Get into the holiday season by creating your own evergreen wreath! Kids will craft their 16" wreaths by hand using local greenery, winter berries, fallen cones, holly leaves, ribbon, and more! Materials and instruction included. Parents are encouraged to attend but wreath making is for kids only please. (Check out our adult workshop as well: Appleton Wreath Making Workshop) Ages 8 and up.
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.
Let your creative juices flow! In this afternoon activity, we will create, build and embellish winter sculptures using nature’s bounty. Work as a family, a group of friends or let us pair you up when you arrive and work together as a team to add imaginative sculptural elements to the Stevens-Coolidge gardens. Cocoa will be served to keep your hands warm and busy!
Join us as we investigate the tidepools and the wrackline on Steep Hill Beach to discover and record the many creatures that live along the shore. We’ll (carefully and gently!) use nets to capture specimens and magnifying glasses to take an up-close-and-personal look, before releasing our new friends back to where we found them. We’ll talk about our observations and discoveries – and surprise ourselves with how much we can learn by looking. An educational adventure for the whole family. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Do you know what the highest point at Appleton Farms is? It’s Pigeon Hill, and it offers some of the most spectacular views of the farm and, especially, the Great Pasture. Join Appleton Farms staff for a guided hike to this special spot on the property, we’ll look over the Great Pasture and you’ll learn about this important part of Appleton Farms and why it’s such an integral part of what we do.
Discover a wonderful world of wetlands of the Crane Estate! Families are invited to get your feet wet and hands dirty in the salt marsh while using scientific tools to investigate marsh soil, water, & weather, and identify marsh flora and fauna. Learn what lives in the salt marsh, how the tides and weather shape life here, what the Trustees are doing (and what you can do!) to protect this essential estuary habitat.
Part of the Thursday Night Picnic Concerts at Castle Hill at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, this is a great way to get together and have fun with the whole family in an exclusive setting. You can pack a picnic dinner, bring the kids, and get ready to dance the night away under the stars on the Grand Allée. Explore the landscaped grounds and the family "Eye Spy."
Appleton Farms invites families for a weekend fun all Winter long! While the weather may be colder, winter is a great time to be at Appleton Farms! Every weekend, the farm will be filled with a number of activities and opportunities to explore the property, socialize in a safe, socially-distant manner, enjoy amazing food, and take in everything the farm has to offer while enjoying time at this very special place.
Get ready for spring with seed bombs! Together we'll learn about flowers and seeds, then create handmade seed bombs full of native wildflower seeds or herb seeds to take home. Give them as gifts or use them in your own yard to create springtime plant explosions!
Winter on Crane Beach offers us a unique opportunity to go where we've never gone before - on the sand! Join us on a fun and educational oversand adventure as we explore the winter landscape of Castle Neck and Crane Beach. You will learn all about the natural history of the barrier beach as we keep a look out for winter wildlife including snowy owls!
