Good Morning!
I am not there yet!
I am not in the most marvelous delightful area for ALL ages here at Farragut State Park, Athol, Idaho.
I am speaking of the Junior Ranger Program located in The Brig which is a WW II museum! Farragut was the largest naval training base in the United States during WW II. Only The Brig structure remains.
The Junior Ranger Program is located in two rooms within The Brig, two absolutely beautiful rooms that were once the kitchen and mess hall for the officers. A well taxidermized mountain lion holds court over the entire first room, often causing small children to be alarmed and definitely amazed. As a facilitator in the room, I answer questions to the best of my ability while guiding the children and parents/grandparents to circle the correct answer on a small clipboard at various stations. For example, the first station is about canines and felines, identifying tracks. Second station asks whether a bat is most like a human or a bird.
As they circumvent the room the final station is measuring the child's "wingspan" and then identifying a bird with a similar wingspan from diagrams on the wall. This station is very popular and often a parent's wingspan, similar to the 79" eagle, is measured by the children.
The last requirement for a Junior Ranger badge is to stamp several boxes in the park booklet given to each participant. The boxes are identified by activities the child has participated in within Farragut. For example, completing the clipboard activity is one box accomplished, hiking with parents another.
It is a marvelous program. Errin, the park ranger in charge, adds more hands-on activities annually to the rooms. This year there are puzzles yet to be opened and skull replicas yet to be examined.
Now it's time to put on my "Dedicated Volunteer" shirt and travel to the museum.
Come visit - you won't be disappointed!
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