Topsfield

Sense of Wonder Walks for Families: Witches' Brooms and Gingerbread Houses

Galls can be seen on all sorts of plants and are actually temporary bug homes!

Can you imagine eating the home that you grew up in? Some insects lay eggs inside plants and cause strange-looking growths called galls. The walls of these miniature "bug castles" give the developing insect larvae food and shelter. This is evidence of another fascinating relationship between insects and plants. We will examine a variety of galls and learn about the lives of their inhabitants. On our walk, we'll hunt for as many kinds of galls as we can find.

When: 
Sunday, October 18, 2015 1:30-3pm

Winter Homeschool for Ages 12 to 15

Tweens and Teens will explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary to learn wilderness skills on the North Shore Massachusetts!

Ipswich River's weekly homeschool classes promote an active engagement with nature through inquiry-based, hands-on environmental education. Join us as we explore the many different habitats provided by our nearly 2,000-acre sanctuary, and lay the foundation for a lifelong connection with nature. This season, we will focus on the survival skills that all animals (including humans) need to survive the harsh New England winter.

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.

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

Dino and Dragon Stroll

Dino and Dragon Stroll at the Topsfield Fair Grounds. a fun time for the whole family!

DINO & DRAGON STROLL is the only North American Tour that lets up walk-thru and get up close to life-like and life-size dinosaurs AND dragons! Nowhere else can you encounter colossal sized dinosaurs ranging from babies to the huge Brachiosaurus standing 20 ft. tall and 36 ft. long, the massive Mamenchisaurus standing over 2 stories high and 60 ft. long, the mammoth Spinosaurus also over 2 stories high and over 45 ft. long, the enormous, show stopping T-Rex at 28 ft. tall and over 60 ft. long and the gigantic Apatosaurus that is 24 ft. tall and 65 ft. long, just to name a few!

When: 
Saturday, May 14, 2022 10am-4pm
Sunday, May 15, 2022 10am-3pm
Saturday, May 14, 2022 8:30am (Sensory Friendly)

Eco-Art: Flower Power

Bluets are a common wildflower in the late Spring in Massachusetts

Create a decoupage flower container for your summertime arrangements, and then explore the sanctuary to look for wildflowers and learn the important role butterflies and bees play in producing new flowers. We'll use hand lenses and nets to observe insects and share a butterfly story in the meadow.

When: 
Thursday, July 21, 2016 9-11 am

Grow Spring! Expo

The fourth annual Grow Spring! Expo, a celebration of local agriculture, horticulture, and environmental preservation, returns to Topsfield

The fourth annual Grow Spring! Expo, a celebration of local agriculture, horticulture, and environmental preservation, returns to Topsfield on March 18, 10 AM - 3 PM.  Held at the Emerson Center, the Gould Barn, and The Commons, this year’s event is sponsored by the Topsfield Garden Club, the Topsfield Historical Society, The Commons, The Congregational Church of Topsfield and the Essex Agricultural Society.

When: 
March 18, 2017 10am-3pm

Autumn Art Explorations: Nature Mobile

Kids will learn about nature through story, a hike and art at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.

Join Artist and Art Teacher Mary Ann McCurdle for one or more of these new family art classes this fall. Each class will begin with a short story, followed by a nature walk, and finish up with a related art project as we celebrate the beauty of the season. 

When: 
Sunday, November 5, 2017 1-3:30pm

Parent/Child Build a Bluebird House

Bring the kids and learn how to build a bluebird house at Mass Audubon's IRWS

Celebrate spring by building a bluebird house with your child. We’ll supply all the materials and instruction to build a nest box for bluebirds and tree swallows. These wonderful nest boxes also attract chickadees, tufted titmice, house wrens, and woodpeckers. A short slide presentation will introduce families to the natural history and behavior of birds in Massachusetts, and we’ll discuss where and how to place your nest box. Dress for the weather because we will take a short walk to look and listen for bluebirds.

