Elrod Elementary 2nd Graders make snow angels during their snow shoe hike.
Conservation Education Specialist with the Flathead National Forest Teresa Wenum says the Forest Service Junior Snow Ranger Program started in 2-thousand-2, just before the Winter Olympics.
“The whole idea is to help engage kids to get outside and enjoy the winter,” Wenum said, “get them to look at having fun, getting out to snowshoe, to ski, to enjoy, and then learn about the natural environment there in winter,” Wenum said the program also teaches about safety in the winter – dressing warm and being prepared.
The re-launch of the program includes a new book for classroom use with new outdoor activities, experiments, and information about the science of snow. Wenum said the activities are geared toward fourth and fifth graders, but are appropriate for kids aged 8 through 11.
Below is a link to the US Forest Service page with information on the USFS Junior Snow Ranger program.
http://na.fs.fed.us/ceredirect/jfr/
Thank you Katrin for a great story! Loved listening to the kids and the enthusiasm and interest in their voices. Here is direct link to the Forest Service Jr. Snow Ranger web site and book. http://bit.ly/y88VpN