Mesa Verde Junior Ranger Booklet
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Mesa Verde National Park
Welcome to Mesa Verde National Park!
The National Park Service and its park rangers care for special places like Mesa Verde for today’s and future generations to enjoy. That means YOU, as well as your children and grandchildren!
Hi! My name is Kathy and this is my new friend, Gentle Rain. Gentle Rain and her family used to live in a Mesa Verde cliff dwelling 750 years ago. She helped me become a Junior Ranger, and now both of us want to help you.
Becoming a Junior Ranger is fun! As you explore the park, you will learn about Gentle Rain’s culture, look for items her family and friends might have used, and visit their homes. Just follow our directions and you’ll earn a Mesa Verde Junior Ranger badge in no time!
To earn your Mesa Verde Junior Ranger badge, just complete the following steps:
1. Complete the activity called “Being A Good Steward.”
2. Then, complete at least 3 more activities. Once you choose the activities you want to do, use these special codes to know which questions to answer for your age group:
3. Once you have finished steps 1 and 2 above, take your booklet to any park information center to receive your Mesa Verde Junior Ranger badge.
Acknowledgments
This Junior Ranger booklet was created through the partnership of the National Park Service (NPS), the National Park Foundation (NPF), and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and was made possible through the generous support of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a National Corporate Partner of NPF. Thanks, also, to Junior Ranger Ambassador, Clint Herriman. To learn more about the online Junior Ranger program, visit www.nps.gov/webrangers.
Illustrations and artwork by Mary Lloyd, Talela Hales, Marna Bastian, DJ Webb, and Jim Tschetter. Use of “Through a Child’s Eyes,” on the cover and throughout booklet, courtesy of Mesa Verde Museum Association.
Being A Good Steward
Activity can be done anywhere.
Kathy: To become a Junior Ranger we need to be good stewards. A steward is someone who helps take care of something that belongs to everyone. Since we share our national parks with thousands, even millions of other people, a Junior Ranger should know how to be a good steward while visiting these special places. It’s easy. All you have to do is learn and follow the rules of the park. Learning the rules lets us know how to stay safe and take care of the park.
Directions—Look at the picture below.
Ancestral Puebloan Life
Activity for the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum.
Gentle Rain: Mesa Verde National Park protects over 700 years of history about my people, the Ancestral Pueblo people. Throughout the museum, you will discover how we learned to adapt to our environment in order to meet our basic needs of food, water, and shelter.
Directions—Have fun as you explore the dioramas and exhibits to find the answers to the museum activity questions.
FOOD—3rd Diorama (Check or circle the right answer)
Look carefully around the diorama. What did the Ancestral Pueblo people (Modified Basketmakers) NOT eat?
WATER—4th Diorama
Find the place where residents of this Mesa Verde pueblo got their water. What is it?
SHELTER—5th Diorama
Look for a circular room being built in the ground in front of the cliff dwelling. What is it?
DECORATE THE WATER JAR
Mesa Verde pottery is known for its beautiful designs. Draw your own design on the jar below. (If you want an example, see the pottery exhibits.)
