Crafts

Kidleidoscope at Bradley Palmer

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Bradley Palmer State Park

Kids ages 3-6 are invited to join this fun, engaging activity session where they will learn about nature through stories, craft and outdoor activitiies. Topics vary by week, so come for them all! Meets at the Nature Center at 40 Asbury Street. An adult must accompany children. For outdoor programs wear comfortable clothes and sturdy closed toe shoes, insect repellent, and sunscreen. Bring water. Inclement weather cancels outdoor programs.

When:

Thursdays, June 20-August 29, 2024 10-11am

Location:

Bradley Palmer State Park

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Feed the Beach Creatures at Joppa Flats

You can look at, AND touch the creatures in Joppa Flats touch tank! Feeding time is a lot of fun!

It's time to feed our touch tank animals! Assist our animal husbandry intern team with sorting, identifying, and actually feeding our live marine creatures. Feed periwinkles and rock crabs from the rocky shore, horseshoe crabs and minnows from the salt marsh and hermit crabs and shrimp from the sandy beach. Sign up for one or more and learn all about our creatures fascinating behaviors.

When:

Wednesdays, June 12 & 26, 2024 4-5:30pm

Wednesdays in July 2024 4-5:30pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Faerie Houses in the Gardens

Explore the gardens in a fun and magical way at the Stevens-Coolidge Estate in North Andover Massachusetts!

Explore the gardens in a fun and magical way! Moonrise Fae have made faerie houses and nestled them in to corners of the garden. Join us to explore and let your imagination lead you on an adventure among the flowers. General admission to the property is included with this registration. Refunds must be requested within 7 days of your visit.

When:

Thursday-Monday, June 1-30, 2023 10am-6pm

Location:

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens

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Merrimac Old Home Days

Merrimac Old Home Days is a family-friendly weekend celebrating the town of Merrimac, MA! Enjoy an outdoor movie, bonfire, beer garden, games, music, sports, crafts and food; there is something for everyone!

When:

Friday, August 11 - Sunday, August 13, 2023

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Kids Con New England 2024

Kids Con New England Concord NH cosplay comic superhero princess Star Wars convention

Kids Con New England is the first and only comic book convention just for kids in New England! Kids Con New England® is New England’s first and largest kids-focused comic con & children’s book event! Inspiring art education, literacy and creativity through family-friendly comics, children’s books, art, creative workshops, gaming, and fun activities! Meet amazing family-friendly comic book creators, children’s book authors, artists, learn the comic arts, jedi training, superhero training, gaming tournaments, pirate camp, robotic demos, princess sing-along and storytime, kids sketch-off, puppet show, family costume contest and more!

When:

Saturday, May 11, 2024 10am-5pm

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Halloween Fantasea at Maritime Gloucester

Discover the spooky side of Gloucester’s marine life at Maritime Gloucester in Massachusetts!

Maritime Gloucester invites you to get in the Halloween “Spirit”! Maritime Gloucester is being taken over by a FantaSEA of Halloween characters! Bring the whole family for fun activities, lively music and tasty treats!

When:

Saturday October 27, 2024 1-4pm

Location:

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Essex Arts & Culture Festival

Come join in this vibrant celebration of Essex Massachusetts' culture, heritage and artistic spirit.

Celebrate creativity at the Essex Arts and Culture Festival, brought to you by the Essex River Cultural District and hosted at the Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum. Enjoy a day of art, culture and family fun! Come join in this vibrant celebration of Essex's culture, heritage and artistic spirit.

You'll find:

Artist Demos
Shipbuilding
Kid's Fun
Exhibitions
Food
Music

When:

Saturday, June 22, 2024 11am-6pm

Location:

Essex Shipbuilding Museum

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Vacation Week: Solar Bugs at APL

Kids are invited to craft their own solar bugs at the Amesbury Public Library in Massachussetts during April Vacation

Come by the side lawn of the Library to create a solar powered bug! Find out why bugs are attracted to light and how solar energy works to move your bug! Registration is required. If the weather is bad, we will contact you as we will divide the groups up to come at different times. Made possible in part with funds from the Friends of the Amesbury Library. For kids in grades 2-5.

