Chapter I: Front Matter

Mesa Verde
Junior Ranger Booklet

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Mesa Verde National Park

Welcome to Mesa Verde National Park!

_The National Park Service and its park rangers care for special places like Mesa Verde for today's and future generations to enjoy. That means YOU, as well as your children and grandchildren!_

Hi! My name is Kathy and this is my new friend, Gentle Rain. Gentle Rain and her family used to live in a Mesa Verde cliff dwelling 750 years ago. She helped me become a Junior Ranger, and now both of us want to help you.

Becoming a Junior Ranger is fun! As you explore the park, you will learn about Gentle Rain's culture, look for items her family and friends might have used, and visit their homes. Just follow our directions and you'll earn a Mesa Verde Junior Ranger badge in no time!

_To earn your Mesa Verde Junior Ranger badge, just complete the following steps_:

1. Complete the activity called "Being A Good Steward."

2. Then, complete at least 3 more activities. Once you choose the activities you want to do, use these special codes to know which questions to answer for your age group:

{4-7} {8-9} {10-up}
Ages 4-7 Ages 8-9 Ages 10-up

3. Once you have finished steps 1 and 2 above, take your booklet to any park information center to receive your Mesa Verde Junior Ranger badge.

Suggested Activities
Half Day (2-3 hours)

Being a Good Steward 3
Ancestral Puebloan Life 4
Times Have Changed 6
Cliff Dwelling Bingo 10

Suggested Activities
Full Day or More

Being a Good Steward 3
Ancestral Puebloan Life 4
Generations (Mesa Top Loop 8
Drive)
A-Mazing Migration 11
or more.....

Acknowledgments

This Junior Ranger booklet was created through the partnership of the National Park Service (NPS), the National Park Foundation (NPF), and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and was made possible through the generous support of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a National Corporate Partner of NPF. Thanks, also, to Junior Ranger Ambassador, Clint Herriman. To learn more about the online Junior Ranger program, visit www.nps.gov/webrangers.

Illustrations and artwork by Mary Lloyd, Talela Hales, Marna Bastian, DJ Webb, and Jim Tschetter. Use of "Through a Child's Eyes," on the cover and throughout booklet, courtesy of Mesa Verde Museum Association.

Being A Good Steward

Activity can be done anywhere.

{Kathy} Kathy: To become a Junior Ranger we need to be good stewards. A steward is someone who helps take care of something that belongs to everyone. Since we share our national parks with thousands, even millions of other people, a Junior Ranger should know how to be a good steward while visiting these special places. It's easy. All you have to do is learn and follow the rules of the park. Learning the rules lets us know how to stay safe and take care of the park.

{4-7} {8-9} {10-up}
Circle 4 Circle 4 Circle 4
Describe 1 Describe 2 Describe 4

_Directions_--Look at the picture below.

· Circle four things people are doing that are harmful, and
· Describe WHY they are wrong.

1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________

Ancestral Puebloan Life

Activity for the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum.

{Gentle Rain} Gentle Rain: Mesa Verde National Park protects over 700 years of history about my people, the Ancestral Pueblo people. Throughout the museum, you will discover how we learned to adapt to our environment in order to meet our basic needs of food, water, and shelter.

_Directions_--Have fun as you explore the dioramas and exhibits to find the answers to the museum activity questions.

{4-7}

FOOD--_3rd Diorama_ (_Check or circle the right answer_)

Look carefully around the diorama. What did the Ancestral Pueblo people (Modified Basketmakers) NOT eat?

[_] Corn
[_] Beans
[_] Meat
[_] Oranges

WATER--_4th Diorama_

Find the place where residents of this Mesa Verde pueblo got their water. What is it?

[_] Faucet
[_] Spring
[_] River
[_] Ocean

SHELTER--_5th Diorama_

Look for a circular room being built in the ground in front of the cliff dwelling. What is it?

[_] Swimming Pool
[_] Kiva
[_] Trash Pit

DECORATE THE WATER JAR

Mesa Verde pottery is known for its beautiful designs. Draw your own design on the jar below. (_If you want an example, see the pottery exhibits._)

{8-9}

FOOD--_Exhibit Area_

Find a tool they used to plant corn. What is it?

______________________________ (_Hint: See "People of Corn" exhibit_)

WATER--_Exhibit Area_

Find an item that women used to carry the water from the springs to their homes. What is it called?

______________________________ (_Hint: See "Beginning of Pottery" exhibit_)

SHELTER--_Exhibit Area_

What is a kiva? How was it used?

______________________________

FOOD FIND

Place an X over the plants and animals you find as you go through the museum exhibits.

