Junior Ranger Park Explorer program kicks off to teach children about outdoors
The National Park Service recently launched a Junior Ranger Park Explorer program to motivate children to get outside, and the Reach Museum and Manhattan Project National Historical Park rangers are collaborating to make it local.
On June 29, the two organizations set up booths at the Fingernail at Howard Amon Park in Richland to hand out Park Explorer Passports filled with activities to help children learn about trees. The passport prompted participants to explore the park and draw a tree.
“We want them to learn about the place where they live and get outside,” said Andrea Constance, Reach Museum museum educator.
There are two other park explorer days throughout the summer and both are included in the passport.
On July 19, the organizations will go to Claybell Park in Richland for activities about beavers. On August 18, they will be at Goethals Park for activities about scientific methods, Constance said. Children earn a stamp for each event they attend.
“If they come to two out of the three, and get stamps, then they can earn their Junior Ranger Badge this summer,” she said.
Hannah Popovich and her two children, Sawyer and Willow, who are home schooled, had a free day so they decided to check it out after seeing the free event on Facebook.
“It’s always awesome to get another learning opportunity and then something that somebody else has provided is always a great thing,” she said.
