Madera Canyon Junior ranger Program
The Madera Canyon Junior Ranger Program is an interactive nature activity for children visiting the canyon. Junior Ranger pamphlets are available upon request from canyon U. S. Forest Service (USFS) Rangers and at the Visitor Information Station in the Proctor Parking Area.
Developed as a self-guided program supervised by a parent, potential Junior Rangers explore the nature of Madera Canyon through age-appropriate exercises in the Junior Ranger pamphlet. By completing the exercises, participants earn a Madera Canyon Junior Ranger Certificate and Badge. Hints and help for completing the exercises are available in the accompanying Madera Canyon Plants and Animals Children’s Brochure and the Bud Gode Interpretive Nature Trail exhibits in the canyon recreation areas.
Spending time in nature can improve children’s health, stimulate creativity, sharpen skills, and help them care about the environment. With exercises designed to engage a variety of senses and skills, the Madera Canyon Junior Ranger Program can help parents turn simple recreation into a valuable outdoor learning experience for their kids. Children benefit from the opportunity to learn about the canyon by direct observation and connect with nature. The Madera Canyon Junior Ranger Program is another important way the Friends Education Program promotes “conservation through education.”
The interactive exercises in the Junior Ranger pamphlet include:
Madera Canyon Plants & Animals Checklist
Animal Tracks Matching
Making a Nature Sound Map
English/Spanish Nature Vocabulary
Drawing your favorite thing in Madera Canyon
Writing a poem about Madera Canyon or how you feel when you are in the canyon
Madera Canyon History Quiz
Madera Canyon Plants & Animals Children’s Brochure
The Madera Canyon Plants and Animals Children’s Brochure is a two-page color publication highlighting some of the mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, wildflowers and trees that live in the canyon and children might see during a visit.
Designed in a bright, eye-catching “kid-friendly” format, the brochure contains colorful photos of animals and plants, illustrated animal tracks next to the photo of the animal that makes them and a section of “important canyon tips & rules” for visitors. The brochure is distributed with the Madera Canyon Junior Ranger Pamphlet by canyon USFS Rangers or from the Visitor Information Station at Proctor Parking Area.