Exploration

Afterschool at Joppa: Super Birds!

Learn about winter birds and their migrations.

Saturday Jan 26 is the Super Bowl of Birding at Joppa Flats – a birding competition to find the most birds on Plum Island in 24 hours! Which birds had the most frequent flyer miles? Which birds were the most elusive? How did THAT bird end up on the East Coast? All the answers will be revealed and we’ll also play games, practice with scopes and binoculars and make some take home bird treats!

When: 
Wednesday, January 30, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Winter Birds at the Window

Come visit Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary and learn about winter birds!

Need an excuse to get out of the house this winter? Drop by our Nature Center on select Thursday mornings in January and observe the wildlife activity in our bird garden. You will be treated to close looks at squirrels, rabbits, and the wide variety of winter birds that visit our feeders. We will provide hot drinks, a few tasty treats, and a staff member to help you identify everything you see. No matter how cold the temperatures may be outside, it's always warm inside! Children welcome.

When: 
Thursday, January 10, 2013 10-11:30am

Imagine, Sing & Learn 12D: The Deep Sea

Creatures of the Deep sea are the subject of the next Imagine, Sing and Learn!

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 focus on life in the deep sea and the special creatures that live there!

When: 
Friday, December 21, 2012 1-2:30 [m

Friday Morning

Creatures of the Deep sea are the subject of the next Imagine, Sing and Learn!

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 focus on life in the deep sea and the special creatures that live there!

When: 
Friday, December 21, 2012 10-11:30 am

Thursday Afternoon

Creatures of the Deep sea are the subject of the next Imagine, Sing and Learn!

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 focus on life in the deep sea and the special creatures that live there!

When: 
Thursday, December 20, 2012 1-2:30 pm

Blue Discoveries Family Day: Aqua Vets

Learn with the Family at New England Aquarium!

Come learn all about the veterinarians that care for marine creatures at the next New England Aquarium Blue Discoveries Family Day! Learn more about the blue planet through art, science and storytelling at the in the Blue Discoveries Program. Programs highlight Aquarium favorites as well as Aquarium hidden treasures. All activities are included with Aquarium admission. This is a drop in program for select Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year.

When: 
Saturday, December 16, 2012 11am - 3pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Visit to the Twilight Zone

Kids will learn about the ocean's twighlight zone after school at Joppa Flats

This week's program will be about the ocean's twilight zone! Known as the mesopelagic layer in the ocean, the twilight zone starts around 660 feet, where sunlight is very faint and continues to get progressively darker and colder to a depth of 3300 feet. There are many creatures that use this zone as their habitat, many that are bio luminescen, have large eyes for seeing weel in darkness or have form factors that seem outright alien! Come learn about this strange part of the sea and the creatures that live there.

When: 
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Come to the Coral Reef

Kids will learn about coral reefs after school at Joppa Flats Education Center

This week kids will learn about the coral reef habitat. Our afternoon starts off with self-guided activities, challenges, or puzzles that lead us to our topic for the day. As a group, we'll observe, investigate, and compare wildlife, their adaptations, and the changes that they undergo in autumn. Participants may play the role of entomologist, ornithologist, astronomer, or even glaciologist throughout this series. Each experience will leave your young naturalist eager for the next session. 

When: 
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Afterschool at Joppa: Let's Save the Sea Turtles!

Kids will learn about Sea Turtle after school at Joppa Flat Education Center

This week's program will be about sea turtles! Our afternoon starts off with self-guided activities, challenges, or puzzles that lead us to our topic for the day. As a group, we'll observe, investigate, and compare wildlife, their adaptations, and the changes that they undergo in autumn. Participants may play the role of entomologist, ornithologist, astronomer, or even glaciologist throughout this series. Each experience will leave your young naturalist eager for the next session. 

When: 
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 3:30 - 5pm

Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Parker River Wildlife Refuge

Explore Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary with your family and Mass Audubon!

Adults and children can spend quality family time in the great outdoors finding, observing, and admiring local wildlife. Each program begins at Joppa Flats Education Center with a brief introduction to our theme via slide shows, group activities, or an in-class demonstration.

When: 
Sunday, December 2, 2012 Noon-2:30 pm

Pages

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

Superbowl of Birding 2026

The Superbowl of Birding 2026 is a unique competition conducted in Rockingham County, NH, and Essex County, Massachusetts
The Superbowl of Birding is a unique competition conducted in Rockingham County, NH, and Essex County, MA. During a 12-hour period, teams of birders of all ages and abilities seek to amass the greatest number of avian species, to earn the most points based on the rarity of the birds recorded. Teams...
5:00 am to 5:00 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

Nice n' Easy Hike at Breakheart Reservation

Nice and Easy winter hike at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Massachusetts
Join the Park Interpreter for this weekly guided hike! Each trip will highlight natural and historic features unique to Breakheart. Hikes are moderately paced and range from 2-3 miles over sometimes uneven and rocky terrain. Best for ages 8 years and up. Meet at the Visitor Center.
9:30 am to 11:30 am

Animal Tracks | Family Nature Series

Essex County Greenbelt teams up with North Shore Nature Programs for a wildlife hike in Ipswich Massachusetts!
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​This event with North Shore Nature Programs is geared toward families of all ages who would like to learn about the signs and tracks that animals leave behind!  We will explore outdoors and look at tracks, chewed sticks, scat, nests, beaver constructions and more! Waterproof and warm...
10:00 am to 11:30 am

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

CraneExplorer: Family Full Moon Hike in the Dunes

Walk through the Crane Wildlife Refuge in Ipswich Massachusetts with the Trustees under the full moon.
There is almost nothing more peaceful than a evening walk at the Crane Estate, and we would like to invite your family to join us for a unique hiking experience. With the full moon rising over the Atlantic, we’ll start with a sunset stroll along Crane Beach admiring this spectacle before heading...
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 3

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
Subscribe to Exploration