Topsfield

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

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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!
7:00 am to 6:00 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

Saturday, May 16

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

Birds, Bees & Butterflies | Family Nature Series

Essex County Greenbelt Association hosts a nature workshop for families at Cox Reservation in Essex Massachusetts!
Essex County Greenbelt Association invites families to Cox Reservation for a show-and-tell that introduces children of all ages to the importance of bees and other pollinators.
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

The Legacies of Long Hill: House & Garden Tour

Tour the Gardens at the Trustees of Reservations Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts!
The Trustees of Reservations invite you to join our expert guides for a tour around Long Hill’s stunning Sedgwick Gardens and learn more about the special plants. Step inside the beauty and layered history of Long Hill with a guided tour of its breathtaking gardens and historic house. Once the...
10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Low-Sensory Play at North Shore Children's Museum

Low-Sensory Play at NorthShore Children's Museum in Peabody Massachusetts
Join us for a low-sensory play session. For some children, visiting places like NSCM can be over-stimulating. This special play session will have reduced noise, crowds, and stimulation. While medical diagnosis is not required, we encourage that these limited tickets be used for families with a...
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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