{} {} {}
Bighorn Sheep Corn Turkey
[_] [_] [_]
{} {} {}
Yucca Rabbit Squash
[_] [_] [_]
{} {} {}
Beans Prickly pear Pinyon nuts
[_] [_] [_]

{10-up}

FOOD, WATER, SHELTER--_Exhibit Area_

Use the clues below to complete the crossword puzzle. _Begin in the exhibit room across from the dioramas._

Across:
1. ______________________________ This crop was very important to
the Ancestral Puebloans' way of life. A part of this plant has
been found in almost every room, kiva, and work area in Mesa
Verde (_Room 1_)
2. ______________________________ Before the bow and arrow, this
spear-throwing device was used to hunt large game. (_Room 1_)
3. ______________________________ This was the first type of house
built in Mesa Verde. (_Room 2_)
Down:
4. ______________________________ These small bowls with long
handles were used for dipping and pouring liquids. (_Room 3_)
5. ______________________________ Scientists study wood beams used
in the construction of a dwelling to learn when the structure
was built. What is this science called? (_Room 4_)
6. ______________________________ The Ancestral Puebloans were good
at conserving water in this dry climate. You can save water at
home by turning this off while brushing your teeth.

Times Have Changed

Activity can be done anywhere.

{Gentle Rain} Gentle Rain: My family learned how to adapt and survive at Mesa Verde by using what nature provided. Because of this, my life at Mesa Verde was very different from your everyday life. At a young age, children helped with daily chores. We didn't go to school, but we learned valuable life lessons everyday. We learned how to grow crops, hunt, make pottery, and build houses with mud and stone. We gathered materials from our surroundings to make what we needed. We also learned about our history through stories told by our grandparents.

_Directions_--Discover how we lived in Mesa Verde by completing the following activities for your age group.

{4-7} Draw a line from each item in the left column (things we use or do today) with an item in the right column (things the Ancestral Pueblo people used or did then.)

Now Then

{Water faucet} {Basket and ears of corn}
______________________________ A.
{Pet cat} {Clay pot in fire pit}
______________________________ B.
{Microwave oven} {Water pot and dipper}
______________________________ C.
{Canned and packaged corn} {Domesticated turkey}
______________________________ D.

{8-9} The boxes list items used by Ancestral Pueblo people at Mesa Verde. Read the items in each box, then use the blanks beside the box to write the name of the natural resource used to make everything in the box. One is started for you. (_Hint: Answers are in the 10-up activity word list below._)

Bowl
Mug
Mortar
Plaster
______________________________

Sandal
Rope
Mat
Shampoo
Needle
Basket
Food
Paintbrush
______________________________

Feathers
Food
Bone tools and jewelry
Warm blanket
______________________________

Pine nuts (food)
Timber for building
Pitch for waterproofing
Firewood
______________________________

{10-up} To learn more about Gentle Rain's life in Mesa Verde, fill in the blanks to read the following story. If you have little brothers or sisters, they might like to hear the story when you are done. (_Use the word list to fill in the blanks and complete the story._)

clay
corn
hand
kivas
metates
pinyon
pottery
rabbits
seep
turkey
yucca

My family and I live in a stone room of a cliff dwelling. The people of my village wake up very early and start cooking fires in the rooms and courtyards. Every morning, my mother goes to collect water from the nearest ______________________________ spring while I feed the turkeys.

As soon as the morning meal is eaten, the men and boys climb up the cliff face using ______________________________ and toe holds to reach the fields. Spring days are spent clearing the fields and planting ______________________________, beans, and squash. Corn is our most important crop. The women use manos and ______________________________ to grind the corn into meal. But for now, my mother is teaching my younger sister how to make ______________________________ from ______________________________. We use it for cooking, and storing food and water.

Throughout the year, the men hunt mule deer and ______________________________, while children help the women gather wild plants, such as nuts from the ______________________________ pine trees, grains from ricegrass, and pads from the prickly pear cactus. Much of this food is stored for the winter. We also collect ______________________________ leaves to pound into fibers to make rope, sandals, and baskets. My father weaves ______________________________ feathers with yucca fibers to make blankets for the winter.

When the ______________________________ are not used for ceremonies, we spend time in these warm, underground rooms listening to the stories of our people, or working on crafts such as weaving, basketry, and making tools.

No matter the time of the year, my people are busy with the daily tasks needed to survive in Mesa Verde.

Generations

Activity for the Mesa Top Loop Drive.

{Gentle Rain} Gentle Rain: My people did not always live in cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. For the first 600 years they lived on the mesa top. As you drive the Mesa Top Loop you will see changes in our housing styles from pithouse, to pueblo, and finally to cliff dwelling.

_Directions_--Find the answers for your age group in this activity by driving the Mesa Top Loop and visiting Stops A, B, and C below.

{4-7} PART 1--Connect the Dots:

After driving the Mesa Top Loop, connect the dots to see one of the Ancestral Puebloan homes.