Exploration

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

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

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: 

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

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

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)

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

Nature Adventures with Picture Books: Butterflies

Learn about butterflies at the MassAudubon Ipswich River wildlife Sanctuary!

Rita Gallant, Lead Field Teacher at IRWS will read Festive Occasions - Special Event Rental Equipment by Joanne Ryder. Let's find out what butterflies live in our area. Using sweep nets and hand lenses, we'll observe butterflies in the gardens and fields of the sanctuary. Become a butterfly as we learn about the life cycles of these fluttering marvels.

When: 
Tuesday, August 2, 2016 9:30-11:00 am

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Sea Festival of Trees family fun by the beach at Blue Ocean Event Center Salisbury 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

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Come to Hammond Castle for the 6th annual Deck The Halls holiday celebration. Hammond Castle Museum will be dressed for the holidays inside and out. Delight in the enchanting ambiance of Christmas and White Birch trees, meticulously arranged garlands, festive wreaths, and the warm embrace of...
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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

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

Chess Night at Beverly Library

BevRec and the Beverly Public Library are teaming up to offer Chess Nights in the Beverly Massachusetts Library.
You do not have access to view this node and BevRec are teaming up to offer Chess Nights in the Barnett Gallery in the main Library at 32 Essex St, Beverly. The first Monday of each month through May, come and play the world’s greatest game (if you don’t count Pac Man) with your neighbors. This is...
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 14

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

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

Deck the Docks at Maritime Gloucester

Deck the Docks at on the Gloucester Massachusetts Waterfront and join the holiday cheer!
Come to Maritime Gloucester for fun holiday happenings on the waterfront in Gloucester Massachusetts!
10:00 am to 7:00 pm

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Come to Hammond Castle for the 6th annual Deck The Halls holiday celebration. Hammond Castle Museum will be dressed for the holidays inside and out. Delight in the enchanting ambiance of Christmas and White Birch trees, meticulously arranged garlands, festive wreaths, and the warm embrace of...
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

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

Second Saturdays at Cape Ann Museum

Second Saturdays mean free admission for local Families at Cape Ann Museum!
The Museum is free all day for Cape Ann residents* on the second Saturday of every month in 2024! The second Saturday of every month is free for Cape Ann families. Pre-registration and timed tickets are required.
10:00 am to 6:00 pm

2nd & 4th Saturday at Lynn Museum

Lynn Museum in Massachusetts offers free admission on the second Saturday of each month.
Come to the Lynn Museum and Historical Society for FREE family fun. Join us on the second and fourth Saturday of each month for FREE admission to the Museum from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.! You can view our latest exhibitions, purchase Lynn-themed goods in our shop, check out books in our free library, and...
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Santa's Workshop

Santa's Workshop in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Visit Newburyport MA during the holidays
Newburyport is a favorite local town to shop - especially during the holidays. The fantastic lights downtown, the tree in Market Square, all the beautifully decorated window boxes and of course, Santa's Workshop, where the kids can whisper their wishes to Santa.
11:00 am to 2:00 pm

The Nutcracker by Greater Salem Ballet

The Greater Salem Ballet performs the Nutcracker at Lynn Auditorium featuring more than 100 children and adults from the North Shore!
Join Greater Salem Ballet Company for their annual performance of 'The Nutcracker' at the at Lynn Memorial Auditorium at Lynn City Hall!  Follow Clara on her magical journey.
12:00 pm

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....
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
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