When: 
Saturday, April 6, 2019 1:30-3pm

Pages

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

Friends of Abbot Library Moving/Book Sale

The Abbot Library is holding a moving & book sale in Marblehead Massachusetts! Image is AI generated
The Abbot Library is holding a moving & book sale in Marblehead Massachusetts! The Friends of Abbot Public Library will be having a moving sale from Monday, March 25 through Saturday, March 30! Stop by the Sail Away Book Shop located in the gym space at Abbot Public Library's interim location...
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Bradley Palmer State Park
Come join our park interpreter for a story time and nature walk! Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately 1 mile, though not accessible for strollers. Appropriate for families with children 3-5 years old. Meet at the Visitor Center.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Friday Family Farm Chores at Appleton Farms

Join The Trustees of Reservations at Appleton Farms for our special, hands-on Family Farm Chores program held on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
Every day has a full list of barnyard chores we need to accomplish to make sure our farmyard friends are happy and healthy. Let’s get to work! Join us for our special, hands-on Family Farm Chores program held on Fridays and Saturdays! Get on your muck boots – your whole family will get to be...
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Salisbury Beach Carousel - Free Friday Hours

Carousel at Salisbury Beach MA. Parties, Family Reunions, Weddings, Showers, Birthday Parties
Salisbury Beach Carousel Hours: Friday: 4 pm to 8 pm Saturday: 12 pm to 8 pm Sunday: 12 pm to 6 pm Hours of operation are to change.
4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Cow Connection at Appleton Farms

Join The Trustees of Reservations at Appleton Farms for Cow Connection in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come and meet, cuddle, brush, scratch, talk, and sit with our hand-raised cows at Appleton Farms! The mild heart rate and warm body temperature of the cows induces a slowing of our own heart rate, as well as the release of Oxytocin, our social bonding hormone. Visit our scenic and historic dairy...
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Hoo’s Up for Owls?

Look for owls in the woods of camp Denison in Gerogetown, Massachusetts with the folks from North Shore Nature Programs
March is a great month to look for owls. Both Great Horned and Barred owls will have babies in their nests, so these species tend to be vocal and active. Join us for a short hike through the woods at Camp Denison to look and listen for these majestic birds. We will also keep our ears open for...
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Sunday, April 14

Sunday STEAM Club at North Shore Children's Museum

Sunday STEAM Club for kids in Peabody Massachusetts at the North Shore Children's Museum
Join in on Sundays at 2:30 for STEAM Club for ages 5-11. Each week participants will explore science and arts through hands-on projects and experiments. This program is free with admission to the play session.
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

Monday, April 15

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

Shipwrecks at Maritime Gloucester

Shipwreck at Coffins Beach in Gloucester. Photo by Massachusetts Secretary of State
On April 15, 1912, 112 years ago, the tragic RMS Titanic sinking occurred. Join us in learning more about what happens after a ship wrecks, how animals use these wrecks, and what wrecks we have here locally!
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Tuesday, April 16

Ocean's Weirdest at Maritime Gloucester

Learn about some of the strangest ocean creatures during April Vacation at Maritime Gloucester, Massachusetts!
Maritime Gloucester invites kids ages 5-10 to a vacation week session about some of the stranger creatures found in the ocean - part of a week full of educational sessions during April vacation! Although only 5% of oour ocean has been explored, some of what has been discovered has proven to be...
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

CraneExplorer: Navigate the Estate

Come to the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts with the Trustees for a scavenger hunt that doubles as an orienteering workshop.
Join this Castle Hill education program and scavenger hunt to learn compass, map reading, and orienteering skills, and use these skills to solve challenges around the Castle Hill trails and grounds. Learn about the habitats, history, and culture of the estate while collecting clues to solve our...
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Kids can meet the barnyard animals and hear a story at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts.
Barnyard stories really come alive when you get to see the main characters in real life! Bring the kids down to Appleton Farms for our farm-fresh version of story time. Explore the farmstead, visit our learning garden, see our cows and rabbits, and find a spot to play under a shady tree in our...
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Snakes of New England at TOHP Library

Albino Milk Snake being held by a child at Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team demonstration
Come to a Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team presentation on snakes, exotic and local, at the TOHP Burnham Public Library.
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Wednesday, April 17

We Walk the Woods!

Walk the trails in a group at Harold Parker State Forest Every Wednesday at 10am
Walk the trails with a group at Harold Parker State Forest every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. – Meeting location varies weekly. Email trek.reef@mass.gov for location.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Curious Creatures at Joe's Playland

Joe's Playland in Salisbury Massachusetts hosts a free Curious Creatures presentation during April Vacation!
Joe's Playland hosts Curious Creatures, New England's original ​interactive and educational ​live animal program during April vacation week!
12:30 pm

Lego Club at MPL

Children in grades 2 and up are invited to come to the Manchester Massachusetts Library's Lego Club
Drop in from 3:45-4:45 to make your own Lego creation! This program is for kids in grades 2 and up.
3:45 pm to 4:45 pm
Subscribe to Topsfield