The Community Classroom

FULL 2025 Summer Program: Biobots in Nature
2025-07-07 09:00 - 2025-07-11 11:30 (America/New_York) | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
SOLD OUT – Biobots in Nature

Inspired by the book The Wild Robot!
Learn about bio-robotics; robots that mimic biological design. Inspired by the book and movie, The Wild Robot, we will explore the question “Can robots help save nature?” Campers will create robots inspired by plants, animals, or insects to learn more about biology, artificial intelligence, and the environment. Suitable for ages 5-9.
On the last day, we will celebrate by watching “The Wild Robot.”

Florence Farmers Market
2025-07-09 14:00 - 18:00, 2025-07-23 14:00 - 18:00, 2025-07-30 14:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-06 14:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-13 14:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-20 14:00 - 18:00, 2025-08-27 14:00 - 18:00 | Florence Civic Center, 90 Park Street, Florence, MA, 01062, United States
Join us every Wednesday throughout the summer at the Florence Farmers Market! We’ll have our interactive Community Classroom trailer on hand, a variety of projects for the kids, and pop-up art opportunities throughout the season.

2025 Summer Program: Hidden Herstories of Florence
2025-07-14 13:00 - 2025-07-18 17:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Hidden Herstories of Florence:
Underground, undercover, no longer under wraps!

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Unlock a world of creativity, community, and spatial justice at the Hidden Herstories Camp! Join us for an unforgettable summer experience where young minds will embark on a journey of discovery, learning, and artistic expression. Our unique program goes beyond the traditional summer camp model to blend lessons, community-based learning, and a transformative project that turns dreams into reality.
Spatial Justice Lessons & Community-Based Learning:
Campers will dive into engaging lessons focused on spatial justice, exploring how spaces impact communities. Led by our expert co-teacher from the David Ruggles Center for History and Education, campers will uncover the hidden stories of women in Florence, untold histories of bravery, and learn the power of shaping spaces for the better.
Create Your Own Picture Book:
Under the guidance of nationally renowned author Grace Lin and our art partner Art Always, campers will master the art of storytelling and illustration. From crafting compelling narratives to bringing characters to life on the page, every camper will develop their unique voice and style to share the details of their research
StoryWalks: Share Your Learnings with the World!
The highlight of our camp is the creation of a captivating picture book by each camper, transformed into a StoryWalk®. Pages from their books will be displayed along a walkable path at the Florence Farmers Market, turning their ideas into a public showcase. One camper will be featured each week, sharing their spatial justice learnings and artistic creations with the community.
Community Impact:
Copies of the campers’ books will be placed at the local library and elementary schools, ensuring that their stories continue to inspire and educate beyond the StoryWalks.

Florence Farmers Market
2025-07-16 14:00 - 18:00 | Florence Night Out, North Main Street, Florence, MA, 01062, United States

2025 Summer Program: Community Leadership Camp
2025-07-21 13:00 - 2025-07-25 17:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Community Leadership Camp
For young women and nonbinary young people to build leadership skills, volunteer in the community, develop confidence, build an awesome peer network, and begin building their professional network of women and nonbinary business owners in Northampton*.

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Objectives

Develop leadership skills for personal + school + life success
Learn from and with women and nonbinary entrepreneurs (mentors) in Northampton through daily internships
Create a vision board to set personal goals related to their own leadership development
Demonstrate growth and lessons learned by creating a product to share with a wider audience (choices include a social media takeover, an article in the Chamber newsletter, or hosting a LInk and Learn virtual workshop for local business owners)

Optional Books

Girls Who Run The World by Diana Kapp
This optional booklist curated by High Five Books

Internships

We will send a pre-assessment to try and give each future leader a tailored internship experience
4 a week (Fridays are our Leadership Summit at Mount Tom)
Options may include:

Mayor Sciarra, Northampton Fire, Marcella NYC, Florence Barber Shop, Passalongs Flower Farm, Ascendance Inner World Arts, Cycle Pottery, Tiffany Chapman Photography, Telebelle salon, Greenfield Bank, 25 Central,

We will embed the following pillars of leadership (mini-lessons):

Setting Goals and Executing Those Goals (vision boards) + team building activity
Getting Organized (journaling with a calendar, time management)
Communication (Leadership compass self-assessment + charades, annotating text)
Collaboration
Decision-Making
Embracing Failure
Trying New Things
Developing Negotiation Skills

*We will ensure that past campers are exposed to new activities and ideas! We encourage repeat future leaders and will personalize the curriculum based on our attendees.

