There they were. Two inspired children on a mission, storming through the visitor’s center doors of Fort Necessity National Battlefield just outside of Pittsburg. They proudly showcased their achievements all over their clothing. As they made their way to the front desk, they enthusiastically asked the ranger on duty, “Do you have Junior Ranger booklets?”. These kids were rock stars of the National Parks and they weren’t shy about it. I recognized them. These kids were motivated.
As a former National Park Volunteer Ranger, a parent, and frequent National Park visitor I have experienced the Jr. Ranger program from all angles. The purpose of the program is to engage kids with the natural and cultural world in an interactive way. Although the program was created for kids, anyone with a playful side can participate. Almost every National Park, Monument, Historic Site, or Seashore, offers the Jr. Ranger Program. Some of the more popular parks have multiple booklets with different themes or for different levels of learners. Inside are activities to complete during a park visit. These include attending live ranger programs, scavenger hunts, and puzzles to learn facts about history or geological features. Some have mazes that follow the migratory paths of animals or word finds to learn cultural and nature vocabulary. There are exercises to exhibit creativity through designing National Park badges, coloring landscapes or writing stories about experiences in the parks.
Once completed, the prospective Jr. Ranger takes the booklet to an official National Park Service Ranger to review. The ranger typically flips through it and tries to make a personal connection to the kids by asking questions about where they are from and what they learned at the park. Upon approval the Jr. Ranger is sworn in with an oath that involves protecting natural recourses, spreading the word about the National Parks and usually it ends with a funny statement such as "I promise to make my bed and eat my vegetables". The ordained Jr. Ranger is handed a badge and sometimes also receives certificates, paper ranger hats, patches, pencils, rulers and other swag.
We are lucky to have such a solid program within our Parks System. The two Jr. Rangers I witnessed at Fort Necessity are in the right mindset for the Jr. Ranger program. It is a great motivator for them to visit various parks and allows them to dig deep into everything the sites have to offer.
When considering participating in the Junior Ranger Program ask these questions:
What kind of place is it?
National Parks have many open-ended experiences for exploration while many Historical and Cultural Sites are tailored toward learning about the significance of the place. Does the supporting content offered in the booklets add to the experience?
What motivates your child/children to enjoy the parks and learn?
Kids learn differently. Some learn through wandering aimlessly while others prefer to read, write and learn by accomplishing goals. Would your kids prefer to climb on rocks, pick up sticks, hold the insects and splash in the water or attend a ranger program, go on a scavenger hunt and complete puzzles?
How much time do you have?
Are you going to be there for two hours or five days? Sometimes there is plenty of time for unconstrained exploration and sometimes the number of activities that need to be completed to obtain a badge doesn’t align with the amount of time spent in a particular place. If you have an extended amount of time, there is usually time to complete the Jr. Ranger Program and enjoy additional activities.
Do you want to participate?
Depending on the age and/or abilities of the child completing the booklet might take some collaboration with an adult. Do you get excited by Jr. Ranger activities as well or do you prefer being on the move hiking and biking? How would you like to spend that time based on all of the opportunities available?
