The new National Parks Service Webranger website is seriously cool. If you’re not sure what a Webranger is and if it’s legal in this country, let me explain; the National Parks Service has a program for kids at most of the popular National Parks called Junior Rangers. It’s a neat program, well thought out and presented, that engages kids usually between the ages of 6 and 14. Activities are specific to the park the program is in and usually take 2-4 hours for child to complete, sometimes with help of their parents and always with the help of a Park Ranger at some point.
So how does the Park Service translate this type of program to the Internet? Easy! Give kids the same type of task and some structure. The Main screen for the site is a ranger’s desk. From there children can pick a type of activity, with different levels of easy, medium and hard. Once 15 of any level are completed, a special medallion is awarded and you’re encouraged to try the next level. When all levels are complete, you are awarded the certificate to be a Webranger.
The activities mimic the real world program. There are a number of easy activities like identifying animals, tracks, etc.. As well as a number of reading comprehension tasks. Some games are included to keep things interesting while still teaching a bit of how and why parks are the way they are, such as placing forts to protect American bays. Each task has a badge associated with it and you are given one big vest for them all to fit on. As the tasks are completed the badges light up giving you a sense of how you have to go.
It’s really a great program full of learning opportunities for the right age group. If you’re not able to hit the Parks as often as you’d like, this site can go a ways towards piquing your child’s interest in the Parks while you plan your next trip!
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