National Park Project for Kids

Homeschool Research Project: National Parks

Heading to a National Park this summer? This National Park Research Project for kids will provide them with instructions to complete a fun research project. This is a great project for your middle-grade students at the end of the school year or as part of a geography unit. You can also plan for this project to coincide with National Park Week that takes place every April.

List of National Parks

There are currently 63 U.S. National Parks. Here is a complete list of all 63 national parks, linked to their National Park Service website. Keep reading to the end of this article to get a printable list of all 63 parks organized by state.

Check out my Great State Research Project for a guide to creating a fun U.S. State research project

Presentation Format Requirements

You may want your students to complete a written presentation, a visual presentation on a display board, a slideshow, or an oral presentation. My preference with this project is to have them create a slideshow, and give an oral presentation using their slides to stay on track and cover the required information.

If you prefer to focus on learning research skills only, you can use my pre-made worksheets to give your students a template for filling in the required information. My national park project worksheets offer a template for your students to compile and organize their research.

Grab this National Park Research Project from my shop!

Assignment Requirements

Give your students a list of information they must include in their final product. This will guide them in their research and give them direction as they create their speech, slideshow, or another form of presentation.

Here are some ideas of specific information to have them include:

• location of the park (what state?)
• map (you can print a U.S. map and have your student mark the location)
• driving distance from our home
• closest major airport to the park
• date the park was established and who was president at the time
• size of the park
• history of the land/area
• geology of the area
• wildlife found in the park (any endangered species?)
• plant life found in the park
• description of weather and climate
• chart or graph depicting monthly weather averages
• important visitor information (Does it close at any time during the year? Are there restrictions on vehicle size? What recreational activities are available within the park?)
• most famous or popular sights to see within the park
• 2-day itinerary for sightseeing: consider the following questions
  – Transportation within the park: drive, park shuttle bus, bicycle
  – Amount of time you will spend at each area you visit
  – How long will it take you to move between areas or activities
• at least 3 fun facts in addition to the above information
• works cited/bibliography
• PICTURES!

Books about National Parks

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We found many great books about national parks at our local library! Here are some kid-friendly options for your students to find information about the national parks.

Documentaries about National Parks

There are so many spectacular documentaries showcasing our national parks. Here are a few suggestions:

National Park Adventures (Amazon Prime)

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (Amazon Prime)

National Parks Exploration Series (Amazon Prime)

Websites for National Parks Information

The Parks Expert: Guides and itineraries for planning a national park trip

National Geographic – National Parks: Stunning photos and 61 individual park guides to the national parks (you will need to provide an email address to read the full articles)

National Geographic Kids – National Parks: Kid-friendly articles, guides, videos, and even quizzes about the national parks

Google Earth National Parks: So fun for the kids to zoom in to the earth and explore the landscape of some of our national parks!

YouTube National Park Video Resources

See all U.S. National Parks in 1 Minute (National Geographic): Speed through a single iconic photo capturing each of the first 59 national parks. Great little introduction to the beauty, grandeur, and variety of the natural world preserved through our park system.

America’s 62 National Parks Explained (435American): 8-minute history of how the national parks came to be, the history behind the establishment and management of the parks, and order in which they were established.

How the National Park Service Got Started (History Channel): Quick little four-minute video detailing how we came to have a national park service. Good visual elements and very understandable for kids.

America’s 58 National Parks (GoTraveler): There are a few missing from this list, but this playlist covers most of the national parks with brief video introductions.

Free Printable List of 63 U.S. National Parks

When you join my mailing list below, you’ll receive access to my printables library where you’ll find a list of U.S. National Parks. They are linked to the National Park Service website for each park, perfect to add to your Google classroom. Plus, you can always print it out to have paper copies too.

National Park Research Project Learning

Whether you have your kids research a national park they would like to visit someday, or encourage them to learn about a park your family plans to visit soon, they will learn to do simple research with this project.

Give them some specific questions to investigate, and then suggest that they find additional fun facts, stories, or other information that they find interesting. Use my pre-made template worksheets to make it easy for them to compile and organize their information, and then have your kids make a slideshow, or tell you all about what they learned. If they do their research, they may even play tour guide for your family’s next trip to a national park!

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National Park Project for Kids