2025 Summer Program: Cookie Science
2025-07-28 13:00 - 2025-08-01 17:00 | Florence Civic Center, 90 Park Street, Florence, MA, 01062, United States
Cookie Science
Ages 9-12

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Be one smart cookie as you bake your way through chemistry, biology, and physics!
A twist on last year’s Chemistry of Parisian Baking Camp, we will be exploring the science of all cookies all the time.
Be prepared for a crunchy, chewy, sweet, gooey, and deliciously scientific experience!
Suitable for ages 9-12. Focused on STEAM (science technology engineering art and math).

Wicked STEAMM Adventure Camp (Full)
2025-08-04 09:00 - 2025-08-08 12:30 | Ascendance Inner World Arts and The Community Classroom, 82 Maple Street, Florence, MA, 01062, United States
SOLD OUT – Wicked STEAMM Adventure Camp (Full)
With Ascendance Inner World Art Science +Tech + Engineering + Art + Math + Movement
Ages 6-9
Elphaba and Glinda Fans Unite! Join us for an unforgettable August week of Wicked Adventures. This dynamic camp blends Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, AND MOVEMENT! Inspired by the film’s enchanting themes, campers will dive into hands-on projects, innovative challenges, and energetic choreography to spark their imaginations and build new skills.
We’ll explore the musical’s theme of friendship & community culminating in an informal showing of work for families at the end of the week.
Locations: We will spend time at both Ascendance Inner World Arts and The Community Classroom and will give our families the schedule closer to the camp date.

Unicorn Academy Camp
2025-08-04 13:00 - 2025-08-08 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Unicorn Academy Camp
Where Magic, Creativity, and Adventure Come to Life!

Ages 6-9 (9-12 as counselors-in-training)
Calling all dreamers and believers! At Unicorn Academy Camp, kids aged 6-9 (or 9-12 as counselors-in-training) are invited to step into a magical world filled with wonder, creativity, and outdoor fun. Throughout this enchanting week, campers will bond with their very own unicorn, train it, create magical art, and embark on unforgettable adventures.

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Camp Highlights:
Adopt Your Own Unicorn
Every camper will meet their very own plush unicorn companion on the first day. They’ll name, decorate, and care for their unicorn throughout the camp.
Unicorn Training School
Campers will learn how to “train” their unicorns through fun activities that teach responsibility, teamwork, and imagination.
Magical Art Creations

Unicorn Habitat Building: Campers will design and build a cozy, magical home for their unicorns using natural and craft materials.
Unicorn Crafting Corner: Create sparkly unicorn horns, colorful tails, and custom accessories for their unicorn (and themselves).

Literacy Magic
Gather in the “Story Meadow” to listen to magical unicorn tales, then imagine and write their own adventure stories to share with the group.
Unicorn Outdoor Adventures

Unicorn Scavenger Hunt: Explore downtown Florence and follow clues (with teacher supervision) in search of hidden treasures like rainbow jewels and magical charms.
Unicorn Tag: A fun twist on tag, where campers “gallop” as unicorns while trying to dodge the “magical lasso.”

Unicorn Cupcake Decorating
Campers will decorate delicious cupcakes with frosting, sprinkles, and magical touches to look like unicorns.
Unicorn Parade
The grand finale! Campers will showcase their unicorn companions and crafts in a magical parade for family and friends, complete with face painting, mystical music, face painting, and plenty of sparkles.

Florence Farmers Market: Market Minestrone
2025-09-03 14:00 - 18:00 | Florence Civic Center, 90 Park Street, Florence, MA, 01062, United States
🍲 Build a soup, support local farms!Stop by the Community Classroom table at the Florence Farmer’s Market between 2–6 PM to assemble a Market Minestrone kit. Kids measure pasta, lentils, and herbs at our table; then you’ll pick up fresh veggies from market stands to finish the soup at home.
How it works (quick + easy):

Scoop a simple dry mix (pasta, lentils, herbs).

Shop the market for veggies (2–3 cups) and greens.

At home, add water or broth and simmer. Dinner = done.

