Environmental Programs

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, [s]he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
- John Muir

Learn to Live in Harmony with the Natural World

To "simply keep it local" is at the heart of Cuvilly's educational philosophy. Every program, special event and learning curriculum we offer is designed to promote an ecologically sustainable lifestyle. Come to Cuvilly to learn how to live in harmony with your local surroundings. Contact us at Kate@cuvilly.org for registration information for programs and events listed below.

Programs and Events

  • Simply Keep it Local (SKIL) Winter Adventure 2012

    February 2012 Vacation Week Adventure! This fun and informational program has been designed for children currently enrolled in 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade. Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center administrators, in collaboration with Kestrel Educational Adventures, is offering four days of nature-based fun and activities. Hiking, storytelling, arts & crafts and a whole lot of outdoor, old-fashioned wintry explorations in Cuvilly's wooded 'wilderness' will introduce your child to the hidden stillness of nature in our winter months. For more information, please email Kate Dwyer at Kate@cuvilly.org.
    Winter SKIL 2012 Brochure

    Cost: $175 per student; a nonrefundable deposit of $75 is due by Feb. 3, 2012.

    Next Scheduled: Tues., Feb. 21st - Fri., Feb. 24th. Program is in operation these four days of Winter Vacation Break from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on all four days.

  • Simply Keep It Local (SKIL) Summer Adventure 2012

    SKIL Summer Adventure 2012

    Children create their own adventures and discover wildlife at Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center's beautiful farm and reservation. This summer, they will be challenged to explore ways of living locally in the traditions of the native Agawam people, the 17th-century English and the 21st-century Ipswich resident. This program will include creating art from nature's treasures, documenting explorations with a digital video, participating in farm chores, meeting Cuvilly's barn animals and much more! Learning how to live responsibly within the cycle of life is the basis of all Cuvilly's Simply Keep it Local (SKIL) programs. Children are encouraged to uncover ancient secrets of the area and become part of the story of this special place. For ages 5-7.

    Snail Mail Registration Form

    Cost: $185 per child per week; registration form must be accompanied with a non-refundable $50 deposit. All checks may be made payable to Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center.

    Next Scheduled: July 9-12, 2012; July 16-19, 2012; July 23-26, 2012; The program day is in session from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

  • Seasonal Nature Fun and Fireside Stories

    Accompany Cuvilly's education director on adventures through Cuvilly's trails, gardens, barns and fields. Learn about the lore of the land, listen to the trees talk and sway and the barnyard animals honk and bray. Share stories of the land around a campfire while sipping hot chocolate or cider, depending on the season. To save on trash, please bring your own ceramic mugs! [All ages]

    Cost: $7 per participant; pre-registration required.

    Next Scheduled: Sat., Feb. 4, 2012; 3 - 4:30 p.m. Plan "A" (if we have snow!) will be sledding on the hill, with a campfire and hot cider to follow. Plan "B" will be hiking in Cuvilly's woodlands in search of winter animal life, with a sing-along to follow.

  • Cuvilly's Story Teller's Chair!

    When Cuvilly carpenter and handyman Gary Fowler gets his hands on fallen trees, they turn into enchanting storybook furniture...Gary Fowler keeps his eye out for fallen trees. That's because he knows they are waiting to be turned into something else, like a story teller's chair. And table. And benches. As Gary went about his work on Cuvilly's property this summer, he passed by a downed cedar tree, and waited patiently for it to tell him what it wanted to become. Once Sister Pat told him that she wished Cuvilly had a story teller's chair for the teachers and children to use, it finally hit him. Not only would he make a chair, he would make a table as well,and listening benches, too! The old cedar tree would be perfect. So he fashioned a table from its stump, and created the chair's seat and arm rests from its lumber. He used the wood from a dead locust tree for the benches and the table's finishing touches. But he says he didn't do all the work himself. "The dead cedar lay in the back of one of the goat's paddocks for a while," Gary said. "By the time I got to it, the goats had eaten all the bark off it. They actually made my carpentry job easier!"