Kids to Parks Day on May 21st and Contest!

Full Van Fun is excited to announce that we are partnering with the National Park Trust as an official Kids to Parks Day Ambassador! The National Park Trust is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving parks and supporting the next generation of park stewards. The National Park Trust Kids to Parks Day is a national day of play at parks, big and small, all around the U.S. on Saturday May 21st.

Staring at our shadow in Lamar Valley at Yellowstone National Park

Kids to Parks Day Contest!

As part of our efforts to get the word out about Kids to Parks Day, we are giving away a pair of awesome National Geographic Kids books – their National Parks Guide U.S.A. and Buddy Bison’s Yellowstone to one lucky winner! Our kids love the National Geographic Kids books. In fact, one of their most popular activities while on our 10000 mile cross country roadtrip was to look up the interesting facts in the National Geographic Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlases for each state! To have a chance to win, simply sign up for our Full Van Fun mailing list below and leave a comment on this post with your favorite park by May 20, 2016*. The winner will be announced on Kids to Parks Day.

Note, we value your privacy and don’t sell or share email addresses – signing up will just send you an email whenever there’s a new post on Full Van Fun and it also gives us a way to contact you if you win.

Have a chance to win these fun National Geographic Kids books for Kids to Parks Day by signing up for our mailing list and commenting with the name of one of your favorite parks by May 20, 2016!

For even more opportunities to win, register at Kids to Parks Day at http://www.kidstoparks.org and have a chance at cool prizes, including a BabyBjörn Baby Carrier! This year’s goal is to have more than 750,000 families, friends, and neighbors outdoors enjoying parks together. As you may know, at Full Van Fun, we are all about AWESOMENESS families can enjoy together. Parks can be such a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to have fun, experience nature, learn, and create memories. We love to visit local parks, state parks, sports parks, national parks, national monuments, historic sites, battlefields, etc and we hope you’ll join us in a park for Kids to Parks Day on Saturday May 21, 2016!

• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (KY)
• Acadia National Park (ME)

Checking out the rocks at Little Hunter’s Beach in Maine’s Acadia National Park

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail (CT, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV)
• Arlington House National Memorial (VA)
• Assateague Island National Seashore (MD, VA)
• Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
• Biscayne National Park (FL)
• Blue Ridge Parkway National Parkway (NC, VA)
• Boston National Historical Park (MA)
• Boston African American National Historic Site (MA)
• Cape Lookout National Seashore (NC)
• Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (VA, MD, DE, DC, PA, NY)
• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (FL)

Practicing our artillery skills at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, FL

• Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (SC)
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (DC, MD, WV)
• Clara Barton National Historic Site (MD)
• Colonial National Historical Park (VA)
• Congaree National Park (SC)
• Constitution Gardens (DC)
• Craters Of The Moon National Monument and Preserve (ID)

Staring at our reflection inside of a splatter cone at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho

• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (KY, TN, VA)
• Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (OH)
• Dinosaur National Monument (UT, CO)
• Eisenhower National Historic Site (PA)
• Everglades National Park (FL)
• Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site (DC)
• Fort Caroline National Memorial (FL)
• Fort Frederica National Monument (GA)

Getting into the spirit for the awesome Junior Ranger program at Fort Frederica National Monument in St. Simons, GA

• Fort Larned National Historic Site (KS)
• Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (MD)
• Fort Monroe National Monument (VA)
• Fort Necessity National Battlefield (PA)
• Fort Stanwix National Monument (NY)
• Fort Sumter National Monument (SC)
• Fort Union National Monument (NM)

Wondering if it was the pervasive strong winds the decimated the buildings at Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico

• Fort Washington Park (MD)
• Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park (VA)
• George Washington Memorial Parkway (VA, MD, DC)
• Gettysburg National Military Park (PA)
• Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA)
• Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)

Admiring the view at Grand Canyon National Park

• Grand Teton National Park (WY)
• Greenbelt Park (MD)
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV, VA, MD)
• Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (OH)
• Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IN)
• Jamestown National Historic Site (VA)
• Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (OR, WA)
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (ID, IL, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, ND, OR, SD, WA)
• Lincoln Home National Historic Site (IL)