When:

Thursday, April 18, 2024 10-11am

Location:

Amesbury Public Library

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CraneExplorer: Shifting Sands

The Trustees' Crane Estate hosts a beach-centric science learning experience for kids in Ipswich Massachusetts

The beach is much more than just sand! In this family education program, participants will learn about the diverse habitats of the sandy beach and dunes. Learners discover shells, seaweed, plants, animal tracks, and other signs of life on the beach and in the dunes, get an up-close look at sand to explore its composition and how it formed, and use scientific tools to measure the ever-changing shape of the beach. Learn how The Trustees are managing and protecting our ever-changing coast, and how you can play a role!

When:

Friday, April 19, 2024 10am-Noon

Location:

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

Ipswich

Art

Trustees of Reservations

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Shipwrecks at Maritime Gloucester

Shipwreck at Coffins Beach in Gloucester. Photo by Massachusetts Secretary of State

On April 15, 1912, 112 years ago, the tragic RMS Titanic sinking occurred. Join us in learning more about what happens after a ship wrecks, how animals use these wrecks, and what wrecks we have here locally!

When:

Monday, April 15, 2024 10am - 3pm

Location:

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Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.

Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

7:00 am to 7:00 pm

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Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School hosts the 16th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, Massachusetts .

Where: Pingree School

8:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Crescent Farm Corn Maze

Imagine the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen. Now imagine a day in the sunshine with your friends or family. Now add an adventure that takes teamwork and memory skills. All these things and more can be found at Crescent Farms Corn Maze. Crescent Farm Corn Maze trails cut into 9 acres of corn. Inside...

Where: Crescent Farm

9:00 am to 9:00 pm

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Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....

Where: Downtown Salem

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Gloucester Gratis Days at Hammond Castle

In keeping with John Hays Hammond, Jr's original vision for his seaside castle-home to serve as a museum offering the Gloucester community access to ancient works of architectural art, Hammond Castle Museum will offer Gloucester residents free, self-guided tours each Tuesday throughout the regular...

Where: Hammond Castle Museum

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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Sunday, October 26

Haunted Happenings Marketplace

The Haunted Happenings Merchant Marketplace is coming this October! Get ready for a one-of-a-kind shopping extravaganza throughout Historic (and some say haunted) Downtown Salem!

Where: Downtown Salem, Where: Salem Common, Where: Derby Square

10:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Kids Fun Fest on Salem Common

A tradition on Salem Common, the Fun Fest has lots of great family activities for kids of all ages, including slides, rides, games, and fun! There's nothing like October in Salem and the Salem Common Neighborhood Association is thrilled to host two weekends of our annual Kids Fun Fest on the Comm

Where: Salem Common

10:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Saugus Iron Works House Tours

Join National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a 30-minute tour of The Iron Works House.

Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

11:00 am

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Georgia Made This: Scavenger Coin Hunt

Georgia's seventh annual Salem Gold Coin Hunt returns this October, courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum! Each Saturday and Sunday throughout October, Georgia will release special clues at 12 noon through her Instagram page and the PEM's Instagram story. Those clues will help coin hunters narrow...

Where: Peabody Essex Museum

12:00 pm to 7:00 pm

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Fall Foliage Cider & Donut Cruises

Essex River Cruises hosts a narrated sightseeing tour that winds down the beautiful Essex River aboard Essex River Queen, a pontoon boat.

Where: Essex River Cruises & Charters

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

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CraneOutdoors: Castle Neck Hike in the Dunes

While just about everybody on the North Shore has probably been to Crane Beach, the dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. Offering one of the most accessible dune ecosystems north of Cape Cod, Castle Neck has over six miles of trails, traversing the dunes, maritime...

Where: Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

1:00 pm to 3:30 pm

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Saugus Iron Works Tours

Join the National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a tour of the colonial industrial site. On select days, you may be able to stick around and witness pop-up molten iron pour, blacksmithing, waterwheel demonstrations, and take part in hands-on river stewardship activities.

Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

2:00 pm

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Sunday STEAM Club at North Shore Children's Museum

Join in on Sundays at 2:30 for STEAM Club for ages 5-11. Each week participants will explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math with our NSCM staff! Every STEAM club session will see your kids participating in hands-on activities while exploring a new topic. Space is limited, please...

Where: North Shore Children's Museum

2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

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Halloween on the Hill

The Trustees of Reservations invite you to tour the gardens at Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts to celebrate Autumn and Halloween! Long Hill is excited to bring back our annual Halloween on the Hill event! Come explore our beautiful property as we transform the Long Hill gardens into a...

Where: Long Hill and Sedgwick Gardens

5:00 pm to 8:30 pm

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