learning into pre-K through 2nd grade classrooms.
Waterfowl Walk at the Hinsdale Setbacks
Join Harris Center ecologist Nate Marchessault and the Monadnock Bird and Nature Club for a hike at one of our region's premier locations for waterfowl. Expect to see both dabbling and diving ducks, and, if we’re lucky, sea ducks and loons!
Homeschool Program: Wild at Home
Harris Center & local field sites 83 King's Highway, HancockCalling all animal allies, nature noticers, and outdoor explorers! Join Harris Center naturalists Karen Rent and Susie Spikol to let your wild side roam free this fall. Uncover your wonder, and let the natural world be your teacher.
Great Brook School: LAB GIRLS+ Afterschool Club
Great Brook Middle School School Street, Antrim, New Hampshire, United StatesLAB GIRLS+ is an afterschool program at Great Brook Middle School helping girls+ develop their interest in STEAM learning, field science skills, and career opportunities. Open to students in grades 5 through 8.
South Meadow School: Afterschool Yeti Club
South Meadow School Hancock Road, Peterborough, New Hampshire, United StatesCome be a part of fun and adventure in the woods with Yeti Club! We’ll practice wilderness skills like orienteering, fire building, outdoor survival skills, tracking, and more. Open to students in grades 5 through 8 at South Meadow School. Free of charge.
ESI Course: MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary — Mindful Meanders & Nature-based Practices
local field sitesJoin Phil Brown and special guests for a series of fall wanderings in tucked-away places close to the Harris Center. Each exploration will focus on a different natural history theme related to the conditions that present themselves that day.
Homeschool Program: Wild at Home
Harris Center & local field sites 83 King's Highway, HancockCalling all animal allies, nature noticers, and outdoor explorers! Join Harris Center naturalists Karen Rent and Susie Spikol to let your wild side roam free this fall. Uncover your wonder, and let the natural world be your teacher.
South Meadow School: LAB GIRLS+ Afterschool Club
South Meadow School Hancock Road, Peterborough, New Hampshire, United StatesLAB GIRLS+ is an afterschool program at South Meadow School helping girls+ develop their interest in STEAM learning, field science skills, and career opportunities. Open to students in grades 5 through 8 at South Meadow School. Free of charge.
A Walk Back in Time: The Secrets of Cellar Holes
New England is full of reminders of past lives: stone walls, old foundations, century-old lilacs amid re-growing forest. What forces shaped the settlement and later abandonment of these places? Join Adair Mulligan to discover the rich story in what remains.
Easygoing Hike at the Heald Tract
Explore the Forest Society's Heald Tract on a 1.5-mile hike with Phil Brown and David West. Along the way, we'll search for signs of wildlife and loop through a recently harvested forest to see how both plants and wildlife are responding to the changing landscape.
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at the Hiroshi Land
Hiroshi Land Route 137, Peterborough, NH, United StatesJoin John Benjamin and George Caughey of the Monadnock Mushroom Club for a fung-tastic foray along the scenic Hiroshi Loop Trali. From boletes to amanitas, explore the fascinating world of fungi!
Wild Scientist Book Club — The Superpower Field Guide: Beavers
Hancock Town Library 25 Main Street, Hancock, NH, United StatesGo wild with science, reading, and doing in this nature and science book club! Each session will include a short discussion, followed by hands-on science and nature observation to bring the book to life. For children ages 8 to 10.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge
Join Harris Center naturalists for a pint-sized adventure! Together, we’ll explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature. This ongoing series is a great way to meet other families with little ones who love spending time outside.
Book Talk: America is Wild! with Brad Timm
Discover the wild side of America with wildlife ecologist and author Brad Timm as he shares his new book for curious minds and nature lovers of all ages. Signed copies of this beautiful gift book will be available for sale — just in time for holiday giving.
A Gentle Pathway into Winter Birding
Winter is a great time to start a schoolyard bird study! Whether you’re an experienced birder or a novice, you’ll come away with tools to help your students discover the fascinating world of local birds. For teachers of all grades.
Big Trees and Big Rocks: The Pines and Glacial Erratics of Sheldrick Forest
Best known for its old-growth white pines, Sheldrick Forest also features glacial erratics, a forested ravine, and meandering brooks. Join Tom Eid, Mary Verrilli, and Ally Snell for a 3-mile exploration of this TNC preserve, and to learn what makes this place so special.
Evergreen Magic
Join naturalist and storyteller Susie Spikol for an afternoon among the evergreens! Learn to tell pines from hemlocks and firs, discover their evergreen superpowers, and find out which animals depend on these trees during the cold months. For children age 5 and up.
Easygoing Hike at Mosquitobush
From the mid-1800s through the 1930s, Nubanusit Brook turned the machinery for small mills in the hamlet known as Mosquitobush. Today, that land is held in conservation. Join Harris Center ecologist Brett Amy Thelen and John Knight of Historic Harrisville to explore the natural and cultural history of Mosquitobush — at a time of year when its namesake won’t be a bother!
Wild Scientist Book Club — Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night
Hancock Town Library 25 Main Street, Hancock, NH, United StatesGo wild with science, reading, and doing in this nature and science book club! Each session will include a short discussion, followed by hands-on science and nature observation to bring the book to life. For children ages 8 to 10.
53rd Annual Peterborough-Hancock Christmas Bird Count
Every winter for more than 50 years, volunteers have searched for birds in the Peterborough-Hancock area as part of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) — the largest and longest-running community science project in the world. New volunteers are always welcome!
Kestrels Young Birders Club: Christmas Bird Count
Are you a tween or a teen with an interest in birds and birding? Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your skills, connect with other wildlife fans, and contribute to community science. During this outing, we’ll take part in the annual Christmas Bird Count — helping to collect valuable data on winter bird populations. For students in grades 5 through 12.
Birding the Dillant-Hopkins Airport
Join Harris Center ecologist Nate Marchessault and the Monadnock Bird and Nature Club for a morning of easygoing birding at the Dillant-Hopkins Airport — a local birding hotspot with great views of wetlands, woodlands, and fields. Beginning birders welcome!
Nature on Tap: Trivia Night
Calling all bird nerds, frog fanatics, and botany buffs! Put your nature knowledge to the test during an evening of nature trivia in Post & Beam’s cozy taproom.
Nature for All: Great Backyard Bird Count
Every February, people count birds in their neighborhoods as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count — an annual census that helps track global bird populations. Join the fun by counting at the Harris Center feeders with Nate Marchessault and Susie Spikol. We'll count the birds as they come and go, and share tips for creating your own birdfeeding station at home.
Connecting Children’s Literature to Nature Studies
Children’s literature can be a beautiful way to introduce young students to nature. Discover how to prepare your young learners for outdoor exploration through the use of some of our favorite nature-based storybooks. For teachers of pre-K to 2nd grade.
