Event Types: Education

Connecticut in 1818 was in many ways eerily similar to Connecticut in our present time: a troubled state, seeking a new direction. This lecture highlights the perfect storm of crises – environmental, economic, demographic, religious, and political – which converged in the middle of the eighteen-teens (1810s) to force the state to rethink the ways it had been conducting its affairs for the previous two centuries. The comprehensive nature of these problems, and the accidental events that ultimately produced Connecticut’s constitutional transformation, offer essential insights for our equally-challenging time.

Registration is required to attend this free virtual program.

Register here

About the Lecturer:
Walter Woodward is Connecticut State Historian emeritus. He served as the State Historian of Connecticut and a member of the History Department at the University of Connecticut from 2004 to 2022. Dr. Woodward is a scholar of early American and Atlantic World history, with an emphasis on Connecticut and New England. His research interests cover a variety of subjects, including witchcraft, alchemy and the history of science, the use of music in early America and environmental history. Woodward is the author of five books, the most recent of which is Creating Connecticut: Critical Moments That Shaped a Great State . His book Prospero’s America: John Winthrop, Jr., Alchemy and the Creation of New England Culture, 1606-1676 won the Homer Babbidge Prize from the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, and was a Choice magazine Outstanding academic title. He continues to research, write and share his love for the history of Connecticut through the Today in Connecticut History program on CT Public Radio and the Grating the Nutmeg podcast he produces in collaboration with Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut History.

Wednesday, March 22, 7:00pm
Virtual Program hosted by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association

In honor of World Water Day, a panel of Indigenous citizens and environmental scientists share multiple perspectives on living in relationship with the Connecticut River watershed. Panelists include Darlene Kascak (Schagticoke Tribal Nation) Education Director of the Institute for American Indian and Traditional Native American Storyteller; Vera Sheehan, (Elnu Abenaki Tribe) Director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association and Abenaki Arts and Education Center; Kathy Urffer, River Steward with the Connecticut River Conservancy; and Matt Devine, Water Fisheries Biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Please note: This FREE program is part of a Two Eyed Seeing virtual lecture series funded in part by a grant from Vermont Humanities. This program will be hosted by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, in partnership with The Abenaki Arts and Education Center, the Institute for American Indian Studies, the Connecticut River Conservancy and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Register here

Questions? Please email [email protected] or call 802 557 7202.

Are you looking for something to do with your young children now that the snow has melted and spring flowers have not yet popped up? Rumsey Hall School’s Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten teachers are hosting a fun and creative hour spent exploring the magic of books and crafts in the kindergarten classroom. While your children create a masterpiece to bring home, parents will have time to explore our magical campus and vibrant Pre-K and Kindie room.

RSVP here

Throughout the year, the IAIS Education Department frequently offers educational workshops on Sunday afternoons. Express your creativity while learning about the world around you and connecting with a culture that has thousands of years of history in this area. This week’s workshop will focus on the songs and stories of our feathered friends. Listen to traditional Native American stories featuring birds, get an introduction to bird watching from IAIS Museum Educator and expert birder, Susan Scherf, and bring home a pinecone owl.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please visit our website to register via Eventbrite. Questions? Please call (860) 868-0518 or email [email protected] Price of Participation: $20 for Non-Members, $10 for IAIS Members.

Register here

A Child & Caregiver Class
Mondays & Wednesdays from 9:00AM — 10:30 AM

Montessori Beginnings classes are for young children and their parents or caregivers. Each session is facilitated by a Montessori-trained infant-toddler teacher who guides and models as the children interact with the materials, their parent or caregiver, and other children. Seeing is believing: if you wonder if Montessori might be right for your child and family, you’ll have your answer after this class!

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Wednesday March 29, 7:00pm
Virtual Event, in partnership with Mercy by the Sea

Looking to expand your reading list and discuss a variety of issues and topics important to Native people? If so, please join our virtual book club, As They Speak: Native Voices in Today’s Literature. Based on a variety of topics and featuring a range of genres, all of the books we will be reading have been written by contemporary Native authors. This month, in partnership with Mercy By The Sea Retreat and Conference Center in Madison, we will be reading Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Everyday by Kaitlin Curtice (Potawatomi). In her latest work, Curtice explores four “realms of resistance”–the personal, the communal, the ancestral, and the integral–and shows how these realms overlap and why all are needed for our liberation. Readers will be empowered to seek wholeness in whatever spheres of influence they inhabit. Join the conversation, hosted by the staff of IAIS and Mercy by the Sea on Zoom.

Please note: this book releases on March 7. Already available for pre-order in various online venues, a limited number of advance copies will also be available in the IAIS gift shop.

In order to have a more intimate conversation, space is limited. This is a FREE event, but donations are appreciated.

