Park Explorer - Literature - 300

“Many of Ms. Lankford's rangers carry many of the attributes that television focused on -- rippling muscles, cute figures, an unquenchable call to duty. But in drawing from her dozen years wearing the gray and green with the National Park Service, she also exposes life in the trenches in ways that cast considerable tarnish on one of the most publicly revered government agencies.”

-Kurt Rapanshek, National Parks Traveler

Objective:

Read Ranger Confidential by Andrea Lankford.

Details:

1) Read Ranger Confidential: Living, Working and Dying in the National Parks by Andrea Lankford.

Check out the book from you local library, buy it at your local bookstore or get it on Amazon.

If listening is more your speed, Audible also carries the book.

2) Review the book in the comments below.

Let us know:

a- What you liked about the book

b- What, if anything, you didn't like and

c- Between one and three things you learned while reading. 

Park Explorer - Travel - 150

Objective:

Level up your playground experience.

Details:

As adults, many of us have stopped using playgrounds. It's time to change that! Level up your playground experience by taking on the challenges of fellow quest scouts. If you're feeling strange about visiting a playground alone, bring a couple of friends with you.

1) Leave a few playground challenges in the comments below. Even if you're not going to complete this objective, please leave challenges in the comments. The more challenges to choose from, the more fun this objective will be to complete. 

Use the following format to pose challenges:

"I challenge you to _______________________________  on the playground."

Example: I challenge you to walk across a seesaw on the playground.

2) Complete at least two playground challenges.

3) Let us know which challenges you completed in the comments below. 

Park Explorer - Visit - 300

Objective:

Spend a day exploring a national or state park.

Details:

Did you know that the idea of Quest Scouts was born deep in the Grand Canyon? We at Quest Scouts have a huge love for our parks, and encourage you to visit them whenever possible. This objective is intentionally broad to allow you to enjoy your parks in whatever way works best for you.

1) Visit a state or national park. (And, of course, provincial parks work too!)

2) Spend at least a couple hours at the park of your choice. Go for a hike, take in a ranger talk, or simply spend time reflecting. 

3) Take a photo while at the park and post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your experience in our Facebook group.

4) Tell us about your park visit in the comments below. Where did you go? What did you do? Did you enjoy yourself?

Park Explorer - Research - 100

Objective:

Look into the origins of a local park and share what you discover.

Details:

Many of us enjoy the use of public parks, but often times we don't stop to appreciate where they came from. For this objective we'll learn the origins of a local park.

1) Choose a park within the borders of the city you live in. (You can also choose a neighboring city, the city your grew up in, or a city you will be vacationing to in the near future.)

2) Research the origins of the park. This can be done online, at your local historical society, or if possible, through plaques at the park itself. 

3) Describe what you learned in the comments below. Answer as many of the following questions below as possible. (If you don't get them all, don't worry about it!)

Know Your Park!

-When was the park established?

-Who owned the land before the park was established? How was the land acquired and made public?

-How did the park get its name?

-Are there any other interesting facts about the park? What are they?

Park Explorer - Art - 200

Objective:

Create a public work of art with chalk.

Details:

1) Grab some chalk! You can use artist's chalk or sidewalk chalk- both work great.

2) Find a sidewalk or wall and create a work of art. Make sure your "canvas" is in a public place so that others will get a chance to see what you created. The sky is the limit as far as what you create. You could try an artisticly presented quote, a landscape, or anything else you can come up with.

3) Take a photo of your chalk art and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your art in our Facebook group.

Need inspiration? Check out the videos below. 

Park Explorer - Photography - 100

Ted Forbes, The Art of Photography

Objective:

Utilize playground equipment to capture motion.

Details:

1) Watch the above video, "Capturing Motion: From Vroman to Titarenko" by The Art of Photography.

2) Inspired by what you watched, utilize playground equipment to capture motion. You can take a photos of playground equipment in motion, a person using the equipment, or from your own perspective as you use the equipment. 

3) When you’ve taken the perfect shot, post it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your photo in our Facebook group.

Park Explorer - DIY - 200

Objective:

Create a “fancy” picnic for two and enjoy it at the park.

Details:

Picnics are great, quick and easy get togethers. For this object we're going to have a picnic with a little extra pizzaz. With just a few minutes of extra effort you can move your picnic from "fun" to "fun AND fancy." Make this one to remember.

1) Create a picnic with at least four of the "fancy" picnic options listed below.

Fancy Picnic Options

- A blanket

- Pillows

- Beverages from a glass bottle or mason jars

- Food wrapped in paper and tied with string

- Homemade food
(These sandwiches are pretty and look delicious.)

- Cloth Napkins (Bandanas work too!)

- Music

- Candle Light

- An outdoor game
(You can complete the games objective while you're at it!)

- Dessert!

2) Invite a friend (or two) to join you at the park for your picnic.

3) Take a photo of your picnic spread and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the tag #QuestScouts. Alternatively, you can also share your art in our Facebook group.

4) Tell us about your picnic experience in the comments below. Who were you with? Did you have a good time? What worked for you? What would you do differently next time?