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Take Your Class Outside (Sort Of)National Park Service Founders Day is coming up on August 25th, and it's the perfect excuse to trade the classroom for a canyon (metaphorically, or literally, if you're lucky)! From geysers to glaciers, our national parks are basically nature's own textbook, packed with lessons on ecology, history, and conservation just waiting to be explored. So, grab your metaphorical hiking boots — we've rounded up resources to help you bring the wonder of America's wild places right into your lessons.
Grades 4-12The National Parks: America's Best IdeaWatch Ken Burns' six-part documentary streaming on PBS, tracing how national parks became a symbol of American democracy — with companion resources on park history, timelines, and figures like John Muir for classroom use. Grades 4-12National Park Service - Photos & MultimediaBrowse the National Park Service's collection of park photos, videos, audio, webcams, and podcasts — searchable by keyword, location, or file type. This is a great resource for pulling visuals into lessons or letting students explore parks virtually. Grades K-1225 Best Parks in the United StatesView this post that highlights 25 must-see national parks across the U.S., from Yellowstone to Redwood, with attractions, activities, and directions for each — great for sparking geography lessons, park comparisons, or virtual field trip ideas. Grades K-5KidCitizenKidCitizen offers interactive K-5 episodes using primary sources, including a National Parks episode where kids explore how parks became symbols of national heritage and places for exploration and connection with nature. Grades 4-12Open Parks NetworkOpen Parks Network provides research-level resources for parks stewardship — archived NPS reports, management plans, and conservation initiative documents. This site is ideal for advanced students or teachers seeking more background information. Grades 4-12The Hidden Worlds of the National ParksExplore 20+ national parks through immersive 360° street view tours and videos, from Carlsbad Caverns to Alaska's glaciers. Includes virtual tours of historic homes, exhibits on park founders like John Muir, and Native American craft collections. Grades 1-12Fort RaleighFort Raleigh National Historic Site (NC) traces the story of Roanoke Island — from the Lost Colony to a Freedmen's Colony to early radio experiments. The site offers field trip info, a Junior Ranger program, and lessons on this "Land of Firsts." Grades K-12Yellowstone National Park - Virtual ToursYellowstone's official virtual tours let students explore Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and more through map-based tours, photos, and story maps — perfect for a self-guided virtual field trip. Grades 1-12National Park Service - EducatorsThe National Park Service's hub for educators offers searchable lesson plans by subject, grade, and Common Core standards. It also connects teachers to virtual field trips, borrowable classroom materials, and programs like Every Kid Outdoors. Grades 1-12Geology and Ecology of National ParksUSGS offers a photographic and scientific tour of national parks organized by region, covering the geology and ecology behind landmarks like Bryce Canyon's red rocks, Mammoth Cave, and Mount St. Helens — great for earth science lessons. This Week at TeachersFirstAlthough our live summer virtual workshops have ended, we have more than 50 self-directed professional learning opportunities to explore, including our on-demand workshops. We're also sharing our Infusing Technology Blog and a collection of resources related to virtual field trips. Read the details below!
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