The US National Parks hold some of the finest natural and cultural sites in the country, from America’s first sunrise in Acadia to the deserts of Death Valley, the reefs of Virgin Islands to the glaciers of Wrangell-St. Elias. They are also one of the best free classrooms a teacher, parent, or student could ask for.
This page gathers the resources we trust most for learning about and teaching the national parks: official National Park Service education portals, programs for kids, and a library of our own films and articles you can use in the classroom or at the kitchen table. Every link below has been checked and points to a live, free resource.
Official Resources for Teachers
The National Park Service runs a deep, free library of lesson plans, field-trip guides, and classroom materials built around real parks and the stories they protect.
- NPS for Teachers. The main hub for educators, with materials sorted by subject, grade, and park.
- Curriculum Materials & Lesson Plans. Ready-to-use lessons aligned to standards across history, science, and civics.
- Distance Learning. Virtual programs and ranger-led video resources you can use from any classroom.
- Field Trip Guides. How to plan an in-person or virtual visit, including fee-waiver information for school groups.
Resources for Kids & Families
- NPS for Kids. Games, activities, and park facts written for younger learners.
- Junior Ranger Online. Earn a Junior Ranger badge from home through online activity books, no park visit required.
- Find a Park. Look up any park’s hours, programs, and in-person Junior Ranger options before you go.
- What Is the National Park System? A plain-language overview of how the parks are organized and protected.
Our Films as Classroom Resources
Our movies are made to be shown. They work well as an introduction to a park unit, a reward at the end of a lesson, or a quiet-time wind-down. All of them are free to watch.
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- More Than Just Parks Films. Our full library of national park and public lands films, organized by park and region.
- Our YouTube Channel. Stream every film for free, ad-supported and classroom-friendly.
Learn About the Parks (Reading & Reference)
Use these guides to answer the questions students ask most and to plan a unit, a road trip, or a research project.
- Complete List of National Parks by State (with free printable checklist and map)
- What Exactly Is a National Park?
- How Many National Parks Are There?
- All 63 National Parks Ranked
- Most Visited National Parks and Least Visited National Parks
- East Coast National Parks and West Coast National Parks
- Complete List of National Monuments
Explore the National Parks
Browse the icons below for a visual index of all 63 national parks.
