Mass Audubon

Imagine, Sing, & Learn: The Mighty Merrimack

The mouth of the Merrimack River lies on the doorstep of the Joppa Flats Center

This 'Imagine, Sing and Learn' is an active, fun, program where you and your child will learn all about the Merrimack River and how it was formed, how it has changed over the years, and who lives in and needs the river. We will learn how the river can “change” rocks, we’ll play river bingo, and sing a few river songs. We’ll make a fun take-home fishing pole craft, and we’ll enjoy a “fishy” snack!

When: 
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 10-11:30am

Fall Family Monarch Conservation Program & Butterfly Tagging!

Come to Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary to learn about Monarch Butterflies!

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge invites families to join Katie Hone, The Monarch Gardener, for this fun and interesting one hour program about the monarch butterfly.  The program will include a presentation about monarchs with interactive role playing and live animals AND making milkweed “seed bombs” (to take home).  Meet, tag and release live monarch butterflies to the wild! This program is geared to younger children and their parents.  This program will take place in the refuge visitor center classroom.  NO preregistration for this program.

When: 
Saturday, September 21, 2019 10:30-11:30am

Monarch Magic

Come to Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary to learn about Monarch Butterflies!

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary invites families to join them at Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary to discover the amazing journey of the monarch butterfly to Mexico. Learn about the monarch life cycle and the challenges facing its habitat. Find out more about butterfly gardening and create a paper butterfly that will spend the winter with children who live near the monarch sanctuaries in the mountains of Michoacan, Mexico. We will then work together as citizen scientists to tag and release several monarchs to start their journey south.

When: 
Saturday, September 14, 2019 1:30-3pm

Sense of Wonder Walks: Ponds

Ponds and puddles offer endless hours of exploration and discovery.

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary invites families for a great exploration of the pond habitat! Though they are small, ponds contain a rich variety of plant and animal life. Explore Waterfowl Pond for a close-up look at a place where hungry creatures are always on the hunt. Using nets and other collecting equipment, dip into the water, sweep through the weeds, and scoop up mud to discover the creatures that live there.

When: 
Sunday, October 6, 2019 1:30-3pm

A Winter Solstice Celebration at Joppa Flats

Come celebrate the longest night - Winter Solstice - at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport

Come celebrate the longest night and shortest day of the year with Joppa Flats! Miss Mary and Miss Susan offer stories, songs, crafts made of evergreens, and thematic snacks for everyone to enjoy. Learn why we have seasons, and why different cultures around the world created legends and rituals to mark the longest night of the year. Join us for a festival of light to beckon the sun to return!

When: 
Friday, December 20, 2019 3:30-5pm

Imagine, Sing & Learn: Penguins of the South

Come learn about penguins at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport!

This parent/child program is designed for the creative, curious, and active preschooler who loves animals. Each 90-minute session offers a structured series of activities including original songs, movement, dramatic play, hands-on science, and a thematic snack. You'll receive coloring pages, song lyrics, vocabulary, a fun fact sheet, and a suggested reading list in an electronic goody bag! In this session, we'll focus on the peguins of the southern hemisphere!

When: 
Friday, January 10, 2020 10-11:30am

Nature Walks for Tots: Bird Watching & Mushroom Hunting

Kids will learn about bird watching and mushroom hunting at Moseley Woods in Newburyport

Birds are flying south, winds are coming from the north, and mushrooms are everywhere, so let's look up, down, and all around to see what we can find! As our colder weather arrives and settles in, Miss Lisa wants you to join her for some family friendly nature walks. Let's explore the woods, the salt marsh, and the streams to look for creatures like birds, fish, frogs, and more while we learn, play, and explore. We'll use our "science eyes" and "nature ears" and discover wildife together!

When: 
Thursday, November 11, 2021 1:30-3pm
Location: 

Nature Walks for Tots: Leaf Peeping & Fish Trapping

Explore the the varied habitats at Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary with Mass Audubon Naturalist from Joppa Flats Education Center!

As our colder weather arrives and settles in, Miss Lisa wants you to join her for some family friendly nature walks. Let's explore the woods, the salt marsh, and the streams to look for creatures like birds, fish, frogs, and more while we learn, play, and explore. We'll use our "science eyes" and "nature ears" and discover wildife together!

When: 
Thursday, October 14, 2021 1:30-3pm

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Brookwood School Summer Program for kids Pre-K through 9 in Manchester Massachusetts

Boston Bruins Annual Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore of Massachusetts as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
The Boston Bruins will be hosting their 19th annual PJ Drive with the goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of pajamas from February 1st - March 15th, 2026. The drive will benefit Cradles to Crayons and Wonderfund MA, two non-profits that ensure positive living conditions for children. Local businesses...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

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!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Read to a Dog at APL

Kids are invited to read to a dog at Amesbury Massachusetts Public Library. Image generated with AI.
The Amesbury Public Library invites kids to come read to a dog at the Library! Read to a dog to help improve reading skills and get comfortable with reading aloud with only a very cuddly dog to hear you! This program will have Gus, a certified reading dog, and his caretaker at the library in our...
3:45 pm to 4:30 pm

Dungeons & Dragons at the G.A.R. Library

Dungeons and Dragons at the GAR Memorial Library in West Newbury Massachusetts
Come to this ongoing campaign using The Dragon of IceSpire Peak. Bring your own character, play one of ours,  or we can help you create one. All are welcome.
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Stargazing at Mendel Observatory

Mendel Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night
The Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night (weather permitting) starting at dusk or 7:30 pm, whichever is later.  When special astronomical events of interest occur (total lunar eclipses, etc.) the Obs
7:00 pm

Thursday, February 26

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!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Afterschool Chess Club at Abbot Library

Kids can play clocked chess matches against each other each Wednesday at the Abbot Public Library in Marblehead Massachusetts
Students in grades 2-5 are welcome to come to this informal chess club to practice by playing with others also interested in developing their skills and sharing an interest in chess. The class will be held on Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. with facilitator Ben Konoff and his daughter,...
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

LEGO Club at Danvers Library

LEGO club at Danvers Library Massachusetts
Peabody Institute Library - Danvers invites kids to an afternoon of building and fun! Activities will include free build, themes and instructional design. All structures will remain on display in the Children’s Room till the following weeks's session
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Friday, February 27

Boston Bruins Annual Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore of Massachusetts as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
The Boston Bruins will be hosting their 19th annual PJ Drive with the goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of pajamas from February 1st - March 15th, 2026. The drive will benefit Cradles to Crayons and Wonderfund MA, two non-profits that ensure positive living conditions for children. Local businesses...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

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!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Massachusetts
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

Saturday, February 28

Boston Bruins Annual Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore of Massachusetts as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
The Boston Bruins will be hosting their 19th annual PJ Drive with the goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of pajamas from February 1st - March 15th, 2026. The drive will benefit Cradles to Crayons and Wonderfund MA, two non-profits that ensure positive living conditions for children. Local businesses...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

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!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come explore the lesser-visited corners of Castle Hill and its surroundings with us this season. This hike is a CraneOutdoors guide favorite because it’s got a little bit of all the things that make the Crane Estate such a special place…
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Maple Stroll at Appleton Farms

Appleton Farms has their own sugar maple syrup production facilities to service their abundant suplly from their many sugar maples
Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!
11:00 am to 2:15 pm
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