(Mellow Wanderer) A back to school special! Call it the deal of the century: An end of summer free pass for all fourth grade students and their immediate families to all of America’s national parks. Every Kid in a Park program was created, in part, to celebrate the National Park Service turning 100 years old in 2016. 
Starting September 1, the Every Kid in a Park pass will be available during the entire school year and ends August 31, 2016. Why just 4th graders? According to NPS, that’s the grade most states focus on state history and best matches programming to kids of that age at many of the national parks. The White House unveiled the Every Kid in a Park pass earlier this year. With 84 million acres of public land in every state, including parks, trails, monuments, battlefields, seashores, rivers, lakefront and recreation areas, kids can be exposed to the great outdoors, nature and history. 
Since transportation to national parks can be challenging in underprivileged areas, federal grants are available through the 
National Park Foundation for school outings. You can find teaching kits, guides, maps and more on the NPS website. Your child can even be sworn-in as a Junior Ranger. The Junior Ranger motto is explore, learn, and protect. It’s a great interactive, hands-on experience. There’s no better way to get kids away from video game controllers, TV sets and other distractions than a visit to a national park, with wide open spaces, meadows, wildlife and waterfalls.
TOP 10 VISITS TO NATIONAL PARKS (2014)
Great Smokey Mountains National Park (TN, NC)
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Yellowstone National Park (WY, MT, ID)
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Olympic National Park (WA)
Zion National Park (UT)
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Acadia National Park (ME)
Glacier National Park (MT)
(Source: National Park Service)
The above parks are the “Big Daddies” of the national park system. There are scores of others, medium and small, all across the U.S. and its territories. There’s a handy NPS interactive website that will instantly show you the park, monument, preserve or federally protected area in your home state.
Mellow Wanderer
