Badges for the curious

At Fort Selden, a pottery shard or arrowhead sticking out of an adobe wall may soon become part of a child’s history lesson. 

New Mexico Historic Sites will launch its statewide Junior Ranger Program Aug. 27, giving visitors a new way to explore eight locations through activity booklets and hands-on challenges. Fort Selden and Taylor-Mesilla Historic Sites are among the participating locations, giving Doña Ana County families two nearby places to start. 

Emily Wilson, regional site manager for Fort Selden and Taylor-Mesilla Historic Sites, said visitors can request a roughly 24-page booklet when they arrive. Activities are divided by age, ranging from timelines and scavenger hunts to vocabulary and observation exercises. 

“It is fully family friendly from the littles all the way to the bigs,” Wilson said. “It’s a great way to learn more about the site that you’re on, but it also has activities that really bring you in touch with the site.” 

Children 6 and younger complete four activities to earn a certificate and wooden badge, while those ages 7 to 10 complete seven. Participants 10 and older are expected to finish the entire booklet. The work does not have to be completed in one visit. 

Each of the eight historic sites has a different booklet built around its own history. Anne McCudden, executive director of New Mexico Historic Sites, said creating individual experiences allowed the program to reflect the range of stories found across the state. 

“There’s Indigenous history, there’s African American history, there’s military history, there’s information about ecology and animals and the environment and just architecture, archaeology,” McCudden said. “You name it.” 

Locally, Fort Selden’s activities draw from archaeology, El Camino Real and military history, while Taylor-Mesilla uses art, architecture and the borderlands to tell its story. 

Wilson said the booklets can also help younger visitors approach difficult subjects, including colonization and displacement, in ways suited to different learning styles. 

McCudden said making the material accessible did not mean avoiding difficult history. 

“The first thing that you do when you do that is you start with a level of respect and honesty and accuracy,” McCudden said. “We don’t hide those concepts or water them down or dilute them in any way.” 

For Wilson, the goal goes beyond completing activities and earning a badge. She said some of the most meaningful moments happen when children return from exploring with questions about something they noticed. 

“Something along the way, in their experience at one of my sites, piqued their interest enough that they continued to think about it,” Wilson said. 

The program also gives families an incentive to explore beyond southern New Mexico. Participants can collect a different badge at each of the eight historic sites and earn an additional badge after completing all eight. 

“There’s not just one story at each site. There’s many stories at each site,” McCudden said. “All these stories sort of weave together and help explain why New Mexico is the way it is, how it got to where it is.” 

Wilson said she hopes the program draws more young visitors to the sites and eventually finds use with school groups. McCudden said success will also depend on whether the booklets lead to stronger interactions between visitors and site staff. 

No advance registration is required. Beginning Aug. 27, visitors can ask front desk staff at a participating historic site for a Junior Ranger booklet and complete it during their visit or return later. 

For participating locations, hours and admission information, visit nmhistoricsites.org.