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Discovering Our National Parks: Creative Classroom Activities and Lessons for Grades 3-5

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Our national parks are treasures that showcase the beauty, history, and biodiversity of the United States. Over the years, our family has traveled to all 50 states and to many of our beautiful national parks. The experiences our parks have provided our family have truly been unmatched. It is out of this love for our National Park Service that I decided to incorporate our parks into my classroom. Teaching my upper elementary students about the sites run by the National Park Service has been an engaging way to meet educational standards. It also helps to foster a love for nature, history, patriotism, and a sense of environmental stewardship. Incorporating national parks into my curriculum has infused excitement into my classroom. In addition, it has provided many opportunities to teach skills and concepts across subjects. Here are some national parks classroom activities that can help you do just that.

National Park Research Pennants

One of my favorite national parks classroom activities are research pennants. I created these pennants to give students choice. They choose a park to research and then create an informational report that is displayed on a pennant. This activity has helped my students learn about different parks and also reinforced their research skills. They have helped them with identifying reliable sources, taking notes, and organizing information. As students complete their pennants, I am able to easily teach standards related to informational writing and geography. I also generally have my students present their pennant to the class. This allows them to work on their public speaking and presentation skills! The finished pennants make a great bulletin board or hallway display. They are awesome for showcasing students’ hard work and newfound knowledge.

National Park Word Search Activities

National park word search activities are a fun way to build vocabulary and reinforce spelling skills. You can use word searches that include key terms related to the parks. Flora and fauna, geographic features, and historical landmarks are all great to include. I’ve used these activities as a warm-up exercise, for brain breaks, and even to review of content covered in class. They are a great help in meeting language arts standards related to vocabulary acquisition! Kids love puzzles!! I’ve found time and again that they also spark interest in learning more about the parks featured in the word search.

Virtual Field Trips to National Parks

If an actual visit to a national park isn’t feasible, why not take your students on a virtual field trip? Many national parks offer online tours that allow students to explore the parks from the classroom. After the virtual visit, have your kiddos write reflections or create presentations about what they learned. This allows you to sneak in standards related to digital literacy, research, and writing! Plus, it’s an engaging way to bring real-world learning into your classroom.

National Park Road Trip Project-Based Learning

A few years ago I created a National Park Project-Based Learning experience that turned out to be a smash hit! In this PBL activity, my students plan a road trip to visit several national parks. They must research the parks, calculate distances, budget for expenses, and create an itinerary. This activity is a fantastic way to incorporate math standards related to budgeting, measurement, and time management, as well as geography skills such as map reading and understanding regions. It also encourages collaboration and critical thinking as students work together to plan the best possible trip within given constraints. I am confident that your students will LOVE planning a national park road trip. Plus, I have done all the hard work for you! This fun experience is ready to go and included a differentiated version for both 3rd and 4th grade as well as a 5th and 6th grade version!

National Parks Classroom Activities Road Trip Project Based Learning Pack

National Park Poetry

You can easily incorporate language arts standards by having students write poems inspired by the beauty and history of national parks. These national parks classroom activities are really fun to incorporate during National Poetry Month Whether it’s a haiku about the majestic landscapes of Yosemite or an acrostic poem using the name of a park, this activity allows students to express their creativity while practicing their poetry-writing skills. It’s a great way to combine literacy with environmental education. My students have loved writing beautiful poetry based on sites run by the National Park Service. I know your big kids will love it too!

National Park Art Projects

Of course the arts are easy to infuse into your classroom by having students create artwork inspired by the landscapes, wildlife, or history of one of our national park sites. They could paint a scene from a park, create a collage of its plants and animals, or design a park-themed mural. I have found this to be a great way to integrate visual arts with social studies and science. It is so helpful in leading students make connections across subjects while developing their artistic skills.

National Park Brochures

Have students create informational brochures for a national park of their choice. Your students can research a park’s attractions, history, and unique features, and then design a brochure that advertises the park to potential visitors. This activity can easily be aligned with standards in writing, particularly those related to informative and persuasive writing. It also integrates art and design skills as students think about how to visually present their information in a way that is both appealing and informative.

National Park Reading Passages

Using reading passages about national parks is a great way to teach reading comprehension skills. These passages can focus on the history, geography, or environmental significance of a park, and students can work on identifying the main idea, summarizing, and learning key vocabulary. This activity directly addresses reading standards and can be easily differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to integrate social studies and science content into your literacy instruction.

Incorporating national parks into your upper elementary classroom is a powerful way to engage students in meaningful, standards-based learning across a variety of subjects. From research projects and creative writing to math challenges and stewardship initiatives, these activities provide rich opportunities for students to explore, learn, and grow. If you’re excited to bring the beauty and history of our national parks into your classroom, I highly recommend checking out the resources mentioned here. These ready-to-use materials make it easy to get started, so you can focus on what matters most: inspiring your students to discover the wonders of our national parks.

Save These National Parks Classroom Activities for Later

We love our National Parks so very much. They have provided so many wonderful experiences both for our family and children as well as for my students. I hope that you are able to use some of these ideas to ignite a love of our national parks in your students while you teach those important standards this year! Make sure to save these ideas to one of your favorite Pinterest boards for teaching tips so that you will be able to easily find them when the time is right! Our family wishes you. We pray your greatest adventures lie ahead!

Matt & Tara

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