School and Group Programs

Education Programs (includes Maple Sugaring) Preschool Discovery Programs Homeschool Programs Scout Programs Birthday Parties Teacher Workshops Contact Us

Located in Topsfield, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary covers 2,265 acres of interesting habitats including fields, vernal pools, forests, swamps, islands, eskers, and 8 miles of the Ipswich River. The diverse terrain makes this an ideal place for many types of organisms that live here year-round. The Sanctuary offers an observation tower overlooking a shrub swamp, a backyard-bird observation area, and ten miles of trails.

Education Programs for Grades Pre-K through 12

Our goal for school programs is to encourage an awareness of and sense of connection to the natural world by using hands-on, inquiry-based teaching techniques. Most of our programs are designed to compliment the life science strands of the Curriculum Frameworks. The Sanctuary offers a full range of school services including on-site field study, schoolground classes, consultation, naturalist in residency programs, curriculum development, and professional development complete with PDP's. The school programs listed in our brochure (PDF 200K) are conducted Tuesdays through Fridays. Please see our preschool brochure for Discovery Programs for Preschool Groups (PDF).

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Homeschool Programs

Our homeschool program introduces students to basic ecology while nurturing an appreciation for and understanding of the natural world. Students will become familiar with the plants and animals of our area through hands-on discoveries. Each class will begin with a short introduction indoors, followed by outdoor exploration. Contact us for more information.

Grades 1-5
Series of six or eight Wednesday mornings (each session is 2 hours)

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Scout Programs

Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield invites you to join our qualified staff as they lead scout groups through the diverse habitats of our property. We specialize in providing outdoor and environmental programs for scouts. Our programs are designed to meet badge and advancement requirements for the Boy Scouts of America. Some of our programs blend perfectly with the entire list of requirements for a specific badge and others address certain aspects of an achievement or badge. Note: Some of the activities have been adapted to cover the desired content, but may not be executed exactly as outlined in your manual.
Scout programs are offered:
Tuesday through Friday 3:30-5:00 pm (also on early release days)
Weekend Scout programs: Mornings and Afternoons

Please see the brochures for more information:
Girl Scouts (PDF 522K)
Boy Scouts (PDF 429K)

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Birthday Parties

We offer the use of our nature center for birthday parties. You may schedule parties with us Tuesday through Friday afternoons and on the weekends in either the morning or the afternoon. Parties are two hours and fifteen minutes in length, with one hour and fifteen minutes of that as a guided hike. We have a number of themes to choose from such as, Pond Dipping, Nature and Art, and Beavers to name just a few. Please see our brochure for more information.

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Teacher Workshops

Let us design a workshop suited to your school’s needs. Our programs will incorporate life science concepts from the Curriculum Frameworks and activities to use outdoors with your students.
Mass Audubon is approved by the Department of Education as a provider of professional development. Teachers participating in workshops will receive a Professional Development Certificate after completion of requirements.

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To register for a program:
Please fill out the registration form (PDF 200K) and/or contact us via e-mail at ipswichriver@massaudubon.org, or phone 978-887-9264 to register for a school program.

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