Programs currently offered for third grade: Printable version of this page
(1) A Monumental Hike (Serpents Trail – Landforms of the Grand Valley and Park History)
Students will go on a ranger-guided hike down the historic Serpents Trail, which provides an aerial view of the Grand Valley. Students will explore the major landforms surrounding their home, such as the Book Cliffs, the Colorado River, and the Grand Mesa. Rangers will share stories about the park's history and introduce students to the National Park Service and land preservation.
Location: Serpents Trail to Devils Kitchen Picnic Area
Duration: 2 hours - 1.75 miles
Standards Addressed:
Geography 1.2 - Locate places within their own and nearby communities.
Geography 1.3 - Describe relative location of places within the Grand Valley.
Science 4.1.3 - Identify major features of Earth’s surface.
History 3.1 - Explain the cultural origins of place names in the Grand Valley.
Pre-Visit Activity Pre-Visit Answer Key
Post-Visit Activity Post Visit Answer Key
(2) Where are We? (Colorado National Monument and the Grand Valley)
Students will explore the history of Colorado National Monument and understand how National Park Service areas differ from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Forest Service lands through hands-on activities. This program will also focus on where Colorado National Monument is located in relation to the Grand Valley, the Book Cliffs, the Colorado River, and the Grand Mesa.
Location: Saddlehorn Picnic Area (near the Books Cliffs View)
Duration: 45 minutes
Standards Addressed:
Geography 1.2 - Locate places within their own and nearby communities.
Geography 1.3 - Describe relative location of places within the Grand Valley.
Geography 3.2 - Describe local environmental features and identify the physical system to which they belong.
Science 4.1.3 - Identify major features of Earth's surface.
Pre-Visit Activity and Answer Key
Post-Visit Activity and Answer key
(3) What is That? (Looking at Landforms)
Students will take a ranger-guided hike to an overlook of the entire Grand Valley to identify landforms and discover the processes that shape them. This program will also explore different landforms such as cliffs, mountains, mesas, canyons, and monoliths.
Location: Window Rock Trail (near the Book Cliffs View)
Duration: 45 minutes
Standards Addressed:
Science 4.1.3 - Identify major features of Earth’s surface.
Science 4.1.4 - Describe natural processes that change Earth’s surface.
Geography 3.1 - Describe how features on Earth’s surface are shaped by physical processes.
History 3.1 - Explain the cultural origins of place names in the Grand Valley.
Pre-Visit Activity and Answer Key
Post-Visit Activity and Answer Key
(4) Who has Lived Here? (History of People)
Students will use props and photos to explore the history of the Grand Valley and Colorado National Monument and to learn the chronological order of events in the Grand Valley.
Location: Saddlehorn Picnic Area (near the Book Cliffs View)
Duration: 45 minutes
Standards Addressed:
Geography 4.4 - Identify the factors that affect why and where people settle in the community.
Geography 5.1 - Describe how physical environments provide opportunities and place constraints on human activities in the Grand Valley.
History 1.1 - Students know the general chronological order of events and people in history.
History 1.2 - Students use chronology to organize historical events and people.
Pre-Visit Activity (Coming Soon)
Post-Visit Activity (Coming Soon)