What to pick up while you’re there:

Microgreens or salad greens 🌱

Mushrooms 🍄

Late-summer veg (tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, carrots, celery) 🥕🍅

Fresh bread for dipping 🥖

Italian soda for a fizzy treat 🥤

Flowers for the table 💐

Beefalo (optional protein to add on the side) 🥩

Details:📍 Florence Farmer’s Market (look for the Community Classroom table)🕑 2–6 PM, drop-in anytime💵 Free activity • Bilingual recipe card (EN/ES) • Gluten-free option available⚠️ While supplies last

Astronomy Day free family celebration
2025-09-27 13:30 - 18:30 | Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, 130 Pine Street, Florence, 01062, United States
September 27th from 2:30-6:30. A day to celebrate all things astronomy with collaborators High Five Books, A2Z Science and Learning Toy Store, and Stars Above Inc.

Parson's Block Party
2025-09-28 10:00 - 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
A block party on Parson’s Block! Details coming.

Spooky Science at the Florence Farmers Market
2025-10-15 14:00 - 18:00 | Florence Civic Center, 90 Park Street, Florence, MA, 01062, United States
Spooky Science at the Florence Farmers’ MarketHosted by The Community Classroom
We’re bringing back our wildly popular, free, family-friendly STEM celebration—designed and organized by The Community Classroom! Last year we planned for 40 families and ran out of supplies in under an hour; this year we’re expanding capacity and adding fantastic partners to meet demand.
What to expect:

Make-and-take STEM kits and spooky science experiments
Hands-on activity tables with market vendors & local orgs
The Community Classroom Pop-Up Reading Room and Space Trailer for STEM literacy and mobile science fun
Special guests: Britt Crow Miller with The World of Rot and a peek at Thank You, Old Oak
Stars Above Inc. leading constellation art and serving as our on-hand astronomer
Partners include High Five Books, A2Z Science & Learning Toy Store, and Florence Farmers’ Market vendors

Free book + activity giveaways (while supplies last) at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30 to accommodate different arrival times.
Costumes encouraged (not required)!
Funding credit: This event is made possible by a grant to The Community Classroom from the Pioneer Valley STEM Network in celebration of National STEM Week

Turkey Tech & Tinker Pop-Up Camp
2025-11-04 09:00 - 12:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Full: Gobble up some engineering! In Turkey Tech & Tinker, kids become inventors for a day—designing and building mini catapults and then launch-testing “turkeys” (light, inflatable targets) to explore force, angle, and distance. We’ll also tinker with cranberries—they float!—to build cranberry bridges, towers, and bog-buoyancy tests, then engineer boats to see which designs carry the most “harvest” without sinking. To top it all off, campers will design their own turkey hats or T-shirts, creating a festive keepsake to wear home.
For campers aged 6-9, CITs age 10+
Early drop-off available at 8 am for $10, Lunch Bunch available from 12-1 for $10. Please register separately for those opportunities.
Please click on the date of this camp below. Select the start time, then the available options will pop up with Megan Allen as the camp lead. Follow the prompts to register.
Want to add a sibling? After registration and payment for one child, you will see an option to “add another student.” Select this!

Gratitude Leadership Lab Pop-Up Camp
2025-11-04 13:00 - 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Big hearts, little leaders! In Gratitude Leadership Lab, kids (ages 6–9) practice being helpers in our community through simple, joyful service and kid-sized leadership skills. We’ll make “kindness kits” and thank-you cards for local helpers, engage in volunteering nearby (age-appropriate and supervised), and play teamwork games that build listening, taking turns, sharing ideas, and cheering others on. Kids will also try easy “leader moves” like greeting, introducing, and speaking in a circle using friendly sentence starters. We’ll end with a mini celebration of who we helped and how it felt.
Kids take home: a Helper Badge, a Gratitude Passport (with simple ideas to keep helping at home), and one extra thank-you card to deliver themselves.
Skills we build: kindness, teamwork, confidence speaking to a group, planning together, and noticing ways to help—at camp, at school, and in the neighborhood.

Please ensure you are choosing the right date and time while registering below.
Late pick-up available at 5 pm for $10, Lunch Bunch available from 12-1 for $10. Please register separately for those opportunities.

Please click on the date of this camp below. Select the start time, then the available options will pop up with Megan Allen as the camp lead. Follow the prompts to register.
Want to add a sibling? After registration and payment for one child, you will see an option to “add another student.” Select this!

