Wanted: Junior Rangers to explore, learn, and protect

By: Jill Rohrbach 03/14/2016

There is no better time to become a Junior Park Ranger than the centennial year of the National Parks Service.

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The NPS Junior Ranger program is an activity-based program offered in almost all parks that lets kids join the National Park Service “family” as Junior Rangers. Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger patch and Junior Ranger certificate. Junior Rangers are typically between the ages of 5 to 13, although people of all ages can participate.

“Explore, Learn, and Protect!” is the Junior Ranger motto recited by children taking an oath to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family.

Last year, more than 800,000 children became Junior Rangers.

Arkansas is home to eight NPS sites or trails, each with its own unique story: Arkansas Post, Buffalo National River, Fort Smith National Historic Site, Hot Springs National Park, Little Rock Central High School, Pea Ridge National Military Park, the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home and the Trail of Tears.

Find Junior Ranger Pages for Specific Parks

Below is a list of links to Junior Ranger details for each Arkansas park that has its Junior Ranger information online.

  1. Buffalo National River, AR
  2. Fort Smith National Historic Site, AR
  3. Hot Springs National Park, AR
  4. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, AR
  5. Pea Ridge National Military Park, AR
  6. President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site, AR

National Junior Ranger Program Booklets

While most NPS parks have their own activity booklet, another way to expand your experience is with the fun activities found in the following themed booklets. Just print them out and take them along when you visit a park. Once completed, you can send some of the books to NPS headquarters for official recognition of completion.

Songs for Junior Rangers

The “Songs for Junior Rangers” CD was awarded the Gold Seal from the Parent’s Choice Foundation in Spring 2013. This set includes a 20-page illustrated booklet of lyrics and photos, and a poster map.