Homeschool Rangers

I’m a former SCA (Student Conservation Association) and VIP (Volunteer-In-Parks) volunteer at Grand Canyon and Everglades National Parks, as well as at Albright Training Center, the National Park Service training and education center, also located at Grand Canyon. Now, I’m simply a homeschool Dad (and National Parks nut) who is working overtime to include the national parks, monuments, and other public lands and historic sites in our kids’ annual curriculum (as I fulfill my personal quest to visit all the NPS park units). 

My 12-year-old son has visited over 100 NPS units and has picked up numerous Junior Ranger badges and fond memories along the way, while my seven-year-old daughter has visited over 60 park units thus far and hasn’t met a Junior Ranger booklet she hasn’t absolutely loved. Besides the things most people might think to use the parks in teaching their children, we strive to use them as a backdrop for just about any subject, from art to physical education, from math to history, from ecology to geology, and from science to literature. Each year I plan separate Father-Son and Daddy-Daughter trips with my children and do my best to share my love of learning and sense of awe and wonder with them.  So many parks, so little time.

I’m interested in hearing your ideas, your stories, and your questions about the National Parks. Together we can have loads of fun while making our country’s national (and state) treasures an integral part of our kids’ homeschooling adventure.

Parke Diem!
— Jon Merryman