So I’m all about having our children learn something new when we go camping as a family. When we were out in Colorado, we discovered that there are national monuments as well as national parks.
Okay, we said to the park ranger, so what’s the difference between the two?
Ladies and gentlemen, please note: Park ranger programs deeply enhance any visit to these national treasures whether you have a family or not.
A park is set aside by an act of Congress, the ranger told us. After approval from Congress, the president's signature is required to make the land a national park.
|The family on a quest to |
touch the ancient past and
learn about dinosaurs!
You can learn much from the official National Park Service website.
Everything seems bigger out west in the United States according to our children. I tend to agree. The fossils at Dinosaur National Monument are no different. These bones turned to rock of dinosaurs and other Jurassic period creatures that roamed this land when it was once a sea millions of years ago are on vivid display here. The fossil grounds are so big in fact that the park spans two states: Colorado and Utah.
Dinosaur National Monument is a unique park in that most of fossils are still in the rock. It’s a fascinating place to learn about the Jurassic period and the land and life of hundreds of dinosaurs. Don’t worry. You can see many of these rock-encased fossils at the Quarry Exhibit Hall. You can learn how paleontologists find fossils in their natural resting places and how paleontologists are attempting to preserve the fossils for future generations. There are a few dinosaurs reassembled at the museum. Park rangers offer full tours and talks during the summer months.
|This was once a sea with mud|
when the dinosaurs died.
Depending upon the season, you may have to take a shuttle to enjoy the park. Many national parks and monuments are resorting to free shuttles within park boundaries. This cuts down on pollution inside the park as well as travel congestion and parking issues. The shuttles also allow visitors the opportunity to look around during the drive and drink in the natural beauty of their surroundings. Shuttles can be picked up at the visitor centers of major parks.
I love hands-on learning for both myself and our children. But you don’t need to visit a national park or national monument if there aren’t any nearby. Take the family to a natural history museum or any museum to discover something new along with your children. Do you have any favorite museum you like visiting?
Thank you so much for visiting Camping with Kids. Enjoy your holiday season!