Pre-School

Backpack Babies at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Backpack Babies is a program that encourages caregivers to explore the natural world with their babies and toddlers. Photo: Sharon Grimes

Backpack Babies is a program that encourages caregivers to explore the natural world with their babies and toddlers. Bring your backpack/frontpack or jogging stroller and explore the meadows, forests, and wetlands with your baby in this four-session series. Each class will begin indoors with a nature book and a few lap rhymes, songs, and games about the topic of the day. Then we'll go outside for a closer look at nature's gifts with our:

Location: 
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Topsfield
Pre-School
Kids
Natural History
Hike
Art
Music

Family Campout: Owl Prowl

Explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary after hours for a night. Photo Scott Santino

Explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary after hours and join us for a night of camping under the stars. Have an early dinner at home and then come with your family and your tent. We will explore nature through games and hands-on activities, set up our tents near the Barn before sundown, and tell stories after the sun sets. All campouts include an evening and a morning activity or hike and a light breakfast.

When: 
Saturday, September 15 6pm - Sunday, September 16, 2018 9am
Location: 
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Topsfield
Exploration
Outdoor Activity
Camping
Campout

Meet Beach Creatures All Summer Long!

Discover and explore the facts of the creatures you find at the beach at Joppa

Drop in at Joppa Flats BEFORE the beach, AFTER the beach, or INSTEAD of the beach! What is that spiky thing I almost stepped on? How do starfish – or is it sea stars – eat? Are those baby fish, or is that as big as they get? You have the questions, Joppa Flats Education Center has the answers – and the animals – and the touch tanks!  Themes will change weekly!

When: 
Thursdays - Sundays, June 28 - August 26, 2018 10am-3pm
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Newburyport
Exploration
Discovery
Mass Audubon

Beach Discovery at Parker River

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Mass Audubon team up to teach visitors about the different creatures that live on the beach

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center are collaborating to offer visitors an opportunity to discover the different animals that live on the beach. Visitors can stop by the tent adjacent to the first boardwalk to the beach. Through hands-on educational activities, visitors will discover different habitat zones and what animals use these habitats.  Visitors will have an opportunity to explore and touch live tide pool animals such as crabs, hermit crabs and sea urchins provided by Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center.

When: 
Wednesdays, August 1, 8, 15 & 22, 2018 2-4 pm
Location: 
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Newburyport
Hike
Walk
Exploration
Nature
Crafts

Bound for Butterflies

Joppa Flats Education Center will have Free indoor and outdoor activities for kids and families!

Join the park interpreter and special guest Russ Hopping on a walk to view and identify various butterfly species at Maudslay.  Russ is an active member of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club and enjoys sharing his knowledge of butterflies with others.  Russ is the Ecology Program Director for The Trustees of Reservations. He has worked for The Trustees since 1997, overseeing the stewardship of ecological resources at The Trustees’ more than 26,000 acres.

When: 
Saturday, August 11, 2018 10am-Noon
Location: 
Maudslay State Park
Newburyport
Exploration
Science
Nature
Live Animals
Discovery
Crafts
Games
Ecology
Environment

Whipple Wednesdays Drop-in Games

Whipple Wednesdays at the Ipswich Museum in ipswich Massachusetts

Ipswich Museum hosts a morning of fun and historic games at the Whipple House each Wednesday in July and August! There’s no need to make a reservation or stay the whole time - just drop in. We’ll have a variety of historic games to play, including rolling hoops, graces, fox & geese, and more! This is a free, all-ages program, but donations are appreciated.

When: 
Wednesdays through July and August 2018 10am-Noon
Location: 
Ipswich Museum
Ipswich
Museum
Games
Outdoor Activity

Butterflies & Bugs Free-for-All

Joppa Flats Education Center will have Free indoor and outdoor activities for kids and families!

Drop in at Joppa Flats and meet live caterpillars, moths, and butterflies! You’ll learn smart practices to attract birds and wildlife to your own yard as well as how to safely identify insects. Enjoy a "Backyard Bug Hunt' with our naturalists, join in a "Monarch Migration Relay Race," and take home a fun craft or two.

When: 
Sunday, July 22, 2018 10am-3pm
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Newburyport
Exploration
Science
Nature
Live Animals
Discovery
Crafts
Games
Ecology
Environment
Mass Audubon

Imagine, Sing & Learn: Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs are the subject of the next Imagine, Sing and Learn at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

These fun-filled morning programs are perfect for you and your active preschooler! Our structured activities include hands-on science, music and movement, a thematic snack, and an outdoor adventure if the weather complies. Keep learning with coloring pages and follow-up activities to continue the fun at home! This week we'll focus on coral reefs and the special creatures that live there!

When: 
Friday, July 20, 2018 9:30-11am
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Newburyport
Exploration
Sing Along
Dance
Science
Discovery
Crafts

Pages

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

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!
Where: Halibut Point State Park
7:00 am to 6:00 pm
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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.
Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
7:00 am to 7:00 pm
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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...
Where: Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham
10:30 am to 11:15 am
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Kidleidoscope
Kidleidoscope at Maudslay State Park is a chance for preschoolers to explore the park, enjoy a story and make a craft!
Maudslay State Park has created this program for their youngest crowd! For the young set that loves nature, the park interpreter will lead a three-part preschool aged program that includes a story, craft & walk that involves outdoor exploration. A different nature topic each week so come every...
Where: Maudslay State Park
11:00 am
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Saugus Iron Works House Tours

Free Ranger guided tours of the Saugus Iron Works House in Massachusetts
Join National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a 30-minute tour of The Iron Works House.
Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
11:00 am
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Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour
Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
Essex Hertiage invites you to learn the true causes and events behind the Salem Witch Trials in our documentary film, then discover the myths during our walking tour. The Salem Witch Trials happened over 300 years ago, and it has been dramatized in books, documentaries, movies, and even TV shows....
Where: Downtown Salem
11:45 am to 3:00 pm
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Drop-in Open House at the Nature Center
Drop-in Open House at the Bradley Palmer State Park Nature Center in Hamilton Ipswich Massachusetts
Explore the Nature Center at your leisure. The Park Interpreter will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions. Come see and touch animal furs, replica skulls, animal models, and other natural history materials. For little artists, coloring pages and washable markers will be on hand.
Where: Bradley Palmer State Park
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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Saugus Iron Works Tours
Free Ranger guided tours at Saugus Iron Works Colonial Industrial Site in Massachusetts
Join the National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a tour of the colonial industrial site. On select days, you may be able to stick around and witness pop-up molten iron pour, blacksmithing, waterwheel demonstrations, and take part in hands-on river stewardship activities.
Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
2:00 pm
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Hamilton-Wenham Farmers' Market
Hamilton-Wenham Community House hosts a Popup farmers market on the front lawn!
The Hamilton-Wenham Farmers’ Market is a food and flower market presented by The Community House. Vendor offerings must be grown, raised, or produced within 100 miles of Hamilton. The Market features a range of vendors offering locally grown produce, honey, flowers, baked goods, artisanal crafts,...
Where: Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
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Saturday, September 14

Farm-Forest-Ice Cream Hike
Join this Trails and Sails Hike through the woods in Ipswich for a Ice Cream Treat!
Come to Marini Farm for a group hike through the forest to White Farms for an optional ice cream. The group will hike the same route back. Approximately two hours.
Where: Marini Farm
11:00 am to 1:30 pm
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Saugus Iron Works House Tours

Free Ranger guided tours of the Saugus Iron Works House in Massachusetts
Join National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a 30-minute tour of The Iron Works House.
Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
11:00 am
♦ Read More →

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour
Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
Essex Hertiage invites you to learn the true causes and events behind the Salem Witch Trials in our documentary film, then discover the myths during our walking tour. The Salem Witch Trials happened over 300 years ago, and it has been dramatized in books, documentaries, movies, and even TV shows....
Where: Downtown Salem
11:45 am to 3:00 pm
♦ Read More →

Plumfest 2024
Plumfest is an annual celebration of music and community on Plum Island in Newburyport
PlumFest is a non-profit volunteer-run organization incorporated as a Charitable Foundation to bring local musicians, island residents and visitors together to showcase the natural beauty and artistry that make Plum Island such a special place. As an early participant in the “porch-fest” movement...
12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
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Open House at the Amesbury Carriage Museum

Open House at the Amesbury Carriage Museum Massachusetts - a Trails and Sails Event
Join the Amesbury Carriage Museum & Industrial History Center for a family-friendly open house about all things automobiles! Amesbury, known as “carriage town,” also had a thriving early automobile industry.
Where: Amesbury Carriage Museum
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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Garden Tours at Stevens Coolidge Estate
Come enjoy the fantastic flower display in the gardens at the Trustees of Reservations Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover!
Enter a world of early 20th-century country elegance and contemporary garden design all in bloom at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens. These expansive manicured gardens boast both plentiful European-inspired flower beds as designed in the 1920s, as well as newly installed gardens featuring...
Where: Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens
12:00 pm
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Drop-in Open House at the Nature Center
Drop-in Open House at the Bradley Palmer State Park Nature Center in Hamilton Ipswich Massachusetts
Explore the Nature Center at your leisure. The Park Interpreter will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions. Come see and touch animal furs, replica skulls, animal models, and other natural history materials. For little artists, coloring pages and washable markers will be on hand.
Where: Bradley Palmer State Park
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
♦ Read More →

Step Aboard the Friendship of Salem

Permission to come aboard the Friendship of Salem is granted at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!
Explore the FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM, a replica tall ship based on a 1796 Salem vessel at Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
Where: Salem Maritime National Historic Site
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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Saugus Iron Works Tours
Free Ranger guided tours at Saugus Iron Works Colonial Industrial Site in Massachusetts
Join the National Park staff at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a tour of the colonial industrial site. On select days, you may be able to stick around and witness pop-up molten iron pour, blacksmithing, waterwheel demonstrations, and take part in hands-on river stewardship activities.
Where: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
2:00 pm
♦ Read More →

A Spiritual Quest Weekend at Hilldale Cemetery
Hilldale Cemetary in Haverhill Massachusetts is one of the North Shore's most active paranormal spots!
Do you believe in Ghosts? If you do then join the Essex County Ghost Project and Witches Wonder fort a spooktacular evening of haunts and fun . The gates open at 6:30 pm and hunt starts at 7pm . We are exploring one of New England’s most Haunted historical sites . There have been reports of full...
Where: Hilldale Cemetary
6:30 pm to 10:30 pm
♦ Read More →
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