Tennessee State Parks

Junior Ranger Adventure Guide

Become a Junior Ranger!

______________________________________ _______________________ Your Name Date

Earn your Junior Ranger award by completing the activities in this book as you explore the park. Bring your completed Adventure Guide to the park office or park ranger when you are finished for your official Junior Ranger award. Once you have taken the Junior Ranger pledge, you can help the hundreds of rangers who protect and care for our Tennessee State Parks. Find answers to the questions you are asked by touring the visitor center, attending a program, reading park information or exploring the park with your family. Park Rangers and other park employees will be happy to help you discover the park! Take the Junior Ranger challenge and begin your adventure today!

Drawing Courtesy of Ranger Mike Robertson and is used throughout this publication.

THE ARROWHEAD PATCH

Emblem of Tennessee State Parks

The arrowhead is the emblem of Tennessee State Parks. You will see it in every State Park you visit. It is found at the entrance to parks, on information pamplets, park

vehicles and on Park Rangers. Below is the outline of the arrowhead, but it is incomplete. Find an arrowhead in the park and complete the drawing.

Let’s fill in the blanks! Each item in the arrowhead patch represents a feature protected within all State Park sites. Look at the design of the patch and find the items that fit in the blanks below:

1. The _____________ represents all plants.

2. The _____________ represents all lakes, rivers, creeks, and streams.

3. The _____________ represents all land formations.

4. The _____________ represents all history.

The one thing missing from our patch is an animal; always remember

Tennessee State Parks PROTECT animals to!!

Activity Page

Get to know the park! Choose two of the activities below and check them off when completed.

Interview someone who works at the park by asking them questions about their job.

1. What do they enjoy most about their work?

_____________________________________________________________

2. What do they hope for the future of the park? _____________________________________________________________

3. Write your own question here and ask it: _____________________________________________________________

Participate in an interpretive program. This can be a

guided walk, talk, demonstration, tour, class or campfire program. Describe what you liked about the program. Ranger/Leader: ________________________________ Program: _____________________________________

Go on a self-guided trail accompanied by a parent. Describe the trail. I chose the _______________________________trail. _____________________________________________________________

Explore the park with your family or friends for at

least one hour. Write down where you went and what you did. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

The state flower of Tennessee is: ___ ___ ___ ___ Secret code clue 1

The Park Did you know that only very special places are chosen to be State Parks? You are part owner of this park. Find out what makes this place special! * What is the name of the park you are visiting? _______________________________________________ * List three things that make this park special.

1. ___________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________

* How did the park get its name? ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Activity: Connect the dots to create a map. Where are you? Draw a triangle on the map to show the location of the park you are visiting.

People of the Past

Rangers help visitors understand stories from Tennessee’s past. What can you find out about the history of this park? * Name one special thing that happened here in the past. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

* Who are some of the people or groups that have lived where the park is today? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

* What did they do while they lived here? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

Activity: Draw a picture of a house or structure they built.

The state wild animal of Tennessee is: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Secret code clue 2 3 4 5 6

Nature and Ecology

Be a wildlife detective. As you walk down a path or trail, look and listen for signs of wildlife. Check off the clues when you find them. □ Animal home □ Bird calling □ Spider web □ Flower □ Chewed leaf □ Bird feather □ Insect buzzing □ Animal track Activity: Draw a picture of an insect you found in the park.

The state insect of Tennessee is: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Secret code clue 7 8 9

Nature and Ecology Rangers are people who love nature. Are you a nature-lover? Yes or No What kind of plants and animals are found on this park? ______________________ _____________________ ______________________ _____________________ Draw the leaves of two plants that grow here.

Activity: When you explore the outdoor environment of the park: Describe two textures: __________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Describe two sounds: ___________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Plants, Shrubs, and Trees Below are plants, shrubs, and trees that are found throughout Tennessee. Read the descriptions below. Find the correct picture and write the number beside it. Try to remember the name of each one. Dutchman’s breeches ___ cluster of white flowers that look like upside down pants. Poison Ivy ___ leaves of three…let it be! The oil in them can cause a bad itchy rash White Pine ___ Needles are in bunches of five Eastern Hemlock ___ Short needles are flat and dark green on top and light green on bottom Mountain Laurel ___ white with pink flowers Tennessee Coneflower ___ flower is usually purple and the center is purple almost black

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

Let’s Do Lunch

What would you pack for a picnic lunch? ______________________ __________________________________________________ Help these animals select an item from the menu. Write the number of the item on the menu beside each animal’s plate. Did you know that animals that eat only plants are called herbivores? Meat eaters are called carnivores. Animals that eat both plants and meat are called omnivores. What kind of eater are you? _______________ . Write a description of your favorite foods on the menu for # 6 and draw a picture of it on your plate.

