Having a Ranger or Park Volunteer lead your class through an activity opens the subject up to your students and makes it come alive. Our Rangers and Volunteers have a depth of understanding of many topics that would be difficult to develop on your own. The popularity of Ranger-Guided Activities makes it important that you plan you trip and make reservations early to assure that a Ranger or Volunteer will be available. 

For most Ranger-Guided activities, we suggest a group size of less than 30 students.  This ensures that all students will hear the ranger and eases the impact on resources.

Your field trip may also include some Self-Guided Activities, so be sure to review these as you plan your trip.

Choose from the following list of possible Ranger-Guided Topics. The topics have been grouped by category.  Please select from the  topics (e.g. Birds) and not a category (e.g. Animals).

Animals

Beavers, Biodiversity, Birds, Bugs, Endangered Species, Exotic or non-native species, Mammals, Reptiles and Amphibians, Signs, Tracks.

Plants

Biodiversity, Dune Plants, Endangered Species, Exotic or non-native species, Trees, Uses, Wetlands, Wildflowers

Dune Ecology

Competition, Formation, Sand, Succession, Survival.

Winter Ecology

Animals, Plants, Snow, Weather.

Water

Bugs, Fowl, Lake Michigan, Mussels, Watershed Quality.

Geology

Beaches, Fossils, Glaciers, Landforms, Rocks.

Michigan History

Archeology, Blacksmiths, Farming, Historic Watercraft, Lighthouses, Logging, The Manitou Passage, Maple Syrup, Native Americans, Rescues, Shipwrecks, United States Life-Saving Service, Villages and Ghost Towns.

National Parks

Careers in the National Park Service, Overview of US National Parks, Overview of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Volunteering in Parks.

Give your students a first-hand experience in protecting and improving the resources of the National Lakeshore. Projects vary according to the thime of year and class learning objectives. In the past, classes have assisted rangers in removing invasive plants, removing litter from beaches, transplanting native dunegrass, restoring historic buildings, and much more. These projects are appropriate for grades four and up. Call the Lakeshore 231-326-5134 to select a project that will work for your class.