After visiting 10 National Parks in 2019 and collecting Junior Ranger badges at each one, we have set some future real adventure goals. As there are hundreds of Junior Ranger programs in the National Park Service, it could get a little wild.
The Junior Ranger Program is Pure Educational Fun
There is no better way to educate kids over the summer than to send them on a goal to earn a badge at each National Park they visit. The Junior Ranger books that the kids fill out engrain the Junior Ranger motto. Explore, Learn, and Protect. Each book is created with care and intention of the Rangers at each park. That is why each Junior Ranger booklet is so vastly different. Some are more challenging, some more brainy, some more artsy.
Be-ing in Nature
Junior Ranger books even include mindfulness materials and nature yoga! So National Park Rangers in the great outdoors are making sure the kids see nature as they do, a spiritual place. To realize that you be-ing in nature is as important as do-ing in nature. One of the highlights that has woven in the sacred nature of these protected places was watching a Lakota pipe maker carve a peace pipe out of the red quartzite at Pipestone National Monument. The experience, just like life outdoors, is so rich.
Junior Ranger Program Hands-on Activities
The National Park service this rich educational opportunity for kids: the book, the badge, (sometimes even a patch if you complete every page) for free. There are so many hands-on activities too, and they are always memorable. A few examples: our girls learned how to become an earthquake’s waves with a slinky at Oregon Caves National Monument, became a Pika collecting food while escaping predators at Crater Lake National Park, and became the mighty Mississippi while spotting key landmarks in the flow on a giant floor map at Mississippi River and Recreation Area.
Every Kid in a Park
If you have a 4th grader, check out Every Kid in a Park. The kids get a free National Park pass, and they love showing it as they go through the ranger gate every time. It’s easy to go online, print out the paper pass, show up to any National Park in person and they get an official card. Free access to all National Parks, lands, and waters for an entire year!
National Parks and Camping
And yes, we recommend you do the adventures in a small camper like a van. Sometimes National Park campgrounds accommodate only small rigs, so if you are too long you are out of luck. Certainly when there are no campground spots at all, as it’s always easiest to dispersed camp nearby in a van, or a small rig.
We love the National Parks Junior Ranger program! We are eternally grateful for how much our kids can Explore, Learn, and Protect because of the Junior Ranger program.