MENU

1. A mixture of ripe acorns, shelled walnuts and hickory nuts served on a bed of fresh beechnuts. 2. Fresh stew with field mice, voles, and rabbits seasoned with various snakes. 3. A stir fry of cucumber beetles, green stink bugs, June bugs, and leafhoppers mixed with a few moths. 4. Large house salad served with twigs, buds, nuts, fruit, and corn. 5. Boiled crayfish, frog, and turtle eggs with a side salad of mixed berries, nuts, and grapes. 6.____________________________ ____________________________

Park Safety Search Rangers help people have a safe visit at the park. Junior Rangers should know the following things about park safety. Activity: Read the statements below. Then look for the underlined words in the Word Find below. 1. It is important to drink water on hot days. 2. Always stay with your group when you hike on a trail. 3. When you visit a museum, do not touch the displays unless a sign says it is OK. 4. Learn the rules before exploring the park. 5. Leave everything you find for others to enjoy. 6. Do not touch poison ivy when hiking because it will make you itch! 7. Never explore a park alone. Always have an adult with you. 8. Always wear a lifejacket when you are in a boat.

WORD FIND

G R O W V O E P H E L P T B O A T N V C A E C I R O P T T X J S L I Y E O U R E X P L O R E N V T Y G R C O T G P N I I Q U I W Y I I P O J S S S R U L E S A R E O K I V B N M O O N S L Y H H R E E L O N K H O W C T H I K E T I U C H U A A A D C E N V U R O G U E D O A H I Y E T O F U N

Match the Signs with the Symbols

Rangers use these signs and symbols to help people find their way and stay safe in the park. Do you know what these signs mean? Draw a line to connect the sign or symbol with its description.

Wheelchair Accessible

Restrooms

Recycling

Horseback Riding

Picnic Area

Ranger Station

Hiking

Swimming

Biking

Boating

Fishing

Golfing

Restaurant

Cabins

Campground

Activity: Circle the signs that you saw during your park visit.

Junior Ranger Word Match

Read the words and definitions below. Draw a line to match the words with the correct definitions.

Habitat Changes that help plants and animals better survive in their environments.

Ecology Stories, places and property that are passed to us from our ancestors.

Adaptation Variety in nature or culture.

Diversity A record of the past.

Culture When a group of people share a language, music, type of food, and a special way of doing things.

Heritage The study of the relationship between living things and their environment.

History The arrangement of food, water, shelter and space suitable to a plant or animal’s needs.

Tennessee’s state reptile is: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 10 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Secret code clue 11

Write a Poem Activity: Write a poem to help you remember what you liked best about the park. There are two samples below. Write your poem on the lines below. Example #1 Example #2

Speedboats Old house Fast and flying Creaky and bent

Zipping over the waves Home to kids long ago Happy, excited, cool & free Dusty, warm, and remembered

Quick craft Mansion

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___________________________________

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An old structure that is protected on a park is a part of: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Secret code clue: 12 13

The Journey Home * Did you have fun at this park? Why? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ * Name one thing you can do at home to help protect state parks. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ * Name one thing that you did while you were at the park to help protect it. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ * Why do you think parks are important? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ * Name one thing that you discovered at the park. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Secret Code When you have answered all the secret code questions, put the numbered letters in the spaces below. Then guess the secret message! Answer on last page.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 3 7 7 11 12 1 6 9 13 3 2 10

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 4 5 6 6 10 4 11 10 8

Color the picture above

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

As a Junior Ranger, it is your duty to help keep our Tennessee State Parks and Natural areas clean. Don’t litter. Put trash in its proper

place. Take aluminum cans, plastic soft drink bottles, and newspapers home with you for recycling or recycle them at the park. Recycling

bins are provided at most Tennessee State Parks for you convenience.

Across 3. If you buy one large bag of potato chips instead of five small bags, you are buying in ________. 4. Comes in disposable and rechargeable varieties. 7. To decrease the amount of trash you throw away. 9. Many items found in your ________ can be recycled into valuable new products. 10. To collect used materials to make into new products rather an throwing them away.

Down 1. You can __________ old toys to needy children instead of throwing them away. 2. To use something again for the same purpose or a new purpose. 5. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas that are used to manufacture products and heat our homes, come from the ________. 6. A product can be considered __________when it lasts a long time. 8. Your world, surroundings and source of life and health. 11. What a pile of decayed food scraps, leaves and grass turn into. WORD BANK: donate, batteries, durable, trash, compost, recycle, environment, bulk, reuse, reduce, earth

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com, sponsorship by Scotch.

EARTH IS OUR HOME!

LET’S KEEP IT SAFE

AND CLEAN!!

Becoming a Junior Ranger

Through this Adventure Guide you have learned what it means to be a Junior Ranger for Tennessee State Parks. If you would like to join us and become a Junior Ranger yourself, read the pledge

below and sign your name.

Junior Ranger Pledge

_____________________________________ (sign here to become an Official State Park Junior Ranger)

If you keep this promise, your actions will show others that you care about parks.

I, ___________________ (your name)

Pledge to be a good Junior Ranger, to learn about

Tennessee State Parks and to protect the parks from harm. I

will help others have fun learning about state parks. I will tell others about the history and

natural resources protected within the park system. I will do my part to obey the rules of each

park I visit and always act in a safe manner.

Picture Time

Get your picture made with a park ranger and place in the rectangle below, cut out around the rectangle, and frame your picture!

Congratulations!!

Once you have finished all the questions and activities in this Adventure Guide, you are a Junior Ranger! Bring your Adventure Guide to the park office or find a Park Ranger to get your Tennessee State Parks Junior Ranger award. Happy Trails! To learn more about this state park and other Tennessee State Park go to www.tnstatepark.com.

(Answer to secret code: ALL THINGS ARE CONNECTED)