For Students of All Ages

A boy looks through binoculars with gaping mouth as a second boy tries to look over his shoulder. — NPS Photo

“When am I ever going to use this?”

Every student at least once--

Most of us have sat in a classroom wondering when we were ever going to need to use that graph, or that chemical formula, or that historical fact. For those of us lucky enough to work as scientists with the National Park Service, we’ve learned that life on this planet is integrated. Science is too.

So, for example, a Natural Resource Specialist in Arizona who needs to restore a marsh in that arid climate, must know (at least a little!) about many different topics. They may learn about the aquatic environment and the animals drinking from the marsh in school. As they work, their education on the historic use of the marsh that led to high chemical contaminants, and the current legal water rights for those downstream, continues. National Park sites are perfect places to learn about the different topics, and see how they all play together.

These pages highlight the science education you can use from parks, or in parks if you’re close by. Whether you’re a teacher looking for lesson plans or a student looking for fun experiments to do, check out these links. And when you’re ready – head over to the For Researchers and Get Involved pages to find an internship!