FOR THE KIDS : Junior Rangers Learn Lore of the Outdoors at State Parks : Programs are educational, fun and free to youngsters with families staying at many campgrounds.

To bicyclists whizzing down Sycamore Canyon last week, the five kids examining the dirt road must have looked as if they were searching for a lost contact lens.

But they were trying to match stones to the multicolored paint chips they held in their hands. It was all part of the Junior Ranger program offered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

It goes on all summer at many state campgrounds. Designed for young campers 7 to 12, it gives them an hourlong educational dose of nature in a fun way and provides a break from the camping routine.

If you’re considering a family camping trip close to home, the department offers the free Junior Ranger program to campers at Sycamore Canyon Campground at Point Mugu State Park, Leo Carrillo State Beach near the Los Angeles County line, McGrath State Beach in Oxnard and Carpinteria State Beach.

The program is not new--it’s been going on in state parks since the mid-1970s. It’s popular, and quite often filled. Park personnel can handle up to 15 children a session. In Carpinteria, youngsters sometimes line up an hour before sign-up time.

At Sycamore Canyon last week, Rick Ripley, a park interpretive specialist, led the kids on a half-mile walk with numerous nature stops, stories and even riddles along the way.

“We’re going to have adventures,” he told them at the start.

When the children spotted a rabbit, he showed them how to get closer without scaring the animal: crouching down, breathing deeply, he crept on the outside edge of his shoes.

He pointed out the laurel sumac, nicknamed the “taco plant” for its leaves that fold up when the sun is out and open when it’s shady. He asked them to sniff the aromatic California sagebrush plant, and then told them that cowboys would rub themselves with the plant--also known as “cowboy cologne”--when a bath was out of the question.

He spotted some poison oak, noted its “leaves of three” and drew a giant leaf in the dirt to help them identify it. One boy didn’t need the lesson. “I get that really bad--I had it four times this year,” he said.

The kids get a dose of politically correct ecology. Ripley picked up trash along the way, finding a Pepsi can in the trunk of a tree. A roly-poly bug, found on the roadway, was gently transported to the side, out of the way of mountain bikers.

The search for stones to match the multicolored paint chips led them to a creek, where they made wishes and tossed stones over their shoulders into the water.

“This is all about having fun,” said Ripley, an artist by profession who has a calm, easygoing way with the kids. “We’re trying to get them enthusiastic about being here and to know what’s out here.”

The programs focus on different subjects such as geology, plants, Native Californians, weather, water, ecology, safety and survival. At Leo Carrillo, kids sometimes explore tide pools or sea caves.

The kids who attend receive a Junior Ranger Log Book, and when they finish one of the hourlong programs, they get their books stamped. After they’ve been through several outings, they get buttons, certificates and patches.

The book is designed to be taken on vacations to other state-run parks where similar programs exist. It has space for drawings, notes, pen pals, memories and even autographs.

Details

* WHAT: Junior Ranger program.

* WHEN: Throughout the summer, from 11 a.m. to noon at all local locations.

* WHERE: McGrath State Beach in Oxnard (daily), Sycamore Canyon Campground at Point Mugu State Park (Tuesday and Thursday), Leo Carrillo State Beach (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and Carpinteria State Beach (Monday through Saturday). Also offered at many other state parks throughout California.

* HOW MUCH: Free to camping families.

* CALL: 986-8591 (Point Mugu State Park and Leo Carrillo State Beach); 654-4744 (McGrath State Beach); 684-2811 (Carpinteria State Beach).