Become a Virtual Junior Ranger

NPS Illustration / S Lacy

Complete the activities on the next few pages to learn about the
volcanoes, plants, animals, and people of Craters of the Moon!
When you're done, you'll be able to print a badge and take the
Virtual Junior Ranger pledge!

Kids 9 & under: choose ONE activity per page to earn your badge!
Kids 10 & over: complete ALL activities to earn your badge!

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Duration:

59 seconds

Join Ranger Kurt at Craters of the Moon to begin exploring this wonderland of lava and earn your virtual badge! (Closed captioning and audio description are available.)

 

Are you ready to "rock"? Be sure to grab some paper and something to write and draw with, and let's get started!

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Part 1: The Lava

Activity 1: Volcanoes 101

 

Duration:

1 minute, 37 seconds

Come along with Ranger Kurt to learn about Craters' explosive volcanic origins! Additional clips borrowed from the "Volcanism at Craters of the Moon" video. Visit the Learn about the Park tab and click on "multimedia presentations" for more!

 

Volcanic Vocabulary

Read the descriptions of different kinds of volcanic features that you might see at Craters of the Moon, then scroll down to see if you can identify them in a photo!

• A’a (AH-ah) lava: Rough lava flows that have a jagged surface and are extremely sharp.
• Pahoehoe (pah-HOY-hoy) lava: Smooth lava flows that often form long ropes and folds.
• Lava tubes: Caves formed by flowing lava.
• Cinder cones: Larger volcanoes formed from small bubbly bits of lava (cinders). Look for smoother, more gentle slopes.
• Spatter cones: Miniature volcanoes formed from large globs of lava (spatter). Look for cones that are smaller and more rocky than a cinder cone.

Look at the photos below and see if you can identify the volcanic feature, based on what you’ve just learned. Slide the arrows over to the right to reveal the answer underneath!

 

Left image
Can you identify the volcanic feature in the photo?

Right image
Slide to reveal the answer.

 

Left image
Can you identify the volcanic feature in the photo?

Right image
Slide to reveal the answer.

 

Left image
Can you identify the volcanic feature in the photo?

Right image
Slide to reveal the answer.

 

Left image
Can you identify the volcanic feature in the photo?

Right image
Slide to reveal the answer.

 

Left image
Can you identify the volcanic feature in the photo?

Right image
Slide to reveal the answer.

 

Consider this!

Both a’a and pahoehoe are native Hawaiian words. Why do you think we use Hawaiian words to describe these types of lava?

 

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Activity 2: Draw the Blue Dragon

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 10 seconds

Learn about the historical figure who first put Craters of the Moon on the map! Additional clips borrowed from "Craters of the Moon: The Movie!" Visit the Learn about the Park tab and click on "multimedia presentations" for more!

 

In the 1920s, taxidermist Robert “Two-Gun Bob” Limbert explored and mapped out Craters. He wrote about the unique landscapes here in Southern Idaho, in hopes more people would come to see them!

Read Limbert’s description of a unique lava feature he found, and draw a picture of what you think it looks like! When you’re done, open up the photo below to compare!!

“The remarkable Blue Dragon Flow is well-named. Its surface is netted and veined with small cracks like scales of a prehistoric monster. Ropy twists of blue and gray lava have spread out in branches resembling the claws and legs of a dragon. This fantastic region of folds 30 feet wide, of whirlpools, gigantic snakes, and frozen waves extends for 11 miles.”
– Robert Limbert, “Among the ‘Craters of the Moon'," National Geographic (1924)

 

Left image
Slide to reveal a photo of the Blue Dragon Flow.

Right image
Don't peek until you've finished your drawing!

 

How does your Limbert-inspired drawing compare to the photo of the Blue Dragon Flow?

Continue to Page 2