Geology

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. Learn about the buildings, bridges, and breakwaters built to last. Touch tools of the trade. Find out how they moved these large, heavy stone pieces and how they “paved” dirt streets in our new Nation’s growing cities—and around the world! For all ages.

When: 
Tuesdays through January-March 2025 11am-12:30pm

Reading the Granite Landscape

Find out the story behind the granite at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport!

Halibut Point State Park is also a granite quarry with a history that goes back billions of years! A rock is not a thing but a drama, it can teach us about the great unifying science and the unique geology of Cape Ann. Rocks can tell us a lot about how the landscape was formed and the geology of Cape Ann tells us great stories, all visible at Halibut Point. Meet at the Visitors Center in the park. For all ages. Rain or shine, pouring rain cancels.

When: 
Thursdays, August 22, 2019 10-11am

The Hidden Life of Trees

Come learn about the secret life of trees at Halibut Point State Park.

Come to Halibut Point State Park to learn about trees! Often, what we do see of the natural world is less significant than what we don’t see. An exploration into the wood wide web of the perennials around us, revealing surprises of communities, environmental influences and conscious behavior. Bring sunscreen, clothing layers and hydration. Rain cancels. Best for those eight and over.

When: 
Sunday, October 7, 2018 10-11am

Life on a Layer Cake

Find out the story behind the granite at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport!

What makes up the ground below what’s at our feet? This program at Halibut Point State Park serves as a gentle introduction to stratigraphy, the branch of geology about dealing with the position of strata and its meaning within the geological time scale. We’ll visit some of the park’s soil/bedrock contact points and explore the story they tell. Most appropriate for those twelve and over. Entails over a mile of walking. Rain cancels.

When: 
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 10-11am

Exploring Science Together: Bugs!

Kids and families are invited to learn about bugs at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Take a closer look and explore the world of minuscule bugs! Learn together through hands-on activities designed to show you how to classify and identify these numerous and diverse creatures! Participate in activities in our incredible arthropods gallery. Observe and touch live invertebrates, and then go outside and collect some of your own. Dig in the dirt and learn how invertebrates help people compost food waste into soil. Create your own scientific equipment that will help you continue the study of entomology at home. All activities are designed to be fun and interactive experiences for elementary age students and their families to participate in together.

When: 
Saturday, July 7, 2018 10:30-Noon

Exploring Science Together: Minerals!

Kids and families are invited to learn about minerals at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

What makes a mineral a mineral? Find out in this hands-on and interactive program. Be a geologist for the day and learn how to identify minerals. Discover the secret properties that make some minerals truly unique. Participate in gallery explorations of our mesmerizing mineral collections. Investigate the different uses of minerals and even create your own mineral pigment artwork to take home! All activities are designed to be a fun and interactive experience for elementary age students and their families to participate in together.

When: 
Saturday, March 3, 2018 10:30-Noon

The Real World of Minecraft Minerals

See real ores and minerals at the Harvard Museum of Natural History!

Do you or someone in your house play Minecraft? Have you ever wondered whether any of those blocks exist in the real world? Get out of the house and explore some of the REAL rocks and minerals that appear in Minecraft at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Pick up a gallery exploration card in the Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery, read about the Minecraft minerals, and compare to actual samples on display. Come find gold without digging 32 layers down a digital mine!

When: 
February 16-18, 2016

NU Marine Science Center Open House

N.U. Marine Science Center Open House offers educational fun for the family!

All are invited to the Northeastern University Marine Science Center Annual Open House! You'll learn from researchers about marine habitats, meet some of creatures living there and explore the habitat in real time. In addition to some faithful standards such as touch tanks and tours of East Point, the Center will be showcasing the work and talent of its research labs and academic programs. With a half dozen new faculty members in the past year, there’s a lot more to explore!

When: 
Saturday, October 5, 2013 from 10 am to 3 pm

Geology Walk at Moraine Farm

Moraine Farm invites you explore the fields and learn about Geology!

Join geologist James Matz and farm manager Gretta Anderson for a tour of Moraine Farm in Beverly. A geologist and member of Beverly's Planning Board, James Matz will present information about the geology and soils of the farm. Farm Manager Gretta Anderson will introduce participants to the 23-acre organically-managed community vegetable farm which is owned by The Trustees of Reservations.

When: 
Saturday, May 11, 2013 1–3PM,
Location: 
Brookwood School Summer Program for kids Pre-K through 9 in Manchester Massachusetts

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

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Countdown to NYE with KEEVA! at HW Library

Celebrate New Year's Eve with Keeva the Therapy Dog at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library.
Welcome in the New Year with Keeva, a certified Therapy Dog, and her trainer Pat Fleming! Hear about her important therapy work, and then enjoy treats, crafts, and games. Designed for children ages 3 years and up. No registration needed.
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Lego Time at MPL

Children in grades 2 and up are invited to come to the Manchester Massachusetts Library's Lego Club
Drop-in, unstructured Lego building fun! Come with friends or come to make new ones, this program is for kids ages six and up. 
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Tuesday, December 31

New Years Eve

12:00 am to 11:59 pm

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 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

Music Together - Tuesday in Marblehead

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® of Salem classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45...
10:00 am to 10:45 am

CraneOutdoors: Family Snowy Owl Prowl

Join the Trustees of Reservations at the Crane Wildlife Refuge in Ipswich Massachusetts in search of the Snowy Owl!
Wide-open coastal sites are the location of choice for wintering Snowy Owls; common perches are dunes and salt hay staddles. In winters past, these owls have been frequent visitors to the Crane Wildlife Refuge.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Noon Year's Eve Party at NSCM

Peabody Museum for Children, NorthShore Children's MuseumNew Year's Eve Party
Ring in the New Year at noon with North Shore Children’s Museum! You and a special stuffed animal friend are invited to celebrate with us on Tuesday, December 31 from 10AM-12PM. Tickets include access to our 14 different exhibits, a New Year’s Magic Show with special guest Tom Foolery, New Year’s...
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Kids can meet the barnyard animals and hear a story at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts.
Barnyard stories really come alive when you get to see the main characters in real life! Bring the kids down to Appleton Farms for our farm-fresh version of story time. Explore the farmstead, visit our learning garden, see our cows and rabbits, and find a spot to play under a shady tree in our...
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Rockport New Year's Eve 2024

Family Friendly New Year's Eve celebration for kids and families in Rockport Massachusetts.
Rockport New Year’s Eve (RNYE) is a family-friendly year-end celebration of the arts held in downtown Rockport, Massachusetts annually since 1996. Halls, churches, town offices, and some streets are taken over by happy revelers celebrating the New Year.
4:00 pm to 11:59 pm

Launch! Salem

Celebrate New Years Eve at Salem Massachusetts' Town Hall with your family!
Come ring in the New Year with us!  Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem are teaming up to throw LAUNCH!, our family-friendly New Year’s Eve party, on Tuesday, Dec. 31 from 4:30 pm to 6 pm on Artists’ Row at 24 New Derby Street. There will be an early countdown just before 6 pm.
4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Wednesday, January 1

Music Together - Wednesday

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...
9:30 am to 11:15 am
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