You're watching Inside Yellowstone.
Few places have the ability to touch a
child's heart like Yellowstone. The memories
that are made while watching Old Faithful
erupt with their family will stay with
a child for life. To highlight the affect
that Yellowstone has on kids, park rangers
have developed a series of programs
especially for children. The Junior Ranger
Program is a fun and rewarding way for
children between the ages 5 and 12 to
learn about Yellowstone while working
toward a Junior Ranger patch. Activities
range from wildlife identification to
geologic discovery. Official Junior Ranger
newspapers cost $3 and are sold at park
visitor centers. Those newspapers help guide
youngsters through the process of becoming
Junior Rangers. One of the requirements needed
to complete the Junior Ranger program is to
attend a ranger-led program. Free programs
geared for Junior Rangers and their families
are offered at most park visitor centers.
After attending a program, Junior Ranger
participants have the ranger sign their
official paper. Children 5 and up can
also participate in the Young Scientist
Program. Self-guiding booklets
are available for $5 and allow children to
receive a patch or key-chain for unraveling
scientific mysteries. Booklets are available
at the Old Faithful Visitor Center and the
Canyon Visitor Education Center.
Students and teachers have opportunities to
explore Yellowstone from home or school.
Windows Into Wonderland is a web-based
electronic fieldtrip. It was designed to
share the resources and treasures of
Yellowstone through a series of 17
adventures. Groups with students of 4th
through 8th graders can spend 4 or 5 days
in the park participating in
Expedition: Yellowstone!
This curriculum-based program covers a
wide variety of subjects and activities.
Watch our Expedition: Yellowstone! video
for more information. As a ranger, there
is nothing better than realizing you have
touched a child's heart. For many of us,
that is why we do what we do. There is
no place better to be a kid than in
Yellowstone National Park and no better
way to understand this spectacular place than
by participating in our programs for kids.