Exploration

Imagine, Sing & Learn: Ready for Winter!

Kids will learn about how animals get ready for Winter months at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport

This parent/child program is designed for the creative, curious, and active preschooler. Each 90-minute session offers a structured series of activities including original songs, movement, dramatic play, hands-on science, and a thematic snack. You'll receive coloring pages, song lyrics, vocabulary, a fun fact sheet, and a suggested reading list in an electronic goody bag! This week we'll be focusing on how animals and other creatures keep warm in the wild.

When:

Friday, December 10, 2016 9:30-11pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Sense of Wonder Walk: Food Webs of the Forest

Come explore the food webs of the forest at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary!

Walk with us through the forest to see how the changing season affects animals, trees, and plants. Examine tree holes and look for animals in the leaves. Whatever we find, we will explore, but we'll focus on what is eating and being eaten in the woods.

When:

Sunday, December 4, 2016 1:30-3pm

Location:

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

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Imagine, Sing & Learn: Wake Up, It's Night!

Come discover the wonder of the nocturnal creatures at Mass Audubons' Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburport! Photo: Neil McIntosh

This parent/child program is designed for the creative, curious, and active preschooler. Each 90-minute session offers a structured series of activities including original songs, movement, dramatic play, hands-on science, and a thematic snack. You'll receive coloring pages, song lyrics, vocabulary, a fun fact sheet, and a suggested reading list in an electronic goody bag! This session focuses on creatures that wake up a nightfall and spend their waking hours in the dark!

When:

Friday, October 14, 2016 9:30-11am

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Downrig or Die!

Celebrate 400 Years of Maritime History at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts! V

Salem Maritime National Historic Site will be celebrating sailing, ships, and our maritime heritage. Details about activities are coming soon. (Sneak peak! Activities will include sails of the Essex built schooners Fame and Ardelle, activities and lectures at St. Joseph Hall, and a social at Victoria's Station from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.)

When:

Saturday, November 5, 2016 Noon-9pm

Location:

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

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Create a Woodland Creature for Preschoolers

Preschoolers will make their own version of a woodland creature at Mass Audubons' Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburport! Photo: Bill O'Connor

Join Joppa Flats Education Center with your pre-schooler for an adventure to collect acorns, pine cones, lichen, bark, and moss at Newburyport's Moseley Pines. Then, we'll put imagination together with these wonderful natural materials, and you and your child will create a new woodland creature friend with what we find! You'll go home with a new excitement for finding natural treasures and turning them into creative projects.

When:

Thursday, October 13, 2016 10-11:30am

Location:

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Explore the Pond

Discover what creatures live in New England Ponds at Harold Parker State Forest!

Meet at Campground Nature Center - Let’s discover what lives in our tranquil New England ponds by exploring Frye Pond! Recommend bringing water, insect repellent, sun screen, binoculars and camera. Appropriate for kids aged 6 and older. Kids 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

When:

Friday, October 7, 2016 2-3pm

Location:

Harold Parker State Forest

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Trail Blazing Trek

Join Mass Audubon naturalists on a hike some of the less travelled trails at IRWS.

Ipswich River Sanctuary invites you to come explore! Looking to get off the beaten path and take "the one less traveled?" Haven't yet hiked alll 12 miles of our sanctuary's interconnected trails? Have a yearning to explore places like Hassocky Meadow or White Pine Loop? Come with us as we trek some of the sanctuary's less frequented trails to discover new sights and sounds in these spectacular habitats.

When:

Saturday, October 1, 2016 1:30 pm - 3pm

Location:

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

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Rail Trail Bike Ride

Bike the Rail Trail from Topsfield to Danvers and back as part of Trails and Sails!

Join ECTA Trail Steward and Topsfield Rail Trail Committee Chairman Joe Geller as he leads us on a bike tour of the Topsfield Linear Common Rail Trail through Topsfield, Wenham, Danvers and Peabody. We will begin at the Town Hall parking lot in Topsfield at 9 a.m. and ride to Lowell Street in Peabody. We'll stop for a short break at Karl's Sausage Kitchen off Lowell Street in Peabody for rest rooms for about 20 minutes before returning to Topsfield. This is a great chance to discover a fantastic and safe multi-use path you never knew was there!!

When:

Sunday, September 25, 2016 9am - Noon

Location:

Topsfield Town Common

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Maritime Archaeology and Heritage on the Wharf

Celebrate 400 Years of Maritime History at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!

Join the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Dr. Calvin Mires, Co-Founder and Instructor of Seafaring Education and Maritime Archaeological Heritage Program (SEAMAHP) in bringing maritime heritage to life through hands-on activities. Although we won't actually be practicing archaeology, visitors young and old will have the opportunity to use the tools and methods of archaeological research, survey and documentation.

When:

Saturday, September 24, 2016, 11am-4pm (Open Doors)

Location:

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

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Imagine, Sing, & Learn 8A: Moths, Caterpillars and Butterflies

Learn about butterflies, where they are going and what they eat at Joppa Flats.

My Oh My Butterfly is an interactive program where your youngster can learn about butterfly habitat, food and migration. Learn about different kinds of butterflies found on the North Shore, how to spot them and what will attract them.

When:

Thursday, August 18, 2016 1-2:30pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Superbowl of Birding 2025

The Superbowl of Birding 2025 is a unique competition conducted in Rockingham County, NH, and Essex County, MA. During a 12-hour period, teams of birders of all ages and abilities seek out the greatest number of avian species and amass the most points based on the rarity of the birds recorded....

Where: Joppa Flats Education Center

5:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Music Together - Saturday

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...

Where: Grace Episcopal Church in Salem

9:15 am to 11:15 am

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Gloucester's So Salty 2025

Celebrate the fish city’s recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions and businesses during the 4th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty festival on January 25 and 26, 2025 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm! Over 1,800 people came out last year to share their salty pride while enjoying free ice...

Where: Downtown Gloucester, Where: Cape Ann Museum, Where: Cape Ann Art Haven , Where: Gloucester City Hall, Where: Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church , Where: Maritime Gloucester, Where: Sawyer Free Library Temporary Space, Where: Local Colors

10:00 am to 5:00 pm

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First Aid, CPR & AED Training at ESM

Take a CPR, First Aid, and AED Certification Course hosted by the Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum at the charming Museum School House. Gain essential life-saving skills and the confidence to handle emergencies with ease.

Where: Essex Shipbuilding Museum

10:00 am to 2:00 pm

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Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!

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.

Where: Halibut Point State Park

11:00 am to 12:30 pm

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Befriend the Barnyard

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...

Where: Appleton Farms

11:00 am to 1:00 pm

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Dungeons & Dragons Club at Essex Library

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!

Where: Hamilton-Wenham Public Library

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

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Nice n' Easy Hike at Breakheart Reservation

Join the Park Interpreter for this weekly guided hike! Each trip will highlight natural and historic features unique to Breakheart. Hikes are moderately paced and range from 2-3 miles over sometimes uneven and rocky terrain. Best for ages 8 years and up. Meet at the Visitor Center.

Where: Breakheart Reservation

9:30 pm to 11:30 pm

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Wednesday, February 19

Music Together - Wednesday

Where: St. John's Episcopal Church in Beverly Farms

9:30 am to 11:15 am

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Thursday, February 20

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

Enjoy an outdoor treasure hunt at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations during February Vacation! Halibut Point State Park invites kids and families to follow clues then unscramble to find a treasure box!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Friday, February 21

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Music Together - Friday

Where: Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham

10:30 am to 11:15 am

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Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

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.

Where: Breakheart Reservation

10:30 am to 11:30 am

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