Crafts

Saturday Morning Nature Secrets: Sparkling Snowflakes

Kids will learn about snowlfakes at the Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

Let's celebrate winter as we look at this beautiful season through storybooks, art, and music. Weather permitting, we'll take a riverside walk in Joppa Flats' backyard and experience the frozen artistry of the season.  Later we'll create artwork that reminds us of the winter joys we found together.

When: 
Saturday, January 13, 2018 10-11:30am

Saturday Morning Nature Secrets: Wake Up Trees!

Kids will learn about trees at the Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

Let's celebrate winter as we look at this beautiful season through storybooks, art, and music. Weather permitting, we'll take a riverside walk in Joppa Flats' backyard and experience the frozen artistry of the season.  Later we'll create artwork that reminds us of the winter joys we found together.

When: 
Saturday, February 10, 2018 10-11:30am

Saturday Morning Nature Secrets: March Winds Blow in Spring

Kids will learn about March winds at the Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

Let's celebrate winter as we look at this beautiful season through storybooks, art, and music. Weather permitting, we'll take a riverside walk in Joppa Flats' backyard and experience the frozen artistry of the season.  Later we'll create artwork that reminds us of the winter joys we found together.

When: 
Saturday, March 10, 2018 10-11:30am

Imagine, Sing & Learn: The Dawn Chorus Returns

Kids will learn about the birds that live in their backyard at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport

This parent/child program is designed for the creative, curious, and active preschooler who loves animals. Each 90-minute session offers a structured series of activities including original songs, movement, dramatic play, hands-on science, and a thematic snack. We are going to learn about the journey our backyard birds have made from the south to the north, what they will do now that they are here and we’ll get to learn all about bird nests and explain why we are hearing so many birds in the morning now! We’ll make a bird nest snack and a great take-home craft to welcome in spring! Bring your rain boots so we can venture out into the riverside yard and see/listen for our returning birds!

When: 
Friday, March 30, 2018 10-11:30am

Build a Lighthouse - Essex Heritage ArtWeek

Kids are invited to come build their own lighthouse with Essex Heritage at the Salem Massachusetts Visitors Center

Essex Heritage would like to invite visitors (ages 4+) to come and build their very own model lighthouse using every day materials! Special guest instructor and children’s book illustrator, Katy Bratun, will be leading this family friendly craft starting at 1:00pm at the NPS Visitor Center in Salem.

When: 
Saturday, April 28, 2018 1-3pm

Bio-Blitz Free-for-All

Kids and adults will learn about the diversity of Plum Island and the North Shore wildlife at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

Joppa Flats Education Center invites families to join them for a full day of free outdoor and indoor nature activities, art projects, and biodiversity!  Connecting with nature starts with developing a good sense of place, and a great place to start is right here at Joppa Flats. This full-day family event will feature an exciting mixture of indoor and outdoor activities that encourage children and adults to learn more about the biodiversity of all the animals, plants, and insects that frequent our butterfly garden, salt marsh, and backyard!

When: 
Sunday, May 20, 2018 10am - 3pm

Art Week: Intro to Wool Felting for Kids

Learn about the process of making felt from wool at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts during February Vacation!

As part of Art Week week we are hosting a special wool felting class for kids!  Warmer spring weather means its sheep shearing time on the farm. But what to do with all that wool? As part of ArtWeek, learn about the time honored tradition of wool felting. We’ll start by learning how to wash and “card” the raw wool into soft fiber for spinning or felting. Afterwards, we’ll try our hand at making felt balls to be used for farm-fun necklaces. Wool, wood beads and decorative string will be provided, but feel free to bring anything special of your own to add to your necklace. We’ll end by visiting and feeding our three lovely merino sheep.

When: 
Saturday, May 5, 2018 10-11am
Location: 

Reptiles and Amphibians

Essex County Greenbelt Association hosts a reptile and amphibians at Arthur Elwell Reservation in Rowley Massachusetts

Wetlands are a hotbed of activity in mid-June and this program will focus specifically on the amphibians and reptiles that make ponds and streams their home. Join the Essex County Greenbelt Association to look for nesting turtles, tadpoles, and snakes that may be patrolling the shoreline. Families will learn the key differences between reptiles and amphibians, and hopefully will begin to be able to identify specific species.

