Blue Ridge Parkway Journeys

Common Question:
I am a teacher and would like to know more about bringing my class to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Do you know how I can get a ranger to visit my class? What is the Parks as Classrooms program about?

Answer:
One of the many beneficial programs of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Parks as Classrooms program is aimed at providing resources and funding for educational outreach to children in all 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties. Over the years, hundreds of rangers have enriched the lives of tens of thousands of school children.

The parks become “learning laboratories” to help children develop greater understanding, awareness, appreciation and commitment to the preservation and/or restoration of the National Park System.

By utilizing the resources available through the Parks as Classrooms program, teachers will be able to broaden children’s horizons that is not only beneficial to them, but to the Blue Ridge Parkway as well. These kids are poised to become future stewards of one of our country’s greatest national treasures.

Every year, for four months, National Park Service rangers visit elementary age schoolchildren to teach them about:

• the history of the National Parks,
• the cultural history of the Appalachian Mountains,
• the importance of active lifestyles and outdoor recreation,
• the science of ecosystems, habitats and the environment, and
• introduce them to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Parks As Classrooms is based on the schools’ standard curriculum, which means that every time a ranger goes into a classroom, their presentation relates to other topics the students are learning that year.  Often, rangers return to schools each year, and the students know them by name.  When they reach the fifth grade, children who benefit from a Parks As Classrooms ranger visiting their school every year may understand:

• why the National Parks were established in 1916
• how the Blue Ridge Parkway was built
• the types of music, instruments, dancing and folk art that is part of the heritage of the Appalachian region
• what makes the mountains distinct from other regions of Virginia and North Carolina
• the similarities and differences in animals whose habitat is located along the Blue Ridge Parkway
• the coScrumptious Apple Butter from the Orchard at Altapass!mposition and uses of rocks and minerals, like those at the North Carolina Museum of Minerals
• the interdependence of plants and animals in food chains and ecosystems, and how conservation protects those systems.

As their sense of wonder is provoked and nurtured, these children develop a meaningful sense of place that helps them better understand and appreciate the heritage of the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountains.

While the popularity and success of Parks as Classrooms has been exceptional, limitations of staff, weather and operating budget exclude many thousands of children from ever having the opportunity to participate. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation fully funds Parks as Classrooms and the program is directed by National Park rangers. The Foundation believes that continuous outreach to all the children in the communities bordering the Parkway creates an ideal synergy of public education and self-preservation.

For more information, please call the appropriate number below based on where your school is located:

Virginia Schools

• Albemarle, Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Nelson, and Rockbridge counties: call (540) 377-2377
• Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Salem, and Franklin counties: call (540) 767-2490 ext. 37
• Floyd and Patrick counties: call (540) 745 9680
• Grayson and Carroll counties: call (276) 236-5309 ext 113

North Carolina Schools

• Ashe, Alleghany, Surry, and Wilkes counties: call (276) 236-5309 ext 113
• Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, and Watauga counties: call (828) 765-1228
• Asheville city, Buncombe, Haywood, Swain, Jackson, Macon, Clay, and Graham counties: call (828) 350-3822

North Carolina residents can display their pride of the Blue Ridge Parkway and provide financial support by purchasing a Blue Ridge Parkway License Tag.