Topsfield

Discovering Nature Through Story, Music, and Art

Kids will explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary to connect with nature and learn about the creatures of the North Shore Massachusetts wilderness!

Preschoolers and young kids will explore the wonders of winter in the "enchanted woods" of Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in this four-session series. We'll begin in the Nature Center with story, poetry, and imagination. Next, we'll bundle up for a winter walk to awaken our sense of wonder to the silence, scents, and scenery of the sleeping winter woods. Along the way, discover how the trees, plants, birds, beavers, squirrels, chipmunks, and other wildlife spend the winter. We'll look for animal stories in the snow (tracking) and much more. After our walks, we'll create artwork that reflects the wonders of winter that we discovered, while listening to winter nature songs. These keepsakes will bring home winter's secrets and beauty as we await the signs of spring.

Firefly Watch Pro Community Science Training

Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary offers training for families and kids to take part in the Firefly Watch Project.

Everybody loves Fireflies! Mass Audubon has been coordinating the Firefly Watch community science project since taking over from the Museum of Science in 2018. Counting firefly flashes is fun, but we are ready to think bigger. Firefly Watch Pro, the next step to our existing project, asks you to get you up close to the fireflies, photograph them to identify specific genera, and provide flash pattern data that might help us identify the species in your habitat. This additional data will help us learn what fireflies live where, and over time will give us a sense of population change for specific species and genera.

When: 
Monday, May 16, 2022 7-9pm

Dino and Dragon Stroll

Dino and Dragon Stroll at the Topsfield Fair Grounds. a fun time for the whole family!

DINO & DRAGON STROLL is the only North American Tour that lets up walk-thru and get up close to life-like and life-size dinosaurs AND dragons! Nowhere else can you encounter colossal sized dinosaurs ranging from babies to the huge Brachiosaurus standing 20 ft. tall and 36 ft. long, the massive Mamenchisaurus standing over 2 stories high and 60 ft. long, the mammoth Spinosaurus also over 2 stories high and over 45 ft. long, the enormous, show stopping T-Rex at 28 ft. tall and over 60 ft. long and the gigantic Apatosaurus that is 24 ft. tall and 65 ft. long, just to name a few!

When: 
Saturday, May 14, 2022 10am-4pm
Sunday, May 15, 2022 10am-3pm
Saturday, May 14, 2022 8:30am (Sensory Friendly)

Eco-Art: Flower Power

Bluets are a common wildflower in the late Spring in Massachusetts

Create a decoupage flower container for your summertime arrangements, and then explore the sanctuary to look for wildflowers and learn the important role butterflies and bees play in producing new flowers. We'll use hand lenses and nets to observe insects and share a butterfly story in the meadow.

When: 
Thursday, July 21, 2016 9-11 am

Grow Spring! Expo

The fourth annual Grow Spring! Expo, a celebration of local agriculture, horticulture, and environmental preservation, returns to Topsfield

The fourth annual Grow Spring! Expo, a celebration of local agriculture, horticulture, and environmental preservation, returns to Topsfield on March 18, 10 AM - 3 PM.  Held at the Emerson Center, the Gould Barn, and The Commons, this year’s event is sponsored by the Topsfield Garden Club, the Topsfield Historical Society, The Commons, The Congregational Church of Topsfield and the Essex Agricultural Society.

When: 
March 18, 2017 10am-3pm

Autumn Art Explorations: Nature Mobile

Kids will learn about nature through story, a hike and art at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.

Join Artist and Art Teacher Mary Ann McCurdle for one or more of these new family art classes this fall. Each class will begin with a short story, followed by a nature walk, and finish up with a related art project as we celebrate the beauty of the season. 

When: 
Sunday, November 5, 2017 1-3:30pm

Parent/Child Build a Bluebird House

Bring the kids and learn how to build a bluebird house at Mass Audubon's IRWS

Celebrate spring by building a bluebird house with your child. We’ll supply all the materials and instruction to build a nest box for bluebirds and tree swallows. These wonderful nest boxes also attract chickadees, tufted titmice, house wrens, and woodpeckers. A short slide presentation will introduce families to the natural history and behavior of birds in Massachusetts, and we’ll discuss where and how to place your nest box. Dress for the weather because we will take a short walk to look and listen for bluebirds.

