Happy Birthday National Park Service!

Youth Summit Students at the Lincoln Memorial

We Geeks love the National Park Service for a variety of reasons -- but mostly because of the hands-on learning experiences they provide for our students. Who could argue with being in the "where it happened" while studying an event? Did you know that the National Park Service not only manages our parks, but also supports national heritage areas, protects many national monuments and sites, works with architects and preservationists, and holds the register to the list of national historic places in the United States?

We are a little geeky over our national parks and have had the distinct pleasure to work in partnership with the National Park Service in a variety of programs including the Junior Ranger Program, the Teaching with Historic Places Program, and the Preserve America Youth Summit. We have met brilliant rangers, dug in the dirt, climbed ladders, explored unknown places, and learned about the cultural heritage and environmental resources in our country. Connecting with our national parks is easy peesy. Check out some of the links below-- and find out what is in your own backyard!

And PS.... we have shared a few fun photos with the NPS over the years below. What photo will you take on your next visit?

National Park Service Website: Find the historic places near you and learn more about your national parks.

National Park Service Junior Ranger Program: YES you too can be a Junior Ranger Online!

Teaching With Historic Places: Check this wonderful site out as it has IMMENSE resources for teaching about historic places in the classroom!

Youth Summit Program: Want to bring a better understanding of historic places, national parks, and preservation to your students? The Youth Summit is a way to make this happen!

HABS Collection (Library of Congress and the National Park Service): The Historic Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record are great ways to bring measured drawings and learning into the classroom. These are great STEM resources as well and highlight national historic places.

We've Wrote About It: Yep we love National Parks and have used it in our geeky classrooms. Here are some ideas on using places in the classroom:

Junior Ranger Program in a Geek Classroom

Place in the Classroom

The Power of Researching Place in the Classroom

Flat Stanley Visits Bent's Fort

Learning the Native American Perspective at Hovenweep 

Learning From a NPS Archaeologist at Mesa Verde.

Great Sand Dunes NP

Fossils Matter at Florissant NP

Rocky Mountain Learning With the Youth Summit