Using teamwork and problem solving, we will explore the woodlands of the sanctuary and imagine that we are explorers stranded in the wilderness. In order to survive, we will need to build shelters, collect firewood, and find food and a water source. We will end by roasting marshmallows over a fire and trying out some pine needle tea.
Registration is required for Bark and Read, a program that boost the confidence of young readers with Christine Christoforo and her dogs, Cayenne and Rue, who have been trained by Therapy Dogs International. Registration is required for 15 time slots with the dog. Stop by the Children's Room or call us at 978-412-8713 to sign up. This program is best for tentative readers and/or children who might be uncomfortable with dogs.
Come to the Children’s Room for a LEGO Family Build. We’ll provide the LEGOs; you provide the family and the building ideas. Bring your smart phone or camera to snap some photos of your creations as we will build, then take it all apart!
The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (My Life, My Health) is for anyone living with an on-going medical condition like: high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease, asthma, chronic back pain, parkinson's, chronic fatigue, fibomyalgia and more. Family members, friends and caregivers can also participate.
Brighten up your yard this winter with a bird feeder handmade by you and your child. Each family will receive a kit containing all the necessary parts to build a feeder that will attract chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, and many other birds to your yard. Mass Audubon's Scott Santino from Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary will explain winter birds and then lead a workshop to build bird feeders.
Join the Joppa Flats STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Team, where you will work together with other creative and curious students for a weekly engineering challenge! We'll study how scientists and engineers have designed prosthetic legs for elephants, prosthetic beaks for eagles, and the prosthetic tail for "Winter" the Dolphin from Dolphin Tales. In collaboration with other creative and curious students, we'll work on problem-solving skills, increase your awareness of design elements in nature, and unleash your inner scientist!
Start your weekend with others who are intereted in science and wildlife and get in touch with your "inner scientist!" Twice a month we'll offer a chance to meet live creatures, design something "green," or explore a new field in science.
The Ipswich River is the perfect place to start your children canoeing. We'll pair up two adults and two children per canoe and take a leisurely paddle up the river. We'll stop off in one of the backwater areas and do some dipping in the river to get a closer look at the creatures that live under the surface. On our return, we'll enjoy a snack at the picnic tables by the Nature Center and talk about what we discovered. Bring a blanket and we'll provide a sweet treat.
Joppa Flats Education Center host a great session about animal skull and teeth! Teeth can tell you all about an animal's diet, feeding behavior, and strategy for survival. Skulls can tell you if an animal was a canine or feline. We'll examine skulls and teeth and try to imagine the animals that owned them. Finally, we'll create "mystery-ivores" with their own activities and diets.
TownGreen 2025, a program of the Gloucester Meeting House Foundation, presents its third annual Cape Ann Sustainability Fair. This community-wide event will offer information and resources for everyone from interested students to leaders in the local sustainability movement. Speakers and exhibitors will target home owners, business owners, renters, elected officials, teachers, and all other stakeholders.
