Grand Teton National Park Welcomes Fourth-Grade Students
New Program Encourages Families and Classes to Visit National Parks
MOOSE, WY — Grand Teton National Park invites all fourth-grade students to visit the park for free as part of the White House’s new Every Kid in a Park program. Fourth-grade students can visit https://www.everykidinapark.gov/ to complete an activity and obtain a voucher for a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas and lands, including national parks.
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent David Vela said, “We invite all fourth graders and their families, as well as fourth-grade classes, to the park to discover, learn and have fun.” Vela said one of the goals of the program is to connect young people with the great outdoors.
To receive a voucher for their free pass for national parks, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and play a game to access their special voucher. Fourth graders and their families can then obtain a pass for free entry to national parks and other federal public lands and waters across the country from now through August 31, 2016. The website also includes fun and engaging learning activities aligned to educational standards, trip planning tools, safety and packing tips and other important and helpful information for educators and parents.
In addition to providing every fourth grader in America a free entry pass for national parks and federal public lands and waters, fourth grade educators, youth group leaders and their students can participate in the program through field trips and other learning experiences.
Grand Teton National Park offers a “Weather Wonders” snow science field trip for fourth-grade classes and geology field trips in the fall and spring. The distance-learning program “Snow Desk” broadcasts live to schools around the country during the winter.
Park personnel will be at Colter Elementary in Jackson Hole to share information at the fourth-grade parents’ night on Wednesday, September 16 from 6-7 p.m. Other schools and fourth-grade teachers that are interested in the program should contact Megan Kohli at grte_education@nps.gov or call 307-739-3656.
Information about additional educational opportunities with Grand Teton National Park such as curriculum materials, field trips, traveling trunks, distance learning and more is available at http://www.nps.gov/grte/learn/education/for-teachers.htm.
The goal of the Every Kid in a Park program is to connect fourth graders with the great outdoors and inspire them to become future environmental stewards, ready to preserve and protect national parks and other public lands for years to come. The program is an important part of the National Park Service’s centennial celebration in 2016, which encourages everyone to Find Your Park.
Every Kid in a Park is a government-wide effort, launched by President Obama, and supported by eight federal agencies, including the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Education, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
