Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of 20 national parks kicking off “Let’s Move Outside” Junior Ranger.
      “Let’s Move Outside,” led by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, provides tools and information to parents to make it easy to enjoy the outdoors and be active and healthy.
     It is part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s nationwide campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation.
     “Young people inspire us; we want to help them be healthy and curious for life. It starts with family fun. We want to help parents learn the skills they need to enjoy the outdoors with their kids,” National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said.
     Great Smoky Mountains National Park is offering kids dozens of hands-on fun activities through August 14 at specific times throughout the week.  
     The Junior Ranger Program is free and engages kids, ages 5 through 12, in rewarding learning experiences.  
     For instance, children can make their own dinner bell in a 19th Century blacksmith shop, or create a piece of pottery as Cherokee Indians have done for thousands of years; or, if discovering the natural work is more appealing, they can wade through a mountain stream to look for salamanders and damselflies; or venture into the dark to explore the creatures of the night.  
     After completing a series of activities, kids are sworn in as Junior Rangers and receive a badge and certificate to mark their accomplishment.
     The “Let’s Move Outside” initiative is a new feature of the popular National Park Service Junior Ranger Program and encourages families to become more active by highlighting recreational opportunities in their national parks.     
     As part of this new initiative, young people who complete one of three designated physical activities on the Junior Ranger Program schedule will also be identified as First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Outside” stewards. Those fitness activities include hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail, navigating outdoors with a compass, or participating in Animal Olympics.
     Families can pick up a free Junior Ranger Program schedule of activities at any of the three Park visitor centers or visit the Park’s Web site at www.nps.gov/grsm in advance for program information.  
      At the visitor center, they can also purchase one of four activity booklets geared towards age groups: 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9 to 10, and 11 to 12.   The booklets, sold for $2.50 each, compliment the Junior Ranger program with other interactive tasks and games.
     Before heading out, families can look at www.letsmove.gov/outside for more information about activities and participating parks. This Web site hub will link families to the great outdoors and give tips and ideas on how to best plan and enjoy an active adventure.

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