If you’re looking for a fun, free activity for your kids this summer, try a Junior Ranger program. You can do them at most National Parks and many state parks across the US. We’ve done about 15 different programs over the past 5 years and despite getting older and they continue to be a hit.
One of the things I love is that they teach your kids (and you) so much about the park you’re visiting while keeping kids active and engaged. They also include a variety of options for kids of varying ages so no matter their age there is something interesting for them. Most books can be completed in less than an hour as you visit that location. We often take a snack break to fill them in and then figure out what we need to be on the lookout for.
We would’ve never known that Joseph Pulitzer encouraged people to donate money to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty if it wasn’t for an exercise in the Junior Ranger Book. We also would not have compared the leaves of different trees in Catoctin National Park or that the length and number of pine needles in a fascicle determines the type of conifer tree in Yosemite National Park.
The boys got to create their own constellations in Sequoia National Park while learning about light pollution in the area. They learned all about plant and animal adaptations in Everglades National Park and how to protect the watershed that provides drinking water to the residents of South Florida.
They learned how to be secret service agents at the Eisenhower National Historic Site and about World Heritage Sites around the world in a special Junior Ranger Program dedicated to those locations.
The Junior Ranger Book at Ellis Island is written as a story of two children who just arrived from Finland. They tell a little about their journey through Ellis Island as they ask the children to complete the activities. It was a great way to personalize the experience.
When they’re all done, kids present their completed results to a Park Ranger. Some of the Rangers are great with kids and will ask them about their time in the park and tell them about other trails or lookout spots they’ll like. The kids always take a pledge that they’ll keep our national parks clean and protect the earth. And then they get a special badge that’s specific to that park that they can keep. The boys have even earned a few patches too.
What’s your favorite Junior Ranger Program? Tell us in the comments so we can try to go there!
