Guest Speakers
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- State Standards:
- Virginia VS.1: The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present.
Park rangers from Cedar Creek & Belle Grove NHP visit fourth grade classrooms to talk about national parks. Students find out what makes national parks special, how the National Park Service cares for the parks, and the jobs that park rangers do in them.
At the end of the presentation, each fourth grader in the classroom gets an Every Kid Outdoors (EKO) pass. With an EKO pass, fourth graders and their families get free access to hundreds of parks, lands, and waters for an entire year.
Invite a Park Ranger to Your Classroom
Book a park ranger as a guest speaker. Ask for the presentation "Every Kid Outdoors."
Rangers can present this activity in a school classroom, library, or community space. The presentation lasts about 30 minutes. Park rangers will need access to a screen or smart board to show visual aids.
The park ranger will talk about:
- What are national parks?
- Who are park rangers and what do they do?
- What does the arrowhead emblem of national parks mean?
- What can I see and do Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park?
- How do I use my Every Kid Outdoors Pass?
- Are there other nearby national parks?
How the 4th Graders Get Their Passes
A ranger will send instructions for the teacher to register their students for the EKO pass. The ranger will bring the passes during the classroom visit and give them to the teacher. The teacher gives each student their pass after writing their name on it.
Last updated: August 16, 2025