Kid-friendly activities abound in Midwest's popular St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

Interactive exhibits at the Visitor Centers provide
discovery for all ages. Photo courtesy St. Croix
National Scenic Riverway NPS.

Outdoors activities for kids can be found aplenty throughout the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. By participating, you’ll find your children not only come away with great memories but also learn something about nature.

The National Park Service offers the Junior Ranger program, which includes the reward of a St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Junior Ranger patch. To receive a patch, kids must complete a 10-page booklet, available at either visitor center or online, and then successfully demonstrate to a ranger how to put on a life preserver. After a swearing-in ceremony, children receive a certificate and pin along with the patch.

State parks in both Minnesota and Wisconsin also offer a variety of programs for children.

Minnesota programs include:
g Junior Park Naturalist patches/certificates – Download from online a nature activity booklet about pinelands, prairies or hardwoods; when children complete them, they can attend a program at the park and receive a free patch and certificate.
g Park Explorer patches – Kids who’ve completed the Junior Park naturalist program can purchase activity books about nature, history and the earth at the park gift store. Completing the activity book earns the child a Park Explorer patch.
g Project Learning Tree – A number of nature-oriented family games and puzzles are available online via the Minnesota DNR. Volunteers and park rangers sometimes offer nature programs at park visitor centers as well.

Wisconsin state parks offer:
g Wisconsin Wildcards – Kids can collect pocket-sized cards that tell about native species, dangerous plants, and unique spots.
g Wisconsin Explorer patches – Booklets can be downloaded from online that children complete when they visit a park or hike a trail. They then can receive patches for completing the book.
g Special programs – Rangers and volunteers at many parks often offer programs ranging from meeting animals to stargazing at night, from campfire stories to scavenger hunts.

Be sure to check out each state’s park system online (Minnesota; Wisconsin) for a full list of activities on the dates you’re visiting.

Read more about day hiking the scenic riverway in my guidebook Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

National parks: lots of fun activities for kids

Junior Ranger patches for Yellowstone National Park.

Visiting a national park with kids means a lot of driving around between vistas and a quick stop at the gift shop for a T-shirt or toy, right?

Wrong!

The National Park Service offers a variety of great, interactive programs aimed at teaching kids about nature through fun and adventure. They often become the more memorable moments of a park visit for children, and a few even offer cool souvenirs at the end.

Among the programs:
g Junior Ranger – Most parks now offer some version of this program, in which kids by filling out a self-guided booklet and sometimes performing volunteer work can earn a Junior Ranger patch or pin among other goodies.
g Ranger-led activities – Park rangers often host family-friendly activities on the park’s geology, wildlife, ecology, history and other topics. Some parks during the evening offer programs in which kids can sit about a campfire and learn about nature.
g Star parties – Several national parks, especially those that are remote, offer nighttime viewings of the sky with telescopes. Your kids never will see a sky so brilliantly lit with stars.
g Touch programs – Some parks offer kids the opportunity to meet live animals or to touch cool found objects, such as turtle shells, feathers and rocks. They usually are held at the park’s nature or visitor center.

Kids’ activities aren’t limited to just inside the park, however. Before even leaving on your trip, have your children:
g Check out the park’s website – Many of the websites list activities specific to their park that later can be played on the drive to the park or during hikes.
g Meet Smokey Bear virtually – Younger kids can learn about forest fires and nature at Smokey  Bear’s official website.
g Visit Webrangers – Get kids excited about your trip with a stop at the Webrangers website. Kids can play more than 50 online games that allow them to explore various national parks.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.

National park activities abound for children

Ranger-led campfire at Wind Cave National Park.
Photo courtesy of Wind Cave NPS.

Visiting a national park with kids means a lot of driving around between vistas and a quick stop at the gift shop for a toy, right? Wrong. Now the park service offers a variety of great, interactive programs aimed at teaching kids about nature through fun and adventurous:
g Junior Ranger program – Most parks now offer some version of the program, in which kids by filling out a self-guided booklet and sometimes performing volunteer work can earn a Junior Ranger patch or pin among other goodies.
g Ranger-led campfires – During the evening, kids can sit about a campfire and learn about the park’s geology, wildlife, ecology, history and other topics.
g Star parties – Kids will never see a sky so brilliantly lit with stars as they will at many of the national parks that point telescopes upward during evening viewings.
g Touch programs – Some parks offer kids the opportunity to meet live animals or to touch cool found objects, such as turtle shells, feathers and rocks. They usually are held at the park’s nature center.
g Webrangers – Before you even leave for a national park, get kids excited about the trip with a stop at the Webrangers website. Kids can play more than 50 online games that allow them to explore various national parks.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.