Register here

WAA is passionate about arts education. Whether you are an experienced artist or a novice, WAA offers a range of opportunities for creative exploration. We provide a nurturing place for people of all ages to develop their skills and explore new artistic directions with classes in painting, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and more.

View current class offerings

A Child & Caregiver Class
Mondays & Wednesdays from 9:00AM — 10:30 AM

Montessori Beginnings classes are for young children and their parents or caregivers. Each session is facilitated by a Montessori-trained infant-toddler teacher who guides and models as the children interact with the materials, their parent or caregiver, and other children. Seeing is believing: if you wonder if Montessori might be right for your child and family, you’ll have your answer after this class!

Learn more

The Gunn Memorial Library is pleased to collaborate with the Washington Environmental Council to bring our community together for a discussion on the sustainable architecture project underway at the Frederick Gunn School. Peter Becker, Head of School and Seth Low, Associate Head of School will describe the work that the school has completed to date, and engage in conversation about strategies for organizations to embrace sustainability. This presentation will be held at the Judy Black Memorial Park and Garden.

Over the past several years, The Frederick Gunn School has evolved its approach to sustainability. The Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center (completed 2020) was the school’s first LEED-certified building on campus, and the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship (to be completed in fall of this year) will exceed the environmental standards set by TPACC. While these are the most tangible and visible outcomes of Gunn’s renewed dedication to sustainability, the school has also created a sustainability plan that starts to outline long-term goals for the next several decades.

Minimizing the impact on the environment was a top priority in the design process for the Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship. Solar photovoltaic panels that provide sustainable energy and a geothermal well field that provides most of the heating and cooling, as well as a highly efficient envelope, contribute to bringing the project close to Net Zero.

Peter Becker is The Frederick Gunn School’s 11th Head of School. A native of New Orleans and Manhattan, Peter attended The Taft School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in religious studies from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in history from Yale University. Peter came to Gunn in 2012 from The Lawrenceville School, where he served as a master of history and interdisciplinary studies. He is currently a member of the board of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) and is a member of The Heads & Principals Association.

Seth Low is The Frederick Gunn School’s Associate Head of School and Director of Co-Curricular Programs. He spent his youth as a faculty child at the Cranbrook School and Blair Academy, and holds a bachelor’s degree in geosciences from Williams College and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University. Prior to joining Gunn, Seth spent five years working at an environmental engineering and consulting firm located outside of Boston. The former Director of College Counseling, Seth continues to serve as a College Counselor, teaches within the school’s Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy, and coaches lacrosse.

This month, we will be reading two stories from I’d Die for You and other lost stories from F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This collection was published in 2017 and features a collection of the last remaining unpublished and uncollected short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald edited by Anne Margaret Daniel. Fitzgerald did not design the stories in I’d Die For You as a collection. Most were submitted individually to major magazines during the 1930s and accepted for publication during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, but were never printed. Some were written as movie scenarios and sent to studios or producers, but not filmed. Others are stories that could not be sold because their subject matter or style departed from what editors expected of Fitzgerald. They date from the earliest days of Fitzgerald’s career to the last. They come from various sources, from libraries to private collections, including those of Fitzgerald’s family.

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We will read “IOU” and the title story “I’d Die for You” along with the introduction to the collection to gain a better understanding of the context surrounding the state of mind and life circumstances Fitzgerald was in at the time of writing.

Access the stories here

April is Autism Awareness Month, a month for sharing stories and providing opportunities to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism. In support of this worthy endeavor, we are happy to provide a platform for Jeremy Farrell, an Autism Spectrum Disorder Advocate to give an online presentation titled Pathways to Autistic Empowerment: Open Communication and Self Advocacy.

As an autistic individual who has been on his own personal journey to feeling empowered and as a professional who has helped others on that journey, Jeremy has unique insight into how autistic empowerment is cultivated. Jeremy goes beyond the textbook “dos and don’ts” for working with or being an autistic individual. Instead, he provides actionable steps for those with and without Autism to take towards empowerment by focusing on open communication and self-advocacy.

Jeremy will use examples from his personal and professional life to provide a comprehensive understanding of the common barriers autistic individuals face in everyday life and how to break those barriers.

Jeremy K. Farrell is a passionate Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Advocate and a proud person on the spectrum himself. He has been working with children with developmental disabilities, specializing in autism, since the age of 15. Since graduating from Southern Connecticut State University, he has run social skills groups for teens and kids on the spectrum out of Western Connecticut Behavioral Health and worked with autism focused organizations to provide recreational resources to their clients. He also spent time working as a University Assistant for Southern Connecticut State University where he traveled the state of Connecticut as the Leader of Community Outreach and Recruitment for the Listening to Faces Speech and Language Autism research out of Yale’s Child Study Center.

