Mass Audubon

Geminid Meteor Shower at IRWS

Come to Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary to learn about the Gemenid meteor shower

The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most prolific of the annual meteor showers, rivaling in strength the better-known Perseid meteor shower of mid-August. This year, the Geminids reach maximum activity on the night of December 13, when as many as 120 shooting stars might be seen each hour under clear skies far removed from city lights and completely free of light pollution. We'll meet several days ahead of the peak activity to discuss the general nature of meteor showers, their origins, and the best ways to observe them. Weather permitting, we'll step outside afterward in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the Geminid shower in its early stages. There will also be viewing of the night sky through a large reflector telescope.

When: 
Saturday, December 8, 2018 7:30-9pm
Location: 
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Topsfield
Stargazing
Astronomy
Outdoor Activity
Mass Audubon

Imagine, Sing & Learn: Salmon & Sharks

Kids will learn about sharks and salmon in this fun learning session at Joppa Flats Education Center! Photo: Atlantic Blacktip Sharks courtesy of NOAA

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.

When: 
Friday, December 7, 2018 10-11:30am
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Class
Exploration
Crafts
Mass Audubon

Family Nature Night: Half-Moon Stroll

Hike to Spencer Peirce-Little Farm in Newburyport Massachusetts with the Mass Audubon under the half moon.

Join naturalists from Joppa Flats Education Center on a nocturnal hike and learn about nocturnal animal senses, the moon, and the stars! We'll go on a short walk to Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm's back field to stargaze before returning to Joppa Flats' back yard for hot cocoa around the fire pit.

When: 
Friday, November 30, 2018 6:30-8:30pm
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Newburyport
Hike
Walk
Outdoor Activity
History
Mass Audubon

Imagine, Sing & Learn: Terns & Geese

Kids will learn about geese and terns in this fun learning session at Joppa Flats Education Center! Photo: A common Tern from the Audubon Field Guide

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.

When: 
Friday, November 9, 2018 10-11:30am
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Class
Exploration
Crafts
Mass Audubon

Build a Birdfeeder at Sawyer Free Library

Build a Birdfeeder with your child that attracts birds to your yard this winter

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.

When: 
Saturday, October 13, 2018 1-3pm
Location: 
Sawyer Free Library
Topsfield
Birding
Crafts
Mass Audubon
Library

Deep Sky Tour of the Milky Way

Stars are born, live for eons, and explode in a colorful display of gas & light. Find out more at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Stretching high overhead at this time of the year once the sun has fully set and darkness has settled in, from vantage points far removed from light-polluted city skies, is the starry river we call the Milky Way. In the indoor portion of this evening's program, we will go on a photographic tour of the celestial jewels strewn within its starry fields that are best viewed through a telescope. Such so-called deep sky objects include star clusters, stellar nurseries, supernova remnants, and more. Presented by physicist Gary Meehan

When: 
Saturday, October 13, 2018 7:30-9pm
Location: 
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Topsfield
Outdoor Activity
Presentation
Stargazing
Astronomy
Mass Audubon

STEAM TEAM at Joppa

STEAM comes to the Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

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!

When: 
Thursdays, September 13 - October 18, 2018 4:30-5:30PM
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Newburyport
STEAM
Science
Exploration
Discovery
Walk
Hike
Math
Technology
Art
Mass Audubon

Wee Ones Paddle

Take a paddle on the with your little ones and explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary!

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.

When: 
Sunday, October 7, 2018 1-3pm
Location: 
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Topsfield
Exploration
Instruction
Discovery
Canoeing
Mass Audubon

Teeth & Skulls at Joppa Flats

Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport host a great session about animal skull and teeth!

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.

When: 
Saturday, October 6, 2018 10-11:30am
Location: 
Joppa Flats Education Center
Newburyport
Hike
Walk
Birding
Live Animals
Mass Audubon

Seabirds and Whales Cruise

Learn about sea birds while whale watching aboard the Privateer IV out of Gloucester, Massachusetts!

Have a wonderful time watching for whales and seabirds on a trip with naturalists from Joppa Flats Education Center out of Gloucester aboard the Privateer IV. Aside from marine mammals, we will look for storm-petrels, gannets, jaegers, terns, gulls, and phalaropes. Most trips will head to the productive Stellwagen Bank.

When: 
Monday, September 17, 2018 1-5pm
Gloucester
Tour
Birding
Whale Watch
Cruise
Ecology
Environment
Mass Audubon

Pages

Appleton Farms offers great farm-based Vacation Week Programs for kids ages 5-11

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
♦ Read More →

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
♦ Read More →

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...
Where: Maudslay State Park
7:00 am to 7:00 pm
♦ Read More →

Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden
Swan Boat Boston North Shore Parent, North Shore Parents Summer Activities Guide
The Public Garden may be one of the most ideal picnicking locations in Boston. Well-groomed and overflowing with tulips, cherry-trees, with willows cascading over the duck pond, the Boston Public Garden is a great place to relax during Boston's most beautiful season.
Where: Boston Common and Boston Public Garden
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
♦ Read More →

Music Together - Tuesday in Marblehead
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® of Salem classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45...
Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead
10:00 am to 10:45 am
♦ Read More →

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...
Where: Hammond Castle Museum
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
♦ Read More →

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...
Where: Appleton Farms
10:30 am to 11:30 am
♦ Read More →

Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!
Find out the story behind the history of granite quarrying at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Massachusetts!
Halibut Point State Park is also a granite quarry with a history that goes back billions of years! Over one hundred years ago, the Rockport Granite Company quarried granite stone here.
Where: Halibut Point State Park
11:00 am to 12:30 pm
♦ Read More →

Full Moon Hike at Ward Reservation
Join the Trustees on a journey up Holt Hill under the light of the full moon at Ward Reservation in Andover!
Join the Trustees for an evening journey up Holt Hill under the light of the full moon. Together, we will trek up the trail as night falls, and gather at the top beneath the moon & stars. Enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and unique tastes of evening in the magic of Ward Reservation. We will...
Where: Ward Reservation
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
♦ Read More →

CraneExplorer: Family Full Moon Hike in the Dunes
Walk through the Crane Wildlife Refuge in Ipswich Massachusetts with the Trustees under the full moon.
There is almost nothing more peaceful than a evening walk at the Crane Estate, and we would like to invite your family to join us for a unique hiking experience. With the full moon rising over the Atlantic, we’ll start with a sunset stroll along Crane Beach admiring this spectacle before heading...
Where: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
♦ Read More →

Friday, June 20

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
♦ Read More →

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...
Where: Maudslay State Park
7:00 am to 7:00 pm
♦ Read More →

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
♦ Read More →

Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden
Swan Boat Boston North Shore Parent, North Shore Parents Summer Activities Guide
The Public Garden may be one of the most ideal picnicking locations in Boston. Well-groomed and overflowing with tulips, cherry-trees, with willows cascading over the duck pond, the Boston Public Garden is a great place to relax during Boston's most beautiful season.
Where: Boston Common and Boston Public Garden
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
♦ Read More →

Yoga for Kids at NSCM
Yoga for Children during at North Shore Children's Museum in Peabody Massachusetts
In Miss Shelleys yoga class for kids, the focus is on making the practice fun, interactive, and age-appropriate. The class includes warm-up activities, teaching yoga poses through storytelling and games, and incorporating music, props, and visuals.
Where: North Shore Children's Museum
10:00 am to 11:00 am
♦ Read More →

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
♦ Read More →

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 →

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 →

Saturday, June 21

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
♦ Read More →

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...
Where: Maudslay State Park
7:00 am to 7:00 pm
♦ Read More →
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