When: 
Saturday, April 6, 2019 1:30-3pm

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Landmark Summer Experience at Landmark School in Beverly Massachusetts

Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

 Maudslay in Bloom self guided walk at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Massachusetts.
Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts, offers a delightful self-guided walk that is perfect for families with children. The park's 480-acre expanse, once the Moseley Estate, is rich with historical charm and natural beauty. Families can embark on a self-guided tour through lush...
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 - 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

Sing & Dance with the Music Man

Sing & Dance with the Music Man Brian Doser in Hamilton visit Massachusetts
Come join the fun at Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 10am for 30 - 45 minutes of great music with Brian Doser! Sing and dance with the Music Man during a family concert, featuring familiar and original tunes, performed by local dad and musician,...
10:00 am to 10:45 am

Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

Swan Boat Boston North Shore Parent, North Shore Parents Summer Activities Guide
The Public Garden may be one of the most ideal picnicking locations in Boston. Well-groomed and overflowing with tulips, cherry-trees, with willows cascading over the duck pond, the Boston Public Garden is a great place to relax during Boston's most beautiful season.
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Stargazing at Mendel Observatory

Mendel Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night
The Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night (weather permitting) starting at dusk or 7:30 pm, whichever is later.  When special astronomical events of interest occur (total lunar eclipses, etc.) the Obs
7:00 pm

Saturday, May 17

Teen Naturalist Club at IRWS: Spring/Summer Series

Join Mass Audubon for their Teen Naturalist Club at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield Massachusetts!
Explore a variety of local ecosystems, learn more about a wide range of natural history topics, and do real wildlife data collection and conservation projects in this exciting club for teens!
8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Annual Plant Sale at NTL

Newbury Town Library's annual fundraiser palnt sale in Newbury Massachusetts
The Friends Annual Plant Sale is coming. Save the date so you can spring into gardening with perennials, annuals, fabulous raffle prizes, and more!  The Friends will gladly accept divided plants from your garden if you would like to donate. Just send them an email at: friendsofnewburytownlibrary@...
8:30 am to 1:00 pm

Motif #1 Day

Sidewalk Chalk art at Motif #1 Day in Rockport Massachusetts - a day of family fun!
The Motif No.1 Day Festival celebrates Rockport across the arts! The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring back Motif No. 1 Day, a beloved event celebrating the long history of artists featuring Motif No.1 in their works. The event will be held on Saturday, May 18 (rain date...
9:00 am to 4:59 pm

Motif #1 Day 5k & Fun Run

The Motif #1 5k run takes place on Motif #1 Day in Rockport, Massachusetts
This 5k Road Race and Kid's Fun Run is a great way to kick off Motif #1 Day! The 5k road race and 1 mile fun run that starts and ends at T Wharf in beautiful downtown Rockport. Run the race and then spend the day with your family enjoying the fun, food and entertainment of the day-log festival.
9:00 am to 10:30 am

Annual Plant Sale | Generous Gardeners

Generous Gardeners is having a plant sale just in time for the growing season in Gloucester Massachusetts!
Generous Gardeners is having a plant sale to just in time for the growing season in Gloucester Massachusetts! Join us for a Plant Sale on Stacy Boulevard on Saturday, May 17, 2025 from 9am to noon. The event will be held rain or shine. Locally grown plants plus dahlia tubers will be available for...
9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Beverly Library Spring Book Sale

Beverly Library in Massachusetts hosts hosts their annual book sale and fundraiser. Image is AI generated.
Our annual Friends' Spring Book Sale takes place daily at the main library from Saturday, Saturday May 10 through May 17. The sale will be open daily during regular library hours: Mon.-Thurs., 9AM-9PM; Fri.
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Beverly Warrior Weekend

Warrior Weekend at Beverly Massachusetts HighSchool
Warrior Weekend is a two day event that pays tribute to veterans through demonstrations and other events for the community. There will be all kinds of military hardware on site including tanks!
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

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

Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

Swan Boat Boston North Shore Parent, North Shore Parents Summer Activities Guide
The Public Garden may be one of the most ideal picnicking locations in Boston. Well-groomed and overflowing with tulips, cherry-trees, with willows cascading over the duck pond, the Boston Public Garden is a great place to relax during Boston's most beautiful season.
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Salamander Meander

What kind of Salamanders will we find at Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary? Photo: Mass Audubon
We'll search the sanctuary's vernal pools, ponds, and woodlands for a variety of amphibians that are the on the move. If we're lucky, we might see Wood Frog and Spotted Salamander eggs and catch a few adults to observe up close and then release.
10:00 am to 2:30 pm
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