"Explore, Learn, and Connect!" It's the motto of the Junior Ranger Program offered by our National Parks Service. I love going to a national park and finding out they have a Junior Ranger Program! 

Everglades National Park let them borrow hats.

This program allows children to complete tasks in a booklet to receive a Junior Ranger pin. It is geared towards ages 5-13 but the website says “people of all ages can participate”. The booklets level the activity so children of all ages can participate. You will find a handy guide in the front showing a symbol and corresponding ages. As you flip through the book looking through the activities you’ll see the symbols on the page. You will quickly know if the activity is age appropriate or not. Once the child is done they take their booklet back to the ranger’s desk to have them looked over. Once the answers have been “checked” the ranger will swear the child in and give them their pin along with a certificate. The best part is that the program is FREE!

My boys have earned their Junior Ranger pins at
- Stones River National Battlefield
- Denali National Park
- Everglades National Park

You can read more about it, and find a list of participating parks, at https://www.nps.gov/kids/jrrangers.cfm

Kaden working hard at Denali National Park.