Let's celebrate our beaches, tide pools, and salt marshes with a full day of fun outdoor/indoor activities! Handle live tide pool animals from our 110-gallon touch tank, go on a guided salt marsh walk, and enjoy a virtual whale watch trip.
On this excursion kids will be ponding with Joppa Flats Education Center at Mill Pond in West Newbury! Come explore the pond habitat and learn about the creatures that live there! We will be exploring the edge of a pond with safe shore access using nets, scoopers, strainers, cups, bowls and spoons. We’ll examine the water, leaf litter and plants with hand lenses and magiscopes. We’ll walk along the edge of the meadow near the pond looking for signs of life and spotting birds. We’ll give out binoculars to all participants. Each participant will take home coloring packets!
On this excursion kids will be ponding with Joppa Flats Education Center at Mill Pond in West Newbury! Come explore the pond habitat and learn about the creatures that live there! We will be exploring the edge of a pond with safe shore access using nets, scoopers, strainers, cups, bowls and spoons. We’ll examine the water, leaf litter and plants with hand lenses and magiscopes. We’ll walk along the edge of the meadow near the pond looking for signs of life and spotting birds. We’ll give out binoculars to all participants. Each participant will take home coloring packets!
Join watercolorist Brenda Sloane in a monthly program that combines nature and art. We will start with a walk on the sanctuary to observe the topic of the month. We will then return to the Nature Center to create a follow-up work of art.
Adults and children can spend quality family time in the great outdoors finding, observing, and admiring local wildlife. Excursions with Joppa Flats Education Center include a group game to burn off some steam, an on-the-water scavenger hunt, or a guided tour. We'll observe, investigate, and compare pond habitats and their inhabitants, both on-and offshore. Participants play out the roles of biologists, researchers, birders, and botanists. Thisadventure will leave your family excited to come back for more!
What lives in the mud, grass, and water of a salt marsh? How is the marsh like a sponge? We'll use nets and trowels to look for mussels, clams, oysters, hermit crabs, and other marsh critters. Watch egrets in flight and participate in a snail race as you explore the hidden wonders of the salt marsh. Prepare to get muddy!
Curiosity companions explore the woodlands of Bungalow Hill, Clarke's Pond, and meadows of Ocean Lawn - discovering the wonders of nature while using all your senses. Song, stories, and puppets included! This program is for young children accompanied by their favorite adult. Learn about the conservationists who provided this community gift. This program is for young children accompanied by their favorite adult. Pre-registration required. Join us for all five sessions Pre-registration required.
Enjoy a morning at the beach during low tide and discover the living wonders of the rocky shore and sandy coastline. We will look for crabs, starfish, shorebirds, and other seashore animals. Explore the wrack line and sandy beach to compare and sort the natural materials and seaweeds that have washed ashore. We will preserve our memories of the day by creating our own beach collages.
Come to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary to join in the reading of a children's nature story followed by an exploration in the woods, fields and wetlands of the sanctuary.
As the weather warms, our fields become alive with activity. Spend an early June afternoon chasing butterflies, grasshoppers, and crickets with nets while taking some time to closely observe these amazing insects. We may also encounter some predators of the field, such as leopard frogs and garter snakes! This will be a hands-on experience the entire family can enjoy.
