Exploring National Parks with a STEM Challenge!
Post by Julie Lyons
August 27, 2023
My most vivid family memories involved both travel and education. Not in a boring fashion, but super fun, “this will stick with me for the rest of my life” kind of way. Where did my traveling education occur? National Parks! And now, as an educator, I share my love for nature with a National Park project and STEM challenge. Read below for a semester unit on National Parks that includes research, planning, budgeting, natural resources, and design through an experience that I hope will spark a sense of wonder and discovery for your students!
Every 4th grade student in the United States can get a National Park pass. For FREE! This pass allows the student and their family to visit any of the currently 63 National Parks for free for their 4th grade school year - September through August. What better way to get your students vested in their learning than by letting them plan a National Park trip that their family could potentially take them on?
The National Park Research Report
From the tropical waters of the Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida to the icy landscape of Kenai Fjords in Alaska, there are so many diverse National Parks to explore across the US! Along with the diverse topography comes a wide variety of animals, plants, and activities for park visitors. Your students are bound to find a park they would love to explore!
When did national parks get established?
U.S. presidents saw the need to preserve natural resources as people moved west during the Westward Expansion in the 1800s. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1873, and many decades later, in 1916, the National Park Service was created. Now, the National Park Service maintains standards for 63 National Parks all over the United States!
After learning the history of National Parks, I have my students complete a National Park Research Report. They first learn all about their park and then plan a trip including budget, lodging, and site seeing. Everything is put into Google Slides to help students learn research, presentation, and technology skills.
The NEXT National Park STEM Challenge
Do you want to take this project even further? After researching and learning about a specific National Park and sharing with classmates, your students will have observed many similar elements of National Parks. They will be ready for the challenge of creating the NEXT National Park! Below is how I run this challenge over a semester-long unit. Each session is 45 - 90 minutes long.
Session 1 - 3: National Park Introduction & History
Engage: Show photos of National Parks and/or visit a national or state park.
Share the history of National Parks & answer questions.
Have students record information about National Parks and take notes.
Conduct virtual trips to National Parks.
Learn how National Park elements make a successful visitor experience and all contribute to the National Park design. Use the National Park website.
Brainstorm what the National Parks have in common.
Look at National Park Maps & read the map keys.
Examine examples of each element for a specific National Park.
Session 4 - 9: National Park Research
Choose a National Park to research.
Use provided sources to research their chosen National Park.
Identify National Park elements in their chosen National Park.
Practice taking notes and citing sources on student handouts.
Plan a trip to their chosen National Park including a trip budget and expenses for their family.
Create a citation page for websites used for research.
Use research notes to create a slideshow presenting their National Park in Google Slides.
Session 10 - 11: Brainstorm the next National Park
Review elements of a successful National Park.
Locate an area that does not have a National Park yet has potential. Use Google Maps.
Brainstorm park elements and record on student handouts.
Select materials to represent each park element.
Create a detailed sketch of the next National Park designs. Use labels for each National Park component.
Session 12 - 15: Build the next National Park
Identify materials needed for National Park model construction.
Review elements of a National Park.
Build the next National Park.
Design and create a park entrance sign and a park patch.
Session 16: Present Designs & Reflections
Students present their National Parks to guests and their peers.
Share the learning process and present design choices.
Students answer reflection questions.
Grab the full teacher guide with student handouts, instructional slides, and examples below!
Additional Resources
Will your students be the designers of the NEXT National Park? Here are some additional resources to dip a toe in the National Park waters.
