Exploration

Vacation Family Treks & Trails: Hawks, Owls & Eagles

Come explore the world of predatory raptors and birds on the North Shore!

What raptor is that flying overhead? How do birds stay warm all winter? Do you know how to identify an animal's tracks? Come find out as we guide you on a winter walk to keep minds and bodies active with group games, family challenges, and lots of great wildlife and bird sightings. We'll meet at Joppa Flats, then hop into our cars and head out for the day's adventure. All field equipment will be provided. Join us for one or more of these fun family programs during the holidays!

When:

Wednesday December 28, 2016 1-3pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Imagine, Sing & Learn: Ready for Winter!

Kids will learn about how animals get ready for Winter months at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport

This parent/child program is designed for the creative, curious, and active preschooler. 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! This week we'll be focusing on how animals and other creatures keep warm in the wild.

When:

Friday, December 10, 2016 9:30-11pm

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Sense of Wonder Walk: Food Webs of the Forest

Come explore the food webs of the forest at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary!

Walk with us through the forest to see how the changing season affects animals, trees, and plants. Examine tree holes and look for animals in the leaves. Whatever we find, we will explore, but we'll focus on what is eating and being eaten in the woods.

When:

Sunday, December 4, 2016 1:30-3pm

Location:

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

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Imagine, Sing & Learn: Wake Up, It's Night!

Come discover the wonder of the nocturnal creatures at Mass Audubons' Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburport! Photo: Neil McIntosh

This parent/child program is designed for the creative, curious, and active preschooler. 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! This session focuses on creatures that wake up a nightfall and spend their waking hours in the dark!

When:

Friday, October 14, 2016 9:30-11am

Location:

Joppa Flats Education Center

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Downrig or Die!

Celebrate 400 Years of Maritime History at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts! V

Salem Maritime National Historic Site will be celebrating sailing, ships, and our maritime heritage. Details about activities are coming soon. (Sneak peak! Activities will include sails of the Essex built schooners Fame and Ardelle, activities and lectures at St. Joseph Hall, and a social at Victoria's Station from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.)

When:

Saturday, November 5, 2016 Noon-9pm

Location:

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

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Create a Woodland Creature for Preschoolers

Preschoolers will make their own version of a woodland creature at Mass Audubons' Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburport! Photo: Bill O'Connor

Join Joppa Flats Education Center with your pre-schooler for an adventure to collect acorns, pine cones, lichen, bark, and moss at Newburyport's Moseley Pines. Then, we'll put imagination together with these wonderful natural materials, and you and your child will create a new woodland creature friend with what we find! You'll go home with a new excitement for finding natural treasures and turning them into creative projects.

When:

Thursday, October 13, 2016 10-11:30am

Location:

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Explore the Pond

Discover what creatures live in New England Ponds at Harold Parker State Forest!

Meet at Campground Nature Center - Let’s discover what lives in our tranquil New England ponds by exploring Frye Pond! Recommend bringing water, insect repellent, sun screen, binoculars and camera. Appropriate for kids aged 6 and older. Kids 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

When:

Friday, October 7, 2016 2-3pm

Location:

Harold Parker State Forest

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Trail Blazing Trek

Join Mass Audubon naturalists on a hike some of the less travelled trails at IRWS.

Ipswich River Sanctuary invites you to come explore! Looking to get off the beaten path and take "the one less traveled?" Haven't yet hiked alll 12 miles of our sanctuary's interconnected trails? Have a yearning to explore places like Hassocky Meadow or White Pine Loop? Come with us as we trek some of the sanctuary's less frequented trails to discover new sights and sounds in these spectacular habitats.

When:

Saturday, October 1, 2016 1:30 pm - 3pm

Location:

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

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Rail Trail Bike Ride

Bike the Rail Trail from Topsfield to Danvers and back as part of Trails and Sails!

Join ECTA Trail Steward and Topsfield Rail Trail Committee Chairman Joe Geller as he leads us on a bike tour of the Topsfield Linear Common Rail Trail through Topsfield, Wenham, Danvers and Peabody. We will begin at the Town Hall parking lot in Topsfield at 9 a.m. and ride to Lowell Street in Peabody. We'll stop for a short break at Karl's Sausage Kitchen off Lowell Street in Peabody for rest rooms for about 20 minutes before returning to Topsfield. This is a great chance to discover a fantastic and safe multi-use path you never knew was there!!

When:

Sunday, September 25, 2016 9am - Noon

Location:

Topsfield Town Common

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Maritime Archaeology and Heritage on the Wharf

Celebrate 400 Years of Maritime History at Derby Wharf in Salem Massachusetts!

Join the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Dr. Calvin Mires, Co-Founder and Instructor of Seafaring Education and Maritime Archaeological Heritage Program (SEAMAHP) in bringing maritime heritage to life through hands-on activities. Although we won't actually be practicing archaeology, visitors young and old will have the opportunity to use the tools and methods of archaeological research, survey and documentation.

When:

Saturday, September 24, 2016, 11am-4pm (Open Doors)

Location:

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

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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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Bruins Pajama Drive

From February 1 through March 15, Cradles to Crayons®, the Boston Bruins, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Wonderfund are coming together with organizations in your community to collect new pajamas for local children living in low-income and homeless situations. Together, we are...

7:00 am to 9:00 pm

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Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

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!

Where: Halibut Point State Park

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Hike & Seek: Magic in the Winter Forest

Have you ever wondered what happens in nature during the winter months? Do you have questions like, “where do certain animals go” or “why does it snow”? Join us this February school vacation for this self-guided winter themed family-friendly bundle for use along the Stevens-to-Stevens trail in...

Where: Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

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Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

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.

Where: Breakheart Reservation

10:30 am to 11:30 am

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Music Together - Friday

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

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Sunday, March 16

CraneOutdoors: Family Winter Wildlife Walk

A CraneOutdoors Family Winter Wildlife Walk will take you on a stroll through the Crane Beach dunes while learning about the plants and animals that call this special place home. You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much...

Where: Crane Wildlife Refuge on the Crane Estate

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

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Monday, March 17

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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Tuesday, March 18

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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Music Together - Tuesday in Marblehead

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

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Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!

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

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Wednesday, March 19

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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Tower School Tower Tots

Our free Parent and Toddler Workshops are teacher-led, interactive, fun and open to everyone! Each workshop has its own unique theme—incorporating music, art, read-aloud stories and sensory explorations—selected to delight children aged 2–4.

Where: Tower School

9:00 am to 10:00 am

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