When: 
Saturday, June 16, 2018 10am - 1 pm

Byfield Music & Arts Festival

Byfield Community Arts Center fundraiser Music & Arts Festival

Support your local artists and have a blast at the same time! Bring your family for a day of regional and national music performances on three stages, artists and artisans displaying and selling their wares, children's activities, and food and beverage vendors, including Newburyport Brewery and Ipswich Ale! This fundraiser event has a great lineup of performers including  Ryan Montbleau, Soul Rebel Project, Yes Darling, Krewe Orleans, Goodnight Moonshine, Way Up South, Parker Wheeler & Friends, Skyfoot, Quentin Callewaert and many more

When: 
Saturday, June 23, 2018 10am-9pm
Location: 

Pages

Appleton Farms offers great farm-based Vacation Week Programs for kids ages 5-11

Valentine's Day

12:00 am to 11:59 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Bruins Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
From February 1 through March 15, Cradles to Crayons®, the Boston Bruins, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Wonderfund are coming together with organizations in your community to collect new pajamas for local children living in low-income and homeless situations. Together, we are...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

Eagle Festival: Everything Eagles

Kids will learn about eagles, their migrations and varied habitat at Joppa Flats. Image ©David Morris
During Eagle Festival Week, join North Shore Field Teachers at a popular viewing area to spot Bald Eagles along the Merrimack River and learn about behaviors such as soaring, fishing, and showing courtship displays. Using sound effects, props, and group role play, you'll stay active and warm...
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Bradley Palmer State Park
Come join our park interpreter for a story time and nature walk! Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately 1 mile, though not accessible for strollers. Appropriate for families with children 3-5 years old. Meet at the Visitor Center.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Music Together - Friday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
10:30 am to 11:15 am

Saturday, March 1

Nice n' Easy Hike at Breakheart Reservation

Nice and Easy winter hike at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Massachusetts
Join the Park Interpreter for this weekly guided hike! Each trip will highlight natural and historic features unique to Breakheart. Hikes are moderately paced and range from 2-3 miles over sometimes uneven and rocky terrain. Best for ages 8 years and up. Meet at the Visitor Center.
9:30 am to 11:30 am

Maple Sugaring Saturday at IRWS

Sugaring Off tours are a fun and tasty way to learn about maple sugaring at IRWS
Experience the age-old tradition of maple sugaring at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary! The warm days of late winter awaken the flow of sap in the maples resulting in sweet-smelling, billowing clouds of steam rising from the sugarhouse. On a naturalist-guided walk, learn how to identify a sugar...
10:30 am to 3:30 pm

Children's Maple in the Barnyard at Appleton Farms

Visit Appleton Farms' sugaring operation and learn about making maple sugar syrup!
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time...
10:45 am to 3:00 pm

Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!

Find out the story behind the history of granite quarrying at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Massachusetts!
Halibut Point State Park is also a granite quarry with a history that goes back billions of years! Over one hundred years ago, the Rockport Granite Company quarried granite stone here.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

STEM Club at MPL

Stem Club for kids in grades 3-6 at the public library in Manchester Public Library
Have some fun and learn a little science too at STEM Club! This group meets every third Thursday from 4-5 and is for grades 4-6. 
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Pajama Story Time at Manchester Public Library

Kids are invited to the pajama time book reading at the Public Library in Manchester by the Sea Massachusetts.
Join Miss Audrey for a cozy pajama storytime and craft the first Thursday of every month from 6-7. This program is for kids ages 4 and up and their families. 
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Sunday, March 2

Bruins Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
From February 1 through March 15, Cradles to Crayons®, the Boston Bruins, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Wonderfund are coming together with organizations in your community to collect new pajamas for local children living in low-income and homeless situations. Together, we are...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Watching the Coastal Edge at Halibut Point

Tour the WWII era observation tower at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport Massachusetts.
Meet at the Halibut Point State Park visitors center to learn about the role Halibut Point has played in America’s military history. One day after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, U.S.
11:00 am to 12:00 pm

CraneOutdoors: Family Winter Wildlife Walk

Come explore the dunes on Castle Neck and Crane Beach in Ipswich Massachusetts to learn about winter wildlife.
A CraneOutdoors Family Winter Wildlife Walk will take you on a stroll through the Crane Beach dunes while learning about the plants and animals that call this special place home. You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much...
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Subscribe to Crafts