News Release

Junior Ranger Day 2018 Offers Nautical Fun And Skill Building

Junior Ranger Day 2018

NPS Photo

News Release Date: March 27, 2018

Contact: Lynn Cullivan, 415-561-7006

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will host a free Junior Ranger Day event on Saturday, April 21, 2018, between 9:30 AM and 4 PM, geared toward children ages 5-12 and their families. In addition, admission fees to board the historic ships will be waived for all visitors. The list of events below is subject to change. The finalized schedule of activities will be available at the front gate on the day of the event.
 

• Park rangers and volunteers will lead interactive demonstrations and teach traditional crafts throughout the day on Hyde Street Pier. Kids and families can learn how to caulk a ship’s deck (1-2:30 PM), spin rope, tie knots, watch a sail being repaired, and other examples of marlinspike seamanship. With the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association's "Age of Sail" staff, young visitors can work as a team to lower a boat into the water and then "heave ho!" to bring it back up. Children who enjoy dressing up should be sure to visit the Ark Houseboat near the Pier entrance to try on period costumes with the Living History Players.

 

• Visit the historic ferryboat Eureka for fun crafts including: building toy boats out of recycled materials, making personalized posters with the signal flag alphabet, and coloring Junior Ranger paper dolls and cardboard ranger hats. Join two brief sea chantey singalongs at 11:30 AM and 4 PM. Two Junior Ranger swearing in ceremonies will be offered at 12:30 PM for the early birds, and at 3:30 PM for afternoon visitors.

 

• Young sailors can pick up a free sailor tattoo (don’t worry, it’s only temporary!), get their faces painted, or enjoy a puppet show at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM, all in the Kingspoke gift shop (the blue building on the west side of the Pier entrance).

 

• In honor of Earth Day, the Aquarium of the Bay is organizing volunteers to clean the Park’s Aquatic Park beach from 10 AM-1 PM. Participants can preregister for the cleanup at https://AquaticParkEarthDay2018.eventbrite.com and meet up at the east end of the beach. And from 9:30 AM-12:00 PM, kids ages 8+ and families are invited to use iNaturalist, a cell phone app used to find, photograph and add to the world-wide database of plants and animals found in local communities. Bring your cell phone and learn how to use the Cal Academy’s iNaturalist app. To RSVP for this species count and to get the meetup location, please contact ranger Lou Salas Sian at e-mail us.

 

• On Junior Ranger Day, kids who complete the Park’s Agents of Discovery® game can get a special prize from the Kingspoke store at the end of the pier! Agents of Discovery® is an augmented reality mobile game that enables players to become a secret “Agent” and explore the Park in a new way. Families can unlock hidden geo-located challenges, solve fun trivia questions, and earn a Secret Agent sticker. Agents of Discovery® is available anytime from the App Store or Google Play (hint: free wifi is available in the Kingspoke in case kids want to download the app during Junior Ranger Day).

 

• And if you have a 4th grader in your family, this event would be a perfect time to make sure they get their “Every Kid in a Park (EKIP)” pass, if they haven’t gotten one already! Through the EKIP program, all 4th graders across the country are eligible to get a free annual pass to all national parks and public lands. The annual pass (for current 4th graders) expires on August 31, 2018, so don’t delay! For more information and to print out a voucher to bring to the park’s Fee Booth on Junior Ranger Day, go to https:///www.everykidoutdoors.gov/

Junior Ranger Day (a nationwide event held at different parks on different dates) gives young visitors a chance to explore their national parks, learn skills from staff and park rangers, and earn a Junior Ranger badge and prizes. At San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Junior Ranger Day kicks off National Park Week (April 21-29) which begins with a nationwide free admission day on Saturday, April 21st. Other fee-free days in 2018 will be September 22 (National Public Lands Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day).

Located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park includes a fleet of historic ships, Visitor Center, Maritime Museum, Maritime Research Center, and the Aquatic Park Historic District. For more information, please call 415-447-5000 or visit nps.gov/safr, Twitter @SFMaritimeNPS, and Facebook @SanFranciscoMaritimeNHP. The Park offers assisted listening services on request. Sign Language interpreter services need to be requested at least five days in advance. Contact Accessibility Coordinator/Chief of Interpretation for more information at 415-859-6797, or [e-mail].