Sew Magical
2025-11-19 12:00 - 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Sew Magical In this whimsical pop-up camp, kids immerse themselves in fairy magic while learning the timeless art of hand-sewing. Campers will practice beginner-friendly sewing skills, from safely threading a needle to trying out multiple types of stitches, building fine motor and practical math skills along the way.
With their new sewing abilities, kids will create handmade treasures like a sparkly wand and a skirt fit for a woodland sprite. Along the way, we’ll sprinkle in fairy-inspired games, crafts, and stories. Campers will leave with the sewing know-how to make their own enchanting projects at home.

CITs ages 10+ (leadership experience + great resume builder).
Campus School student? We welcome late arrivals (the owner’s daughter is in this camp and arriving late, too!)
When registering below, please ensure you are selecting the correct date and time.
Want to register for more than one pop-up camp? After your register for one camp, email megan@thecommunityclassroom.com with your requested camps.

The Science of Sparkle Pop-Up Camp
2025-12-03 12:00 - 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Shine a little brighter! In Science of Sparkle, kids (ages 6–9) explore why things glimmer, glow, and gleam through hands-on, wow-worthy experiments. We’ll grow sugar crystals, make UV-reactive bracelets that change in sunlight, and play with prisms, mirrors, and polarizing filters to bend and split light into rainbows. Campers will craft a kaleidoscope to take home, test glitter vs. glow with safe blacklight investigations, and try a “sparkle slime” recipe while learning about reflection, refraction, and fluorescence. It’s equal parts science and shimmer—perfect for curious makers who love a little dazzle.
Kids take home: mini crystal starter, DIY kaleidoscope, UV bead bracelet, and sparkle slime (in a sealed cup, don’t worry!).Skills we build: observation, measuring, fair testing, cause & effect, and communicating discoveries.
A late pick-up is available for $10 for a 5 pm pickup. Please register separately for that opportunity.
Please click on the date of this camp below. Select the start time, then the available options will pop up with Megan Allen as the camp lead. Follow the prompts to register.
Want to add a sibling? After registration and payment for one child, you will see an option to “add another student.” Select this!

Cocoa & Kindness: Holiday Craft-for-Good Pop-Up Camp
2025-12-10 12:00 - 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
Cocoa & Kindness: Holiday Craft-for-Good Pop-Up (K–5)
An afternoon of making, giving, and cozy cheer! Kids will create handmade gifts for residents at a local retirement home, assemble care bundles with heartfelt notes, and celebrate with hot chocolate and cookie decorating.

Make & Give stations (each child completes 3–4 and examples may include):
Warm Wishes Cards — big-print, high-contrast designs with a kind note
Felt Keepsake Ornaments — stitched or glued (age-appropriate)
Watercolor Bookmarks — “You are loved” messages
No-Sew Fleece Lap Blanket — collaborative group project
Cocoa Mix in a Mug — layered cocoa jar or mug with mini marshmallows (nut-free)

Volunteer component
Kids help pack gift bags, add their cards, and sort deliveries. If our partner home approves a drop-in, families may opt-in for a brief, chaperoned delivery visit (caroling optional!); otherwise, Community Classroom staff will deliver the gifts the next day.
And treats
A hot-chocolate bar (dairy-free option available) and cookie decorating station (nut-free; GF option available). Taste-optional for allergies/sensitivities.

Whisk & Wonder: Winter Kitchen Lab (K–5)
2025-12-17 12:00 - 16:00 | The Community Classroom, 86 Maple Street, Florence, Massachusetts, 01062
A cozy, creative pop-up for kids who like things a little different. We’ll design and test simple holiday recipes, decorate chef hats, and compile a kid-made recipe book to take home—perfect for family cooking and gifting. Hot chocolate bar included (DF option).
Potential Make & Taste Stations

No-Bake “Snowball” Bites

Popcorn Mix

Peppermint (or Citrus) Bark

Holiday Snack Mix

Cocoa Jar Gifts (layered cocoa + mini marshmallows; printable gift tags)

Create-Your-Own Recipe BookKids choose 4–6 recipes, add notes/doodles, and bind into a mini “My Winter Recipes” booklet (cover art + author photo). We’ll include a family cooking guide with oven/heat steps clearly marked for grown-ups.
Chef Hat DecoratingPersonalize a paper chef hat with markers, stickers, and name badge.
What they’ll learnMeasuring & fractions, food safety basics, flavor science (sweet/salty/sour/bitter/umami), and how to write a clear recipe.