Learning from Abraham Lincoln himself at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, IL

• Lincoln Memorial National Memorial (DC)
• Mammoth Cave National Park (KY)
• Manassas National Battlefield Park (VA)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial (DC)
• Minute Man National Historical Park (MA)
• Mojave National Preserve (CA)
• Monocacy National Battlefield (MD)

Investigating the forest trails of Monocacy National Battlefield outside of Frederick, MD

• Montezuma Castle National Monument (AZ)
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail (IL, IA, NE, UT, WY)
• National Capital Parks East (DC)
• National Mall (DC)
• Oregon Caves National Monument (OR)
• Oregon National Historic Trail (ID, KS, MO, NE, OR, WA, WY)
• Pecos National Historical Park (NM)
• Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site (DC)
• Petrified Forest National Park (AZ)
• Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (DC, MD, PA, VA)
• Redwood National Park (CA)

Fighting against the wind and sand to enjoy the view at Redwoods National and State Parks

• Rock Creek Park (DC)
• Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park (CA)
• Saint Croix Island International Historic Site (ME)
• Salem Maritime National Historic Site (MA)
• San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (CA)
• Santa Fe National Historic Trail (CO, KS, MO, NM, OK, TX)
• Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site (MA)
• Shenandoah National Park (VA)
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (MI)

Hiking the trail along the top of Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

• Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail (DC, MD, VA)
• Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (AZ)
• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (KS)
• Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial (DC)
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park (NJ)
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial National Memorial (DC)
• Thomas Stone National Historic Site (MD)
• Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve National Preserve (FL)

Trying to find the last item for the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve Junior Ranger scavenger hunt

• Tuzigoot National Monument (AZ)
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial National Memorial (DC)
• Washington Monument National Memorial (DC)
• White House (DC)
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (VA)
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park (NY)
• World War I Memorial National Memorial (DC)
• World War II Memorial National Memorial (DC)
• Yellowstone National Park (WY, MT, ID)
• Yosemite National Park (CA)

Awestruck by the Giant Sequoias in Tuolumne Grove at Yosemite National Park

For Kids to Parks Day we’re going to add one more to this list! Find out on May 21st and in the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list and leave a comment on this post with your favorite park (big or small) to have a chance at winning the National Geographic Kids books!

Photo credits: Full Van Fun

* Promotion open to residents of the U.S. only, ages 18+, void where prohibited. All entries must be received by May 20, 2016. Winner will be chosen on, about, or after May 21, 2016, and will be notified via email to confirm. If no response within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen. Prize provided and shipped by National Geographic Kids to the winner. Only one person will win and Full Van Fun is not responsible for any lost or misdirected packages.

National Park Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving parks today and creating park stewards for tomorrow. As people spend more time indoors, and as successive generations grow up with less of a connection to nature, NPT wants to build a greater awareness and appreciation for the importance of our country’s public lands and parks. NPT’s Buddy Bison® School Program and Kids to Parks Day National School Contest were selected in 2015 as a National Park Service Centennial Project. Learn more at: www.parktrust.org

We started Full Van Fun in September 2015 with a simple idea: share stories, interviews, reviews and more from our life as a mom, dad, and seven kids between baby and 14 (3 boys & 4 girls), focused on travel, farm to family food, and family friendly music that the “full van” (i.e. parents & kids) can enjoy. For example, we love to travel with our kids. Over the last 3 years alone, we’ve covered more than 20,000 miles in roadtrips as far north as Saguenay, Quebec, as far south as Key West, Florida, as far east as Sydney, Nova Scotia, as far west as Eureka, California and everywhere in between! We also have a special love for National Park and Parks Canada sites (e.g. National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, etc) and their programs for children (e.g. Junior Ranger and Parks Xplorer). At Full Van Fun we share stories and tips from our travels including places to stay, things to see, fun activities for kids, etc. Learn more at: fullvanfun.com