Crafts

UPDATE: The Eagle Festival is Cancelled because of the snow! Come to Newburyport to celebrate the return of migrating eagles back to the Merrimack River Estuary! The Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge have teamed up to bring an entire day of free events centered around the wonders of the Bald Eagles that have come to take seasonal advantage of the Merrimack River habitat. 

We'll read The Mitten by Jan Brett and then take a hike to look for animal homes in the sanctuary. Using a very large mitten, we will recreate the story. As a group, we'll build a people shelter and see how warm we can make it.

What animals do you see in winter? Where do they find their food? We will hike to the woods and look for clues of what they have been eating and where they have been sleeping. Discover tracks in the snow and try to guess what animals have been on the trails.

Need an excuse to get out of the house this winter? Drop by our Nature Center on select Thursday mornings in January and observe the wildlife activity in our bird garden. You will be treated to close looks at squirrels, rabbits, and the wide variety of winter birds that visit our feeders. We will provide hot drinks, a few tasty treats, and a staff member to help you identify everything you see. No matter how cold the temperatures may be outside, it's always warm inside! Children welcome.

Rockport New Year's Eve will have plenty of fun and entertainment for families starting at 6 pm and running all the way through to the count down and ball drop in Dock Square at midnight! There will be magicians, puppet shows, and even a drum parade with a green dancing dragon.  This all happens with a backdrop live performances of dance & music ranging from classical music, jazz, reggae and rock & roll! So buy your buttons, come to Rockport, and get ready for a fun evening to ring in the New Year as a family!

Celebrate local author, illustrator and artist Virginia Lee Burton with story time, playing and art making in the Children's Activity Center. Burton authored and illustrated some of the most memorable books ever written for children, and won the 1942 Caldecott Medal for The Little House (Sandpiper Books) .

Through 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. Come and find out how you would survive!

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. A short slide presentation will highlight the birds that commonly come to feeders. We'll also observe the sanctuary feeders to see which birds are looking for food. Instructors will circulate to provide assistance.

Our school vacation programs offer a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities while we keep minds active and hands busy during break! Each session offers a different theme, with art activities, experiments, group games, and more. It's free-flow learning for the whole family. Come once or make it a multi-day experience! Fly by for an hour or stay all day for a vacation activity that suits your family schedule.