Turn your National Park Visit into a Field Trip (even though everything fun is closed)

Working on Junior Ranger Books outside, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona

 Even though the National Parks and Monuments are mostly re-opened, many of the best educational features are not available, like guided tours, visitor's centers, and ranger programs. How can you continue to use national and state parks for educational purposes without these programs? 

In order to still get the most out of your parks visits, you will have to be more intentional, both during your visit, and at home. you will have to plan ahead and find the best places to go. You will have to learn before you visit. I like to think of it as a combination of virtual and in-person visits. 

Note: Many parks are still doing the junior ranger programs. Some have gone to online methods, such as downloadable booklets. (You still have to visit the park to complete some of these.) Some hand them out at the ranger's station, with the booklet and badge and a pencil all ready to go. It is up to you in these cases to make sure the ranger books are being done correctly. You can even go the pledge on the back of the book together if your children enjoy the ceremony. Other parks are doing the books as normal. 

Plan Ahead for your Visit:

When you are getting ready to visit a park or monument, it's more important then ever to check with the park's website. If anything isn't clear, give them a call. Check again the day you're visiting to make sure nothing has changed. Most parks also have official Facebook pages where you can keep up with news and ask questions. 

If the visitor center is closed, find out if there is a ranger table or station open where you can pick up Junior Ranger books and get your passport stamps. One park we visited had pre-stamped stickers they were handing out! Easy peasy! Other parks just have a table outside the ranger station with the stamps and maps. You will also want to plan ahead to make sure things like bathrooms and water are available, or you have another plan if they are not. 

Always check the park's Junior Ranger page to find out info on the program ahead of the visit. For National Park Service websites, this can be found under "Learn About the Park" and then "Kids and Youth". 

Visit the "What to DO" section of the website to get ideas on the best places to go and things to do, keeping in mind you will be learning everything from these outside experiences. If you are visiting a historic site, pick the places that will "tell the story" best without needing to explore the museum or visitor center. If you are visiting a natural area, choose the hikes that will give you the best chance of viewing wildlife or getting a good sense of the plant life. 

Learning before you visit:

I see this step as making your home into the visitor center. Sure, you won't build a beautiful diorama of taxidermy bison, but you can watch videos and look at pictures instead. You can watch the official park film showed in most visitor centers online. There are many ways to make your home into the learning center for the park before you visit. In fact, you will probably learn more then at the park because you will have as much time as you want! Here are my best ideas for learning at home:

Ranger Programs: Some parks have filmed ranger programs for people to watch at home. Other programs are available on YouTube. Some are specifically for kids. 

Park Videos: The rangers of some national park sites have filmed short informational shows about the parks they work in. Other parks have produced longer, more professional movies. Nearly every park has an official park film which is shown in their visitor center, and these can sometimes be found on their websites. Look under "Learn about the Park" and then "Photos and Multimedia". Although this is the logical place for all the films, I've found that there are often other areas of the website where films can also be found. 

Google Streetview: Google Streetview has more then just streets. Popular short hikes are sometimes filmed and you can "walk" the trail on your computer. Other options include boardwalk areas and scenic drives. Here is an example of the walk around Old Faithful.

Virtual Visits: A few national parks have designed virtual visit programs, some even going so far as offering printable Virtual Visit stamps for your passport book. You will just have to look at your park's website to see what's available. Here's an example, at Hot Springs National Park.

YouTube Videos: For learning about specific things, like Bison in Yellowstone, or the geographic wonders of Grand Canyon, your best bet is YouTube. You can find both professional and amateur videos, both short and long. If you are having trouble, try looking for specific professional companies- I have had good luck searching for National Geographic videos. 

Streaming Service Movies: YouTube is just the beginning. For longer, professionally produced documentaries and travel movies, look to your streaming service. Netflix has a few. Amazon Prime has a lot. Curiosity Stream is a great option for families that like documentaries. Check to see if your local library has a subscription to Kanopy, with will allow you to watch 10 full-length movies a month. 

Although using these resources is free, it's not really convenient or easy. It will take a lot of searching to find all the videos and resources available, especially the great NPS productions, because each and every website is a bit different and the best stuff is sometimes hard to find. These are the kinds of links I include in every National Park Study Guide I make- more then you will probably want to use, all arranged by topic and ready to use. Here is a sample page of the "Learn at Home" of the Everglades packet. 

Learning after your visit:

After you visit, you can continue the learning through the art of narration, or "telling back". This can be oral: "Tell me everything you learned about alligators!" It can be written: "Write 5 facts about Grand Canyon." It can be drawn: "Draw a diagram of how a steam engine works." Make sure these suggestions are age appropriate, and that you aren't giving too much work, and you will have a great record of your visit. More importantly, by processing the material and putting it in their own words, your children will form a life-long relationship with the ideas they learned. 

Of course, you can write your narrations on boring notebook paper, but if you want something more fun and memorable, look at our notebook pages for sale on our website. We have all kinds, from simple lined paper with pictures, to worksheets with open-ended boxes for drawing and writing. Here are some samples: 

Other options for recording your visit:

Keep a journal

Keep a nature journal

Write your favorite memories of each day of the trip on a slip of paper and put them in a memory jar

Use an atlas or blackline map to record your travels

Sketch your campground

Assign your child as videographer and later edit the movies into a record of your trip

Make a scrapbook

Notebook about each state you pass through

I hope these ideas help you turn your national park visit into a truly memorable and educational opportunity! Let me know what other ideas you have!