News Release

June Junior Ranger Programs

NPS

News Release Date: May 31, 2019

Contact: Paula Alexander, 812-937-4541

Junior Ranger Days at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Beginning on Saturday, June 1, 2019, and for each Saturday throughout the month, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial will offer special Junior Ranger programs oriented towards children ages 6 to 12. The programs scheduled include:
June 1 10:00 am Nature in the Park
Junior Rangers will take a guided nature hike to learn some secrets most people miss! Complete a nature scavenger hunt as we walk a mile on the park trails. Meet at the Visitor Center.
June 8 2:00 pm Pioneer Chores on the Farm
Junior Rangers will have a unique opportunity to try out chores that Abraham and Sarah Lincoln would have done when young children in the early 1800s. Try on a shoulder yoke and walk from the spring carrying water. Learn how to card wool that comes from the sheep on the farm. Meet at the farm.
June 15 2:00 pm Pioneer Games
This is a favorite Junior Ranger activity. Who doesn't like to play games? Make marbles the way pioneer children would, and learn to play "marbles"! Play with typical pioneer toys and make a corn husk doll. Meet in front of the Visitor Center.

June 22 2:00 pm History in the Park
Junior Rangers will participate in fun activities and games to learn more about the park's history. Meet at the shelter at the lower parking lot.
June 29 2:00 Junior Ranger Journal
Create your very own book about your visit to Lincoln Boyhood. All materials will be provided. Meet in the Nancy Hanks Lincoln Hall.
As with any Junior Ranger program, participating in the day’s activities will not only allow children and their families to explore and learn about how National Park Rangers protect parks and their resources, it will also provide them with the opportunity to earn a special commemorative certificate; and if they participate in three or more of the day’s activities, they can earn a Junior Ranger Day patch to add to their collection.
Junior Rangers are people who are young or young at heart who have fulfilled the requirements to earn a Junior Ranger badge or patch in at least one of the almost 300 National Park units across the nation that have a Junior Ranger program. The motto of the program is, “explore, learn, protect: be a Junior Ranger.”
The National Park Service’s Junior Ranger program began in the 1960s and was adopted to help kids and their families explore and learn about their national parks, cultivating future generations of park stewards. Today, hundreds of thousands of Junior Rangers are sworn in each year, and there is even a WebRanger program for those who are unable to visit a national park.
To learn more about Lincoln Boyhood’s celebration of Junior Ranger Day, call the park at 812-937-4541. To learn more about becoming a Junior Ranger, or about the National Park Service’s WebRanger program, please visit the RangerZONE at ttp://www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.htm.