Pre-School

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.

Kids in the Kitchen: Preschool Farm Explorers

Join Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts for a kids in the kitchen session for preschoolers and try out some delicious kid-friendly recipes with ingredients right from the farm!

Join Appleton Farms for a kids in the kitchen session for preschoolers and try out some delicious kid-friendly recipes with ingredients right from the farm! Each week we’ll practice our cooking skills and make something tasty together. While our creations bake, cool or simmer we’ll pass the time with a fun farm craft. Recipes will include: Bread & Butter, No-Bake Granola Bars, Farm Frittata, and Home Made Apple Sauce. Please pre-register. Fee covers one adult and child. Younger siblings are welcome with an additional fee of $24/$30 for member/nonmembers.

When: 
Wednesdays, November 7, 14 & 28, 2018 9:30-10:30AM
Wednesday, December 5, 2018 9:30-10:30AM
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Joppa Flats Summer Solstice Celebration

Celebrate the Summer Solstice with Mass Audubon at the Joppa Flats Education Center

Celebrate the longest day of the year (and the first day of summer) with us! Learn why we have seasons and express your appreciation for the summer with sun-themed activities, crafts, and songs. We'll make cosmic suncatchers and flower-power crowns, conduct a human sundial experiment, and make sun-themed snacks.

When: 
Friday, June 21, 2019 3:30-5pm

Pick Your Own Strawberries on the North Shore

Picking Strawberries is a fun and delicious way to spend part of your day

Have you ever eaten a hot strawberry? There's nothing better than picking a sun-heated strawberry right off of the vine and popping it in your mouth!  We're lucky enough to have a couple of strawberry plants around to satisfy the immediate urge, but if we're looking to make preserves to have on hand through the winter, we head out to one of many places on the North Shore to pick away to our hearts content. June is the month to harvest strawberries in Massachusetts so don't wait too long or you'll miss out!

Appleton Farms’ Preschool Farm Explorers

Farm Explorers is a great way for preschoolers to explore Appleton Farms in ipswich Massachusetts!

Spring is here, the plants are blooming, and the farmers are busy! We invite your little farmers to experience life at the farm as they explore the farmstead harvesting, hiking, and playing. Through farm “chores,” such as collecting eggs, brushing rabbits, and other age appropriate hands on activities, stories, and adventures, little farmers will become fully immersed in what life is like for a farmer. Each session will last 1 hour and will have a different theme such as “what plants need to grow.”

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Afternoon Adventures Drop-In Spring Series

Appleton Farms' popular Afternoon Adventures program now has a drop-in option on Wednesdays in Ipswich Massachusetts.

New this spring, the Trustee's popular Afternoon Adventures program now has a drop-in option on Wednesdays! Bring a friend, pick and choose the days you’d like to attend, or try it out for the first time. This 2.5-hour drop-off program on Wednesday afternoons provides your child with immersive, farm-based play and chores that foster social-emotional learning, wellbeing, and a love of nature. Skilled educators with a flair for fun and a knack for outdoor skills supervise your young farmers as they explore the barnyard, garden, and trails. This entirely-outdoors program uses our historic Carriage Barn (where the goats live!) for shelter in severe weather.

When: 
Wednesdays, May 4 - June 8, 2022 2-4:30PM
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Outdoor Ecology for Families: Backyard Ecology

Kids and families are invited to come explore the Ecology of the back yard with naturalists from the Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport.

It is summer! Join us in the riverside yard at Joppa Flats to learn about wildlife in the salt marsh, pond, rocky shore, and backyard habitats! You'll identify wild creatures, design small habitats, participate in small group challenges, and more. Sign up for one or all and see nature through the lens of a naturalist!

When: 
Thursday, August 4, 2022 1-3pm

Outdoor Ecology for Families: Pond Ecology

Kids and families are invited to come explore the pond habitat with naturalists from the Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport.

It is summer! Join us in the riverside yard at Joppa Flats to learn about wildlife in the salt marsh, pond, rocky shore, and backyard habitats! You'll identify wild creatures, design small habitats, participate in small group challenges, and more. Sign up for one or all and see nature through the lens of a naturalist!

When: 
Thursday, July 14, 2022 1-3pm

Outdoor Ecology for Families: Rocky Shore Ecology

Kids and families are invited to come explore the rocky shore with naturalists from the Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport.

It is summer! Join us in the riverside yard at Joppa Flats to learn about wildlife in the salt marsh, pond, rocky shore, and backyard habitats! You'll identify wild creatures, design small habitats, participate in small group challenges, and more. Sign up for one or all and see nature through the lens of a naturalist!

When: 
Thursday, August 11, 2022 1-3pm

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

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Art Academy Summer Program at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly MA

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

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

Trails & Sails

Explore the North Shore with over 150 Free Events in Essex National Heritage Area's Trails & Sails celebration in Massachusetts.
Essex National Heritage Area sites will offer over 150 free family fun events from September 14-29, 2024 for the annual celebration of TRAILS & SAILS. Discover special places in your backyard and be guided through unique landscapes on land and sea, explore historic properties, and take in...
7:00 am to 10:00 pm

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School in Hmailton Massachusetts hosts their annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture exhibit each Fall. Sculpture: Phoenix by Robin Tost.
Pingree School hosts the 16th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, Massachusetts .
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Crescent Farm Corn Maze

Crescent Farm corn maze in Haverhill Massachusetts
Imagine the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen. Now imagine a day in the sunshine with your friends or family. Now add an adventure that takes teamwork and memory skills. All these things and more can be found at Crescent Farms Corn Maze. Crescent Farm Corn Maze trails cut into 9 acres of corn. Inside...
9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Gloucester Gratis Days at Hammond Castle

Bring your kids to the Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts during April Vacation
In keeping with John Hays Hammond, Jr's original vision for his seaside castle-home to serve as a museum offering the Gloucester community access to ancient works of architectural art, Hammond Castle Museum will offer Gloucester residents free, self-guided tours each Tuesday throughout the regular...
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Paddle Around Historic Rockport Harbor

Paddle around Rockport Massachusetts Harbor for FREE as part of Trails and Sails
Come join North Shore Adventures and Outdoor Center for some fun on the water! No experience necessary. Depart from our private beach in one of our safe, stable kayaks or paddle boards and paddle around the historic Rockport Harbor for 30 mins. See lobster boats, Motif #1, the Rockport Break water...
10:30 pm

Sunday, September 21

Marbleheaders in the American Revolution

Glovers Regiment in Marblehead Massachusetts is just one stop on this Trails & Sails tour.
Pick up a program book and experience Revolutionary War-era Marblehead at various sites in the Historic District. Meet the wife of war hero, James Mugford; explore Fort Sewall with Glover’s Regiment; meet diarist Ashley Bowen portrayed by Donald Friary and experience an Anglican service at St....
11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Long Hill Garden Tours

Tour the Gardens at the Trustees of Reservations Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts!
The Trustees of Reservations invite you to join our expert guides for a tour around Long Hill’s stunning Sedgwick Gardens and learn more about the special plants. Visit Long Hill’s breathtaking gardens and stately historic house for a guided tour. Enjoy the rich history of this grand country estate...
11:00 am to 12:00 pm

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.
11:00 am

Vintage BaseBall at Spencer-Peirce Little Farm

Come see how baseball used to be played at Spencer Pierce Little Farm. Photo: Matthew Muise Photography
It’s Base Ball, 1864 style at Spencer Peirce Little Farm! These fun, historically accurate games feature underhand pitching and no gloves are allowed. A ball bounced once and caught is an out! Snacks, baseballs, and cards are available for purchase. Come and see for yourself how this game was...
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Fireman's Muster in Salisbury

Join the fun of the Fireman's Muster in the heart of Salisbury Massachusetts as part of Salisbury Days
The Town of Salisbury hosts a fireman's muster as part of Salisbury Days! Come join the fun with your family and watch the teamwork involved in this New England Tradition! As Part of Salisbury Days Celebration, on Sunday, in addition to the Muster event attendees can enjoy:
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Salisbury Days: Touch a Truck

Kids (and adults) can get up close and personal with all kinds of trucks in Salisbury Massachusetts
Salisbury Days are hosting a Touch-A-Truck event! Get up close and personal with all the trucks/unique vehicles you see on the road. Meet the people who drive them and learn about what they do!
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Brocklebank Museum Open House

Explore the Brocklebank Museum in Georgetown Massachusetts as part of Trails and Sails!
Visit the Brocklebank Museum, built in the late 1600s, with ties to the abolitionist movement and the famous Beecher family. tep back in time to the birth of our Nation. The Revolutionary War era in Essex County. Stop by and visit the Georgetown Historical Society in our tavern room at the...
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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.
1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

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.
2:00 pm

Nice n' Easy Hike at Maudslay State Park

Take a nice n' easy stroll at Muadslay State Park with your family in Newburyport Massachusetts!
Take a nice n' easy stroll at Bradley Palmer State Park with your family! Join the park interpreter for a basic recreational hike to explore the diverse landscape on a variety of trails through different areas of the park. For all ages.
2:00 pm
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