It’s easy to become a Metro Parks Explorer and show your love for the parks. Hundreds of our program participants become explorers every year. All of our explorers receive a beautiful, hand-crafted patch as a memento of their commitment to the parks.
The Metro Parks Explorer program is open to anyone age 17 and younger. All you have to do is to ask a naturalist for a check-in card and attend five Metro Parks programs in a year.
Sharon Woods Naturalist Allison Shaw says, “The patches are a big deal for our explorers, especially the younger kids. When someone presents their explorer card for the fifth program, the new explorer is announced at the program and get their patch then. There’s always lots of applause and cheers.”
Allison says the only disappointed visitors are adults, who are sorry they can’t get an explorer patch of their own! Some eager explorers have announced that they keep their explorer cards in scrapbooks, as reminders of the programs they’ve attended that year.
Join in the Explorer program and get a new patch with a different animal every year. You just have to come to five more programs. Tammy Robb, known to all her students as Miss Tammy, runs a small preschool and has been bringing different kids to Metro Parks programs for over 10 years. She says, “My kids always beam with pride and excitement when they get their explorer patches.”
My little girls 7 and 5 years old are interested in the explorer program.
Bring them to any of our free public programs and they can get their card to get started!
Thanks for all you do for our young people and nature,,,,i just wish i was younger to enjoy this too…would love (at my senior age) to earn these badges too…
We do have the 20 in ’22 Challenge for Adults 50+. You can join that and earn a vinyl sticker everytime you attend!
Where can we find a list of the programs?
Hello Kyle – on the Metro Parks website (metroparks.net), go to top menu PLAY YOUR VISIT/PROGRAMS and click on Program Search.