Date: September 4, 2015
Contact: Lynn McAloon, 907-683-9532
Denali National Park and Preserve invites all fourth grade students to visit the park for free as part of the White House’s new Every Kid in a Park program. As of September 1, fourth grade students can go to everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.
“During the National Park Service’s centennial celebration, we want everyone to get to know their national parks, and we’re offering a special invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover everything that national parks offer,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We hope these free passes for fourth graders will introduce fourth graders, their classes and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn.”
When they visit Denali National Park and Preserve, students can pick up a Junior Ranger activity book at the Denali Visitor Center, open daily, to discover ways to explore the park. Additionally, families can check out a free “Denali Discovery Pack.” Each pack is filled with fun equipment, identification guides and interactive activities to help kids enjoy their visit.
Fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and play a game to receive their special Every Kid in a Park passes. Fourth graders and their families may use the pass for free entry to national parks and other federal public lands and waters from September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016.
The website also includes fun and engaging learning activities aligned to educational standards, trip planning tools, safety and packing tips and other important and helpful information for educators and parents.
The program supports opportunities for field trips and other learning experiences guided by fourth grade educators and youth group leaders.
Teachers can bring Denali National Park and Preserve into their classrooms by enrolling in Denali’s Distance Learning Program. The free, interactive presentations are designed to meet national standards and introduce kids to life in Alaska, the geology of the mountain or the science of sled dogs. Registration begins October 1. For more information visit the park’s website at nps.gov/dena/learn/education/learning.
The Every Kid in a Park and Find Your Park programs are important parts of the National Park Service’s Centennial celebration in 2016.
The goal of the Every Kid in a Park program is to connect fourth graders with the great outdoors and inspire them to become future environmental stewards, ready to preserve and protect national parks and other public lands for years to come.
