Many are familiar with Arkansas State Parks as a destination for outdoor adventures and family fun. Along with this they also serve as an engaging educational resource. 

Arkansas State Parks are one of the largest resource-based education organizations for teachers and students in the state. 

“Educators can reach out to their local state parks to schedule trips in which park staff can lead cross-curricular programs that highlight The Natural State,” said Kelly Farrell, Chief of Interpretation & Program Services for the Division of Arkansas State Parks. “Whether it’s life sciences, Arkansas history, literacy, art, etc we can provide immersive, hands-on experiences that feature outdoor recreation skills, real-life applications for learning, and fun memory making.” 

Farrell mentioned that educators can reach out to the Arkansas State Parks headquarters and that their Program Services section can help connect them to specific parks.

For teachers interested in planning a field trip for their class to an Arkansas State Park, there are avenues available for help. “We can help facilitate these trips by offsetting costs for school buses, drivers, chaperone mileage, and substitute teachers,” Farrell said. “Grants of up to $1,000 are available thanks to citizens of Arkansas purchasing Arkansas State Parks specialty license plates.” 

Details and applications for these grants can be found at arkansasstateparks.com/about/education/grants. A checklist with planning tips for educators as they prep for their upcoming state park field trip can be found here.

Arkansas State Parks are also equipped with education programs for homeschool groups and professional development workshops and programs are also available for educators themselves who are on the lookout for continuing education hours or such.

Our state parks are an educational destination in general with park interpretive programs available throughout the year to all. There are outdoor workshops, historic tours, programs about wildlife, nature and more. A  peek at the programs and events available at Arkansas State Parks can be found at arkansasstateparks.com/events.

There is also the Arkansas State Parks Explorer youth conservation program that is available to all youth ages 6-14. More details about this can be found at arkansasstateparks.com/about/education/become-park-explorer.

There are 52 state parks in Arkansas and learning about and visiting them is an education in itself. A neat way for all to record their park experiences is by collecting stamps in their Arkansas State Parks passport. If you don’t have one yet you can pick one up at a park visitor center as a useful and compact way to remember and make note of all your park adventures.