Have you heard of Kids to Parks Day? It’s a nationwide day of outdoor play organized by National Park Trust, a non-profit organization working to preserve parks today and create park stewards for tomorrow. This year’s Kids to Parks Day will be held on Saturday May 16 at local and national parks all over the U.S.
Now in its fifth year, the Kids to Parks Day event encourages families to explore neighborhood parks and discover science, history, nature and adventure near home. Last year, some 447,000 people participated!
Help National Park Trust reach this year’s goal of 500,000 pledges for Kids to Parks Day – and be entered to win a Nikon camera while you’re at it! Take the pledge and be counted. You don’t have to join a special event – just take the pledge and then take your child to a park on May 16.
We love exploring parks, especially state and national parks. If you’re wondering what’s fun to do once you get there, here are some ideas contributed by readers of this blog, along with a couple of my own. Make sure you read through to the end – we’ve got a little giveaway of our own right here!
5 Favorite Park Activities for Families
1. Take a hike.
My favorite park activity is walking/hiking and taking in the views! -Allison
We love to take “themed” hikes… looking for items with certain colors or textures for example. -Angela
2. Stop in at a Visitor’s Center.
National Park Visitor Centers are a great place to get an overview of the park, plan your activities and learn more about the area and its inhabitants. This is the perfect spot to ask questions about how your family can best enjoy your time there.
3. Enjoy a picnic.
When we visit state and national parks, we almost always pack picnics. Whether you’re on the trail, at a campsite or along a river, it’s one of the simplest ways to take in the park’s unique features. Do some cloud watching, listen to the birds chatter, or just feel the grass, dirt or water on your feet.
4. Participate in the Junior Ranger program.
Just as Debi likes the Jr. Ranger Programs with her boys, we do too! Here are tips I compiled on enjoying the Junior Ranger program. -Carla
Our favorite activities are the junior ranger activities for the kids and hiking for all of us. -Catherine
Our favorite park activity is hiking and participating in the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger program. It’s a wonderful interactive program that helps kids learn more about the unique beauty of each park. -Krista
5. Play and explore.
We have two boys (almost 3 & almost 5) & their favorite park activity is digging. They love bringing their big shovels & dump trucks & get totally immersed. – Andrea
My favorite thing to do is walk slowly/calmly admiring the scenery and finding out what things are or if I already know, sharing my knowledge with my daughter. My daughter’s favorite thing to do is run, twirl, prance or anything similar and hopefully finding a slide. -Melissa
My personal favorite park activity is lying on my back soaking up some much needed vitamin D and watching the clouds move and change while my Bella entertains herself without my participation or coaxing … for a change. -Sophia
BUDDY BISON PRIZE PACKAGE ($75 value, prizes will be mailed from the National Parks Trust office):
- “Buddy Bison” mascot stuffed animal,
- 2 National Geographic Books (National Geographic Secrets of the National Parks and National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.),
- a CamelBak BPA- and BPS-free reusable bottle,
- a T-shirt,
- and a NPT Park Activity Guide.
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITIES:
To enter the National Parks Trust Camera Giveaway: Take the pledge at KidstoParksDay.org to get entered in the drawing for the camera through the National Park Trust website.
To enter our separate Buddy Bison Giveaway on GoExploreNature.com: Leave a quick comment on this post sharing your favorite park activity. Your comment will be entered in a random drawing where we will pick ONE winner. To be eligible for the drawing, you must leave your comment by Thursday, May 14 at noon (Pacific Standard Time). We will notify the winner via email (so make sure you use an active email address that you check regularly). If you are picked, you will have 24 hours to respond or we will pick an alternate winner. If you win, you will also be required to send us your mailing address so we give to the National Parks Trust for the purpose of mailing your prize package.
It’s not required for the giveaway, but we encourage you to interact with the National Park Trust on social media:
Jennifer Severson says
Hi! I have been drooling to start summer and go camping and spend some time away from electronics! I hope I win. Thank you!
Lauren says
Our family likes to go camping.
Rachel Robertson says
We love to climb on rocks! My kids are 3 and 6 and they just love scrambling over rocks, hopping from rock to rock, and exploring different smaller rocks, too. We just went to Joshua Tree and had a blast!
Bethany @ Online Therapy and Coaching says
Camping and exploring is one of my daughter’s favorite activities! We rent a camping cabin every Thanksgiving week, and it’s the high point of our year. 🙂
Laurel says
Our favorite park activity (my son is 3 1/2) is looking for creatures – animals, birds, bugs, lizards – he requests to go hiking at least once a month and I love it!
Sara says
Hi,
My family and I LOVE to go hiking and exploring!!
Jessi says
Our favorite park activity is getting dirty!
Stacy says
Our favorite park activity is enjoying a picnic.