What the heck is Geocaching? In a nutshell, Geocaching is treasure hunting. You can do this anywhere you live. All you need is a GPS- capable phone, or device, a pen or pencil, a few trinkets from home and you are on your way to hours of family fun! Just type in Geocaching and your device will walk you through what to do next - there are also a number of apps of various prices that are specifically for Geocaching. Geo-caching Intro is a free one.
Caches are small treasures that are hidden throughout different areas - and the coordinates to find them are in your GPS device. Each cache will have a log book and a pencil, as well as various trinkets or treasures – the rule is for every one item that is taken out of a cache – you must leave an item for the next treasure hunter to find. Each cache will tell how easy or difficult the terrain is so that you