Outdoor Activity

Eco-Art: Pond Dipping

Discover the creatures of your local pond through art at IRWS

Have you ever seen a water boatman up close? How about a caddisfly larva or water scorpion? If not, then join us for a summer morning of pond dipping. Using hand lenses, microscopes, and strainers, we'll search for turtles and frogs and delight in the sights and smells of a morning on the pond. We will provide sketch pads, pastels, and watercolors so you can recreate your findings in detail.

When: 
Thursday, July 17, 2014 9-11:00 am

An Evening with the Herons

The largest heronry in Massachusetts is just off of Coolidge Point in Manchester

The evening flight of herons, egrets, and ibises as they return to their night roost is an amazing spectacle to watch, especially when they are returning into the largest heronry in Massachusetts, just off the coast of Coolidge Point. Bring your dinner and enjoy the aerial drama of the life-and-death struggle in the colony.

When: 
Thursday, June 19, 2014 6-8pm

National Trails Day: Ward Reservation

Holt Hill at Ward Reservation is marked with Solstice Stones and has panoramic

Join the The Trustees of Reservations as they celebrate National Trails Day at Ward Reservation! Come explore Ward Reservation with guided hikes through Pine Hole Pond (a rare quaking bog), a beaver wetland, and a great blue heron rookery. Then finish the day picnicking on top of Holt Hill, with great views of Boston.

When: 
Saturday, June 7, 2014 10am-1pm
Location: 

Jaws at Lynch Park

You're going to need a bigger boat, and he was right! Come see Jaws at Lynch Par

Who could forget the classic line, "You're gonna need a bigger boat." Come see the movie that changed swimming at the beach forever (and keep in mind it will scare the living daylights out of the kids)! Enjoy a beautiful Summer night on at the ocean's edge at Lynch Park. Bring a blanket, a picnic dinner and enjoy the beauty of a Summer night under the stars!  The Snack Bar will be open for the movie.

When: 
Sunday, July 20, 2014 8-10pm
Location: 

Catch and Release: Amphibians

Catch and release amphibians that you findat the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuar

Are you a frog catcher, snake wrangler, dragonfly hunter, or deer stalker?  Do you love splashing through mud, crawling under logs, and running through fields with nothing but a net and your sense of adventure? Then catch and release is for you!  This session's topic: amphibians. We'll search the wetlands for frogs and tadpoles, the woodlands for toads, and under logs for salamanders. Learn where to look, when it's okay to catch a creature, and when to just follow them and observe, how to hold them carefully so you can take a good look, and how to return them gently and safely to the wild.

When: 
Saturday, June 7, 2014 1:30-3pm

PMC Marblehead Kids Ride 2013

Kids are encouraged to ride their bikes to raise money for the Pan Mass Challeng

The Pan-Mass Challenge Marblehead Kids Ride will be one of 35 PMC Kids Rides held in neighborhoods throughout New England and beyond. Through the PMC Kids Rides program, nearly 6,000 cyclists between the ages of two and 15 will ride between one and 26 miles in mini-bike-a-thons to raise money for cancer research.

When: 
Saturday, June 8, 2013 from 3 - 5:15 p.m.
Location: 

Hunger Games Spring Survival for Teens

Teens will learnb wilderness survival skills in this session at Mass Audubon's I

In this spring session of the program based on the hit book series The Hunger Games, we will continue to learn the skills necessary to survive in the wild. Navigation in the woods can be tough, and finding edible foods can be even tougher. Didn't you walk by that tree already? 

When: 
Saturday, May 10, 2014 1:30-3:30pm

Cape Ann Conservation Crewhands

Give back to the community through this volunteer opportnity at Ravenswood Park

Get out and give back April 26th, with service learning opportunities for high school students to assist our trail steward, management, and education programs. Through our service-learning opportunities,  teens will build real-world skills as they help with our trail steward, management, and education programs.

Spring is the time to get our special places ready for more visitors. Earn community service by helping us at Coolidge Point, Misery Island, and Ravenswood Park.

When: 
April 26, 2014, 9 a.m. -12 noon

Vernal Pond Field Trip to Agassiz Rock

The Vernal Pools at Agassiz Rock in Manchester are teeming with Spring peepers.

The Trustees of Reservations's invites families to learn about vernal pools in Manchester! Vernal pools are crucial to the survival of fairy shrimp, salamanders, and wood frogs. Join the The Trustees of Reservations on an exploration of the pools at Agassiz Rock reservation, and learn how you can certify and protect vernal pools. When vernal pools become certified, we can prevent development on and around them. This program is instructive to the participants, so you, too, can take home the techniques, forms, and methods to certify pools. It is targeted at families, so exploration is an important (and fun!) element in the program.

When: 
Saturday, April 19, 2014 1-3pm
Location: 

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Summerquest Camp for kids aed 5-14 at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts

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

Thursday, February 19

February Vacation at MIT Museum

Kids will have a blast at the MIT Museum in Cambridge Massachusetts during February Vacation Week!
Come on your own, with friends, or bring the whole family to the museum for a special week of programming. The museum has a number of activities planned for the week of February 14-22, including extended Maker Hub and Learning Lab hours, tours, gallery cart demos and family workshops. With the...
Where: MIT Museum
10:00 am to 5:00 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

Friday, February 20

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

Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

Kids will enjoy this treasure hunt at the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy an outdoor treasure hunt at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations during February Vacation! Halibut Point State Park invites kids and families to follow clues then unscramble to find a treasure box!
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

StoryWalk at Halibut Point

StoryWalk®! Nest Robin Built, by Denise Fleming - a self guided reading tour at Halibut Point in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy this pre-school StoryWalk® at your leisure with the younger set and combine reading and time in nature! StoryWalk®! Nest Robin Built, by Denise Fleming. Self-guided reading pages posted along a lovely Park trail near the visitor center. Connect with nature and each other while enjoying the...
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

February Vacation at MIT Museum

Kids will have a blast at the MIT Museum in Cambridge Massachusetts during February Vacation Week!
Come on your own, with friends, or bring the whole family to the museum for a special week of programming. The museum has a number of activities planned for the week of February 14-22, including extended Maker Hub and Learning Lab hours, tours, gallery cart demos and family workshops. With the...
Where: MIT Museum
10:00 am to 5:00 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 21

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

Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

Kids will enjoy this treasure hunt at the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy an outdoor treasure hunt at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations during February Vacation! Halibut Point State Park invites kids and families to follow clues then unscramble to find a treasure box!
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
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