Kids working on a leather pouch craft and learning about the life of a soldier.
There are a lot of things for kids to do at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. You can explore the fort's lower rooms, the fort's historic weapons, and the upper gun deck. Meet rangers, volunteers, or costumed soldiers who can share stories about the park and answer your questions. Children also enjoy walking the outside perimeter where you can experience the moat, water battery, and use the north boardwalk. The open, grassy 20 acres the fort sits on makes a great place for picnicking or kite flying on the north lawn. Explore the Map, download the App, or experience the Virtual Tour.
Become a Junior Ranger
You can complete the Castillo de San Marcos Junior Ranger activity book and earn a physical badge and patch. You can also work through the Virtual Junior Ranger online and earn a digital badge.
Education
From field trips to online programs, Fort Matanzas provides learning adventures for students and teachers throughout the world.
Every Kid Outdoors
Fourth graders and their families will be able to gain free admission, good for a year, to fee-collecting parks, public lands, and waters. Please visit Every Kid Outdoors for more information.
Kids in Parks
National parks are great places to explore anything kids can imagine. Go on an outdoor adventure. Walk in the footsteps of famous people. Take in unique scenery. Explore new interests. But most of all, national parks are places where you can have fun and create memories that last a lifetime. Click here to learn about real places you can experience and online opportunities.
Buddy Bison
Hey Kids! Have you met Buddy Bison? Click here and discover the parks Buddy Bison has visited.
Locations:Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Fort Matanzas National Monument
"One man's trash is another man's treasure." What?! Complete an archaeology activity to discover how "trash" can teach us a lot about people from the past.
Locations:Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Offices:Climate Change Response Program
Have you ever felt stronger as part of a group? The history of the Castillo de San Marcos shows us that there's strength in numbers -- a lesson to remember as we face the challenge posed by climate change.
Locations:Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Fort Matanzas National Monument
Did you know cannons harnessed the power of a chemical reaction to function? Discover more by conducting an experiment using the scientific method to produce a chemical reaction with an Alka-Seltzer cannon. Apply what you learn about chemical reactions to the loading and firing of cannon to understand the reality faced by the gun crews at the Castillo and Fort Matanzas.
Locations:Gateway National Recreation Area, Gateway Arch National Park, Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park
Offices:Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Youth Programs Division
Over the past 10 years, the National Park Service and the YMCA have partnered to connect more than 100,000 young people from 21 Ys across the nation to 65 national parks and historic sites through summer day camp programs.
Each year structural fire protection interns are placed in the national parks to help with fire and life safety issues. Learn about some of their experiences!
Locations:Cumberland Island National Seashore, National Mall and Memorial Parks
Offices:Fire and Aviation Management, Structural Fire Program
Every summer, the NPS Structural Fire Program recruits and places fire protection engineering, fire protection administration, and fire investigation students in NPS sites across the country to assist parks with meeting their structural fire management responsibilities. These interns bring their knowledge of fire protection systems and prevention strategies to the parks; in turn, parks offer vital work experience that the interns can take into future careers.
Offices:Fire and Aviation Management, Structural Fire Program
The NPS Structural Fire Protection Internship Program is celebrating 10 years of park structural fire protection. The program provides work experience for students in fire protection engineering, fire protection, administration, and fire investigation while the students complete critical structural fire management responsibilities for the park. Join us on a photographic journey to celebrate the successes of this program!
Locations:Big Hole National Battlefield, Indiana Dunes National Park, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Nez Perce National Historical Park, Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve, Pullman National Historical Park, White Sands National Park, Whitman Mission National Historic Sitemore »
Offices:Youth Programs, Youth Programs Division
Meet Sarah Sherwood, Park Guide at White Sands National Park, and learn about her career journey from internships to permanent positions!
Locations:Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, Petersburg National Battlefield
In 2024, Alex Crawford worked as a Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) Landscape Stewardship Corps (LSC) intern at Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. This internship gave him essential skills that led to him becoming a gardener at Petersburg National Battlefield. We caught up with him to hear about his experience, his background, and his work now as an NPS employee.
Locations:Boston National Historical Park, Boston African American National Historic Site, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Capitol Reef National Park, Glacier National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Juan National Historic Sitemore »
Offices:Youth Programs, Youth Programs Division
The National Park Service Youth and Young Adult Programs Division co-hosted the virtual event “Then/Now/Tomorrow: Empowering Our Future Conservation and Climate Stewards” on April 24, 2024, for National Park Week, alongside The Corps Network, the National Park Foundation, and AmeriCorps. A panel of six current and former corps members shared their experiences working and serving on public lands.
