Mass Audubon

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 maple, observe tapping and sap collection methods, watch the sap being boiled down in the sugarhouse, and get a sweet taste of the final product. 

When: 
Saturdays, March 1, 8 & 15, 2025 10:30am-3:30pm

Family Owl Prowl

Join a Family Owl Prowl Campout at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo: Scott Santino

People of all ages love owls, and many species of owls can be found right here in Massachusetts year-round. Experience the excitement of an owl prowl as we take a night hike to look and listen for Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Eastern Screech-owls. Before we head out on our nocturnal adventure, we'll learn fun owl facts in our cozy Barn using real owl mounts, feathers, talons, and a brief slide show. We'll end our evening with an owl-hooting lesson.

When: 
Saturday, February 8, 2025 5:30-7:30pm

Animal Adventures Series: Inside & Out

Come learn about your favorite animals and their habitats at the Joppa Flats Center in Newburyport Massachusetts! Photo: Kathy Crane, NOAA Arctic Research Program

Joppa Flats Education Center invites families for family fun about your favorite animals with hands-on science, songs, a take-home craft and outdoor time, weather permitting. This is a three-week series for young "naturalists" and their adventure-loving adult to learn about animals together. Please note there are no live animals in these programs.

When: 
Friday, January 24, 2025 1:30-3pm
Friday, February 7, 2025 1:30-3pm
Friday, March 7, 2025 1:30-3pm

All Family Field Trips - Coastal Winter Wildlife

Joppa Flats Education Center host an outing at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation in search of coastal wildlife.

Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the north shore. Our engaging and experienced staff will introduce families to local beaches, forests, and wetlands to make observations in nature, identify wildlife, and enjoy hands on science activities outdoors. Sign up for one, some, or all!

When: 
Saturday, February 8, 2025 10am-Noon

Family Open House: Winter Wildlife Wonders

Stop by as part of Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport for a family oriented open house! Photo: Eastern Bluebirds © Cheryl Rose

Drop in to learn what mammals, birds, insects and sea creatures do in the winter! Test your knowledge and skills at a science station, examine natural objects with our new bioscope, and take home a fun nature craft or two. Family presentations with Miss Lisa at 11am and 2pm. Great for families and kids aged 3-14!

When: 
Saturday, January 18, 2025 10am-3pm

Winter Solstice Walk

Come celebrate the Winter solstice at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary with a night time walk using lanterns!

Celebrate the shortest day of the year and welcome the lengthening days ahead with a candlelit evening walk on the trails of the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. The evening will begin by making your own lantern in our cozy, heated barn while sanctuary naturalists share the science of solstice. With lanterns in hand, we'll light up the night with a stroll through the forest and perhaps catch sights or sounds of animals active during the winter season.

When: 
Saturday, December 14, 2024 4-6pm

Into the Woods: Guided Halloween Hike at IRWS

At sundown this Halloween season, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary will be transformed into a magical forest.

At sundown this Halloween season, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary will be transformed into a magical forest. Take a guided walk along our Halloween trail, lit by glowing luminaries and home to some interesting nocturnal animals that come out just for Halloween. Learn about local animals of the night and signs of the season on this, fun family-friendly walk. Kids activities and crafts in the barn and costumes encouraged, of course! Allow about one hour for this walk.

When: 
Friday, October 18, 2024 5-8:30pm
Saturday, October 19, 2024 5-8:30pm

CoastSweep: Plum Island

CoastSweep coastal cleanup on Plum Island September 2023 in Newbury Massachusetts

As part of COASTSWEEP Beach Cleanup, volunteers are encourage to come to Plum Island and help in the statewide effort to keep our coastline clean. COASTSWEEP is the annual statewide cleanup of Massachusetts coastal and riverine environments. Over more than 20 years, COASTSWEEP has engaged thousands of volunteers in cleaning hundreds of miles of shoreline and riverbanks.

When: 
Sunday, September 22, 2024 9am-Noon

Yankee Homecoming Family Day

Newburyport Yankee Homecoming's Family Fun Day has a lot to offer in events and activities.

Kick off your Super Saturday with Yankee Homecoming at the Nock Middle School, the perfect place for family fun! Enjoy a day filled with exciting activities, crafts, and games offered by local businesses, organizations, and non-profits—all for free! Take a break for lunch while enjoying live music on the main stage or watching engaging performances throughout the park. It's a wonderful opportunity for parents and caregivers to create lasting memories with their children. Don't miss out on this fantastic family day out!

When: 
Saturday August 3, 2024 10am-2pm

All Family Field Trip: Birds on the River

Come see the different birds that live on the shore at Joppa Flat Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts

Come explore what nature has in store at some of our most amazing wild places on the north shore. Our engaging and experienced staff will introduce families to local beaches, forests, and wetlands to make observations in nature, identify wildlife, and enjoy hands on science activities outdoors. Sign up for one, some, or all!

When: 
Thursday, July 11, 2024 10am-Noon

Pages

A Landmark Summer Experience at Landmark School in Beverly Massachusetts prepare students for success in the fall and beyond.

Children's Craft Series: Cross-stitch Bookmarks

Kids will learn the skill of cross-stitching at the Amesbury Carriage Museum in Massachusetts.
Join us for a fun and creative series of workshops where children can learn traditional decorative arts and take home their very own handmade projects! The first class will introduce the timeless art of cross-stitch.
1:00 am to 3:00 pm

LEGO Club at Danvers Library

LEGO club at Danvers Library Massachusetts
Peabody Institute Library - Danvers invites kids to an afternoon of building and fun! Activities will include free build, themes and instructional design. All structures will remain on display in the Children’s Room till the following weeks's session
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Friday, January 17

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

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

Drop-In Family LEGO at HWPL

Wednesdays are LEGO Build Days at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library
Put your imagination and building skills to the test at this self-directed drop-in program. All ages are welcome with a caregiver.
3:15 pm to 4:15 pm

Intro to Sourdough Bread Workshop at Appleton Farms

Learn the ins and outs of sourdough bread at Appleton Farms in in Ipswich Massachusetts!
In this workshop, participants will learn to make bakery-quality bread with local flour in their home oven. Culinary Program Manager Jess Porter will demonstrate mixing, folding, shaping, proofing, scoring, and baking Appleton’s flagship Farmstead Sourdough. We will discuss sourdough starter...
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Saturday, January 18

Music Together - Saturday

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

Family Open House: Winter Wildlife Wonders

Stop by as part of Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport for a family oriented open house! Photo: Eastern Bluebirds © Cheryl Rose
Drop in to learn what mammals, birds, insects and sea creatures do in the winter! Test your knowledge and skills at a science station, examine natural objects with our new bioscope, and take home a fun nature craft or two. Family presentations with Miss Lisa at 11am and 2pm. Great for families and...
10:00 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

Befriend the Barnyard

Befriend the Barnyard is a hands-on barnyard experience at the Trustees of Reservations' Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts
Discover our special barnyard animals! Our Angora rabbits Violet, Mabel, Oiver and Charles; Nubian goats Maeve, Morgana, and Mordred; dairy cows Gray, Jasmine, their calves Gigi and Joanie and our friendly flock of heritage chickens will take center stage as we learn about what makes them so unique...
11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Winter Carnival Fundraiser

Come to the Winter Carnival, a fundraiser for Sweet PAws Rescue, at Barewolf Brewing in Amesbury Masssachusetts
Sweet Paws Rescue's 2nd Annual Winter Carnival is back at BareWolf Brewing in Amesbury, Massachusetts! Try your luck at their ticketed games: Ring Toss, Nerf Shots, Snowball Baskets, Claw Machine, & more! Enjoy other activities for kids: crafts, face-painting, photo booth, raffle. ALL TICKET...
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Dungeons & Dragons Club at Essex Library

The Essex Massachusetts Library hosts a Dungeons and Dragons club for local kids.
Enjoy a the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons on Mondays, 5:30-7pm with Student Dungeon Master, Gus Hall. Spaces are limited, register early!
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
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