Ranger guided Education Programs at Exit Glacier:

NPS photo

A school group on the way to Exit Glacier

Home Sweet Home: This first field-trip experience is designed for K-1st grade. Students explore the Exit Glacier area, visiting Park Rangers at several stations to learn about how wildlife survives near and in a glacier. Hands on activities keep students engaged and informed about the place these creatures call home. 2½ hours. Offered in the fall.

Habitat is Where I'm At: 1st and 2nd grades. Follow up to Habitat is Where I'm At classroom program. Students explore the habitat of animals that make their homes near a glacier, on this 2-hour walk with a ranger. Ultimately students will answer the question "What is my habitat?" Offered in the fall.

Glacier Tracks:  3rd-5th Grades. Follow up to What's in a National Park classroom program. Earth science and the changes that glaciers have made on the land are the focus for this 2½-hour guided hike. Offered in the spring and fall

Recess for Glaciers Success for Plants. 5th grade. Students will explore the change in plant life from the Outwash plain to the Spruce/hemlock forests surrounding Exit Glacier. They will gain an understanding of the ongoing, dynamic process of succession and their own effects on a landscape in transition. Offered in the fall.

Leave No Trace: 1st - 6th grade. This program covers the seven Leave No Trace principles as introduced by the Peak program. Students will spend 2 hours on the Glacier View and paved trails at Exit Glacier exploring their impact on the ecosystem. Offered in the spring and summer.

Botany by GPS: 6th grade. In this practical application and follow up to the classroom program Finding Your Way in the World, students spend 2-3 hours exploring the Exit Glacier trails finding and photographing plants and other things they notice along the way. Teachers are encouraged to extend this lesson by having students create power point presentations explaining the plants they’ve found and detailing their impressions of Kenai Fjords National Park. September only. Due to limited supplies this program is offered to just 2-4 classes per year.

At Lowell Point State Recreation Area: (through an agreement with Alaska State Parks)

NPS Photo

Looking for critters in the tide pools at Lowell Point

Tidepool Trekking: K-2nd grade. This program begins with a 40-minute classroom discussion of tides and tidepool etiquette followed by hands on exploration of the local intertidal ecosystem of Lowell Point State Park. A ranger guides students in a safe (for students AND creatures) and fun encounter with the invertebrates of the intertidal. Due to the fragility of the Lowell Point Ecosystem this program is offered on a limited basis in the Spring.

Algae: 5th and 6th grade. Students will visit the beach at low tide and learn about the algae that feed, protect and cover the intertidal ecosystem. This is a great lesson for those looking at classification, as the macrophytic saltwater algae still baffle scientists as to their exact classification. Currently some are considered plants, some chromists, some protists. Students will also collect and press several species of algae. Offered in spring and summer.