Register here

Please join us for a fun and creative class using beautiful dried and pressed flowers to create custom note cards.

The class will explore methods and techniques for drying your own petals and flowers at home, and teach students the most appropriate application methods and materials when using delicate dried florals.

Members $75
Non- members $90

Register here

Celebrate Earth Day

Immerse yourself in flowers and join Susan Spanger of Bloomful Floral Design for an afternoon of creative floral arranging with beautiful Spring blooms. We’ll create designs that explore aspects of color and shape, honoring the lush beauty of the natural world. Work with an assortment of early Spring garden flowers, including tulips, freesia and ranunculus. Your instructor is an experienced designer who’ll help you explore the nuances of floral design and professional techniques.

Limit 12 students

Register here

Learn more here

Preparation:
Bring your Conservation ID, a notebook, and a pen or pencil for notes and taking the exam.

• Please bring payment to the class, $20 per person,
• Please arrive 15-20 minutes early to check-in.
• Bring a snack and drink for breaks.
• Attendance is required at all scheduled dates.
• Exam is on the last day of class.

Please keep your Conservation ID in a safe place, you will need this for the examination, to purchase your certificate after successfully completing the class, and reprinting a copy of your certificate in the future.

You may want to review the online Boater’s Guide prior to the class. It will help you prepare for the content taught in the online class.

Should you have any issues or questions before the class, please contact Emily Picard at [email protected] or via cell 959-204-9288.

Learn more here

Preparation:
Bring your Conservation ID, a notebook, and a pen or pencil for notes and taking the exam.

• Please bring payment to the class, $20 per person,
• Please arrive 15-20 minutes early to check-in.
• Bring a snack and drink for breaks.
• Attendance is required at all scheduled dates.
• Exam is on the last day of class.

Please keep your Conservation ID in a safe place, you will need this for the examination, to purchase your certificate after successfully completing the class, and reprinting a copy of your certificate in the future.

You may want to review the online Boater’s Guide prior to the class. It will help you prepare for the content taught in the online class.

Should you have any issues or questions before the class, please contact Emily Picard at [email protected] or via cell 959-204-9288.

Presented by Monique Bosch

Are you looking for an effective alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides? Join Monique Bosch of Wiggle Room as she explains proven methods to improve our soil quality and help our plants grow using Vermicompost and its numerous benefits. We will discuss advantages of vermicompost and the role worms and wormcasting microbes play in soil health. Register for a free soil analysis.

HHG Members: $25
Non-Members: $35

Register here

Presented by Gordon Hayward

Join renowned landscape designer Gordon Hayward as he explores the elements of outdoor garden rooms within your existing larger garden to create a place apart. We will explore the use of traditional and modern materials such as stone or gravel to create intimate enclosed spaces using trees and shrubs as walls and the metaphorical canopy of tress and branches as a living roof.
Consider types of fencing, dappled light, outdoor furniture, and mixed varietal evergreens and shade tolerant perennials to decorate your space. Special focus will be paid to considering viewpoints and site lines.

HHG Members: $25
Non-Members: $35

Register here

A Community Science Opportunity

Steep Rock Association (SRA) seeks community scientists to participate as member of its “Ode Corps” – a group dedicated to collecting dragonflies and damselflies inhabiting SRA’s nature preserves as part of a multiyear, comprehensive inventory effort.

Join us for a May training session led by Connecticut Odonata Expert Valinn Ranelli and SRA’s Conservation Science Manager Rory Larson. Project protocol, sampling techniques, equipment use, species behavior, and data collection will be covered in the habitats of Macricostas Preserve. Following the training, individuals will be supplied with equipment and asked to conduct surveys on an ongoing basis throughout the field season (May-October).

Register here

Presented by Dan Jaffe Wilder

Join Dan Jaffe Wilder for a talk on design-less gardening in native settings. This presentation looks closely at some of the old gardening rules (such as the use of bark mulch or lawns) and reinterprets them with sustainability in mind. This is a great talk for experienced gardeners who may not have a lot of experience with native plants but are curious to explore the many benefits of using natives in their ornamental landscapes.

HHG Members: $25
Non-Members: $35

Register here

Young Campers will inspire children to explore, create and play! Led by WMS teachers, this program is designed for students entering preschool and kindergarten (who are completely potty trained). Each day will include water-play on our playgrounds, arts & crafts, games and more. Campers who choose to stay for a full day will also have lunch, rest time and additional outdoor activities in the afternoons.

Young Campers will inspire children to explore, create and play! Led by WMS teachers, this program is designed for students entering preschool and kindergarten (who are completely potty trained). Each day will include water-play on our playgrounds, arts & crafts, games and more. Campers who choose to stay for a full day will also have lunch, rest time and additional outdoor activities in the afternoons.