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Junior Ranger Programs Offer Fun, Painless Education

RAPID CITY, S.D. (6/23/09) -- Participating in programs designed for kids at Black Hills national and state parks can be a great experience for the whole family – grandparents, parents and favorite aunts included.

Junior Ranger programs offered at the area’s national parks and Junior Naturalist programs available at state parks engage children in age-appropriate activities. The goal is to provide fun learning experiences that also impress kids with the significance of the nation’s special places and the importance of protecting them. Another special children’s program is Junior Paleontologist Excavations held at The Mammoth Site at Hot Springs.

Bradley Block, chief interpreter at Jewel Cave National Monument, says children in the cave’s Junior Ranger program “tend to enhance their visit. The program provokes kids to look beyond the basic cave tour and ask themselves questions about what they are seeing. Visits and displays they might have walked by, the activity book makes them take a second look.”

Most Junior Ranger programs are based on an activity booklet with physical or mental exercises that must be completed to earn certificates, badges or patches. As Scouting programs have long proved, collecting badges is a real motivator for many youngsters. “There are a fair number of kids that do go through the Junior Ranger program at every park they visit,” Block said. “That is a goal of theirs that they have a passion for. It’s no different than any other hobby. They are collecting badges; they are on a quest.”

Perhaps the most important result of the Junior Ranger and Junior Naturalist programs is the opportunity they provide for vacationing families to broaden their appreciation of each other. Today’s busy lifestyles mean parents and children often have few chances to interact with each other outside of daily routines where everyone sticks to their appointed role.

“When participants go through the Ranger program, I have seen parents watch their kids and be completely amazed. I’ve seen parents come alive with, ‘I had no idea that my son or daughter had any interest in this,’” Block said. As might be expected, vacations, along with exploring new places and enjoying first-time experiences, can be a great time for families to grow closer and learn to appreciate each other. Here’s a list of western South Dakota’s parks and their children’s programs:

Badlands National Park – Kids can pick up the park activity book at Ben Reifel Visitor Center. Completing the activities and watching the park movie, “Land of Stone and Light,” or (in summer) attending a daily ranger-guided program earns participants the official Badlands National Park Junior Ranger Badge and a signed certificate.

Minuteman Missile Silo – Children can download a copy of the silo’s Junior Ranger program by following the prompts at www.nps.gov/mimi. Activities include drawing your own example of blast door art, decoding secret messages, listing items you would take into a bomb shelter and why, and putting the parts of a missile in proper working order. Completed programs can be mailed to the park’s address; participants receive a certificate and a patch.

Wind Cave National Park – Junior Ranger activity booklets are available at the park bookstore and teach kids about the park’s ecosystems, the cave and the wildlife. This year, special funding supports a project to take pictures of kids who complete the program and post them online at the Wind Cave’s website: www.nps.gov.wica, where they can be downloaded and shared with family and friends.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial – Three activity books for different age groups are available. A book for kids under age 5 has simple activities such as counting pine needles or drawing pictures. The booklet for children ages 5-12 includes crossword puzzles and fill-in-the-blanks among 11 different activities. A booket for kids older than 12 is quite a bit more difficult and includes detailed information about the presidents and about Gutzon Borglum. For all ages, touring all of the park facilities and displays provides most of the answers and gives kids a good understanding of the memorial. Many answers can be found in the Exhibit Hall and in the newspaper provided to all park visitors. Children who complete the book receive a certificate, and a souvenir patch can also be purchased.

Devils Tower National Monument – There are two activity books available, one for younger children and one for children ages 10-12. The first booklet is set up as a scavenger hunt, with kids looking for various objects or activities along the trail and checking them off. The second booklet includes crossword puzzles, word finding exercises, questions and answers and drawing opportunities. Booklets are available at the visitor center; children need at least an hour to complete the program. Certificates and badges are issued upon completion, and patches may be purchased in the bookstore for $1.

Jewel Cave National Monument – Two activity books, one for children ages 5-8 and another for children ages 9-12, are available. Completion of the program requires children to take a cave tour, plus spend 30 minutes to an hour completing the activity book. Participants earn a badge. The cave is presently upgrading its Junior Ranger program, and will have an enhanced program in place at some point this summer that will earn an embroidered patch.

South Dakota State Parks – State parks offer kids ages 7-12 the Junior Naturalist Program as a way to learn about the natural and cultural history of the state. There is also a Pups Program for children ages 4-6, with an activity book that can be completed with the help of an adult.

Area parks with Junior Naturalist programs include: Custer State Park, Angostura Recreation Area, Bear Butte State Park, Rocky Point Recreation Area, Roughlock Falls Nature Area and Shadehill State Park. Kids receive an embroidered patch after completing requirements. There are six different patches, and each patch must be completed in one year’s time. Kids must attend at least five interpretive programs (Walk in the Park hikes, campground programs, nature day camps, etc.) and three recreational activities (hiking, biking, swimming, skiing, etc.) Kids keep track of their activities on a Junior Naturalist Card. The completed card is given to a state park naturalist/programmer who then presents the child with the appropriate patch. Follow the prompts at www.sdgfp.info for detailed information, including a downloadable form.

The Mammoth Site at Hot Springs – Junior Paleontologist Excavations are hour-long simulated digs that teach children about excavation techniques, including identification of replica mammoth bones and giant short-faced bear fossils. Replicas are buried in a special area next to the actual sinkhole. Upon completion, children receive a certificate and a fossil identification booklet.

Reservations with advance payment are required for this popular program. Sessions are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. through July 31 and at 2 p.m. Aug. 1-15. Cost is $9 per child; call 605-745-6017 to reserve. Parents or guardians must stay at the Mammoth Site during the program.

Children who don’t have opportunities to visit national parks can still participate in fun learning activities through the Web Ranger program. Information and activities are available at www.nps.gov/webrangers.

Other useful websites are: www.nationalparks.org, www.juniorrangergazette,com and www.juniorranger.info, a very informative site run by high school student Sam Maslow, who has crisscrossed the country on family vacations and collected more than 300 Junior Ranger badges.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Bill Honerkamp at (605) 355-3600