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The "Parks As Classrooms" program
was developed to provide parks with seed money for new and
innovative opportunities for Americans to learn about their
national parks.
National Park Service rangers, interepreters
and education  specialists
work directly with educators and other partners to to create
new and unique opportunities for learning. The final products
of these partnerships often have wide application and many
provide a connection to local or national curriculum standards.
While this may be of particular interest to students and teachers,
these interpretive and educational programs should appeal
to anyone interested in learning more about America's cultural
and natural treasures.
Imagine reading "The Raven" in Edgar
Allan Poe's House or learning about
the Executive Branch of the government at the White
House. Picture yourself learning
or teaching natural science in the Everglades
or Yellowstone
or in urban natural areas in San Francisco or New York City.
See history come alive at Gettysburg
or Valley
Forge. No matter what the subject
-- art, science, history, social studies, even math and physical
education, the subject is probably easier to teach and learn
when you are there. Parks as Classrooms (PAC) programs and
materials provide on- and off-site learning opportunities.
PAC resources include: curriculum-based
education programs,
audio-visual
materials including videos,
accredited teacher training and workshops,
traveling
trunks and kits, teacher
and student resource guides.
Junior
Ranger programs are provided by
many National Park Service sites. Many parks are now offering
information and curriculum-based activity guides on-line.
Interpretation and education play an important
role in conveying the significance of our national parks.
Because national parks belong to all of us, we all have the
opportunity to enjoy them, and we share  the
responsibility to protect them for future generations. Understanding
the importance to our natural and cultural heritage is the
first step toward understanding and appreciating who we are
as a people.
Once we learn to care about these places,
we can begin to truly care for them.
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