Nature

Nature's Gifts Free for All

This program was canceled due to the Winter Storm! Season's greetings! Come to Joppa Flats during this festive time of year to create clever and whimsical gifts, toys, and ornaments for the holidays using natural materials. We'll make everything from hand puppets and animal masks, to jewelry and frames, to sculptures and mobiles with simple, easy to follow instructions. Or use our materials to create your own original gift of nature. We'll provide sand, seashells, twigs, stones, bark, driftwood, pinecones, and more at our age-appropriate stations. Bring your imagination and enjoy a day of hand-crafting with your family.

When:

Canceled! Sunday, December 15, 2013 10am - 3pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Nature Art Classes at Joppa Flats: Make a Friend

Kids will use nature as a muse to express themselves through art at Mass Audubon

Any season is a great time to notice nature's beauty and to make it come to life with amazing works of art! The summer sessions feature nature journaling, underwater scenarios, and nature critters. Move over, Michelangelo - make room for all our Joppa artist superstars!

When:

Monday, August 12, 2013 9:30 - 11:00 am

Monday, August 19, 2013 9:30 - 11:00 am

Monday, August 26, 2013 9:30 - 11:00 am

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Nature Art Classes at Joppa Flats: Watery Water Paints

When:

Monday, July 22, 2013 9:30 - 11:00 am

Monday, July 29, 2013 9:30 - 11:00 am

Monday, August 5, 2013 9:30 - 11:00 am

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Vacation Week Flyby: Birds and Buds

Buds are a certain sign of Spring, and appear magically at the turn of the Seaso

Joppa Flats Education Center offers April vacation programs offering a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities - keeping minds active and hands busy during school break! Come all day or as your schedule allows! This Vacation Week Flyby will focus on the birds and Spring buds.

When:

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 10am-3pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Weekday Little Explorers: Animals in Winter

What animals do you see in winter? Find out at IRWS in Topsfield Massachusetts

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.

When:

Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 10-11:30 am

Location:

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

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Vacation Week Flyby: Get Ready, Gather, and Go!

Lots of fun activities are part of every Fly-by at Joppa Flats Education Center!

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.

When:

Thursday, December 28, 2012 10 am - 2 pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Celebrate the Coast Free-for-All!

Celebrate the Coast at Joppa Flats Education Center with your Family!

Let's celebrate our beaches, tide pools, and salt marshes with a full day of fun outdoor/indoor activities! Handle live tide pool animals from our 110-gallon touch tank, go on a guided salt marsh walk, and enjoy a virtual whale watch trip.

When:

Sunday, September 23, 2012 10am - 3pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Family Flyby: Boats Afloat!

Make your own boat, then see if it floats at Joppa Flats Education Center!

Free-flow learning at Joppa Flats is fun for the whole family. There's simple science fun with coloring pages, crafts, and toys for ages 2 to 6; science experiments and group challenges for ages 7 and up; and outdoor exploration, seasonal live animals, and scheduled family presentations for everyone. Fly by for an hour or stay all day for family time that suits your schedule. There's something different to see and do with every visit! This week, kids are encouraged to be a pirate for the day, learn the skills a sailor needs at sea, and learn about ocean conservation!

When:

Saturday, July 7, 2012 10am - 2pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Family Flyby: Return of the Touch Tank

You can look at, AND touch the creatures in Joppa Flats touch tank!

Free-flow learning at Joppa Flats is fun for the whole family. There's simple science fun with coloring pages, crafts, and toys for ages 2 to 6; science experiments and group challenges for ages 7 and up; and outdoor exploration, seasonal live animals, and scheduled family presentations for everyone. Fly by for an hour or stay all day for family time that suits your schedule. There's something different to see and do with every visit! This week we're thrilled to have our touch tank back for the season. Come look AND touch the creature that live in our tank!

When:

Saturday, June 2, 2012 10am - 2pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Family Flyby: Gardening for Wlildlife

What you plant in your yard determines the kid of wildlife that visits!

CANCELED: 5/5 8 a.m. Note to all readers: Lisa Hutchings & Elyssa Davis want to inform you that we had to cancel the gardening family flyby that was scheduled for Sat May 5th.

Free-flow learning at Joppa Flats is fun for the whole family. There's simple science fun with coloring pages, crafts, and toys for ages 2 to 6; science experiments and group challenges for ages 7 and up; and outdoor exploration, seasonal live animals, and scheduled family presentations for everyone. Fly by for an hour or stay all day for family time that suits your schedule. There's something different to see and do with every visit! This week we'll focus on how to make your back yard more inviting to wildlife by choosing the right plants and planting them to create shelter.

When:

Saturday, May 5, 2012 10am - 2pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

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

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Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

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

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Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

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 3:59 pm

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Sing & Dance with the Music Man

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,...

Where: Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham

10:00 am to 10:45 am

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Willowdale Mansion Tour

The historic tour of Willowdale Estate covers historic background, context and conversation about the Arts & Crafts style mansion. Here is your chance to go inside the Willowdale Mansion (willowdaleestate.com) for a unique guided tour. Now an event and wedding venue, this over 100 years-old...

Where: Willowdale Estate

10:30 am to 11:30 am

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Drop-in Open House at the Nature Center

Explore the Nature Center at your leisure. The Park Interpreter will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions. Come see and touch animal furs, replica skulls, animal models, and other natural history materials. For little artists, coloring pages and washable markers will be on hand.

Where: Bradley Palmer State Park

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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Growing Wild for Pollinators

Discover the wild world of pollinators and what they do for the natural world around us. Learn how important is it to protect our pollinators for the health of humans, plants, and the environment. Best for ages 6 years and up.

Where: Bradley Palmer State Park

1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

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Beverly Farmers' Market

The Beverly Farmers’ Market supports local agriculture while making healthy food available to all members of the Beverly community at affordable prices; the market promotes sustainable living practices and fosters community connections through our vendors, free activities and events. The market...

Where: Odell Park

3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

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Sunday, June 23

Summer Solstice Stroll at Halibut Point

Come celebrate the onset of Summer at Halibut Point State Park! Safe sun viewing telescopes! Make your own Sundial and Sun Print! Enjoy Sun Tea! Walk the Solar System! Sun Fun for Everyone!!!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

12:30 pm to 2:00 pm

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Drop-in Open House at the Nature Center

Where: Bradley Palmer State Park

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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CraneOutdoors: Choate Island Kayak and Hiking Adventure

Join The Trustees of Reservations for a paddle and a hike – what better way to spend an afternoon? Circumnavigating an island is one of the great rewards of kayaking and reaching the summit of a hill that offers a great view is one of the payoffs of a good hike. This adventure in the Crane...

Where: Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

1:00 pm to 4:30 pm

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Saugus Iron Works Tours

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

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Summer Concert Series at Lynch Park

Enjoy free concerts this Summer at Lynch Park in Beverly, Massachusetts! Families are encourages to grab a chair and a blank and head to the park for a free concert at Lynch Park's ampitheater.

Where: Lynch Park

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

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Monday, June 24

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

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

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Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic

The fun starts when 200 tons of imported sand is dropped on Hampton Beach and the “Grady Bunch” starts pounding up the sponsor site. The entire area is illuminated for night viewing through June 26. Watch Greg Grady and “The Grady Bunch” build a mammoth Sand Demo Site. View all entries online on...

Where: Hampton Beach

7:00 am to 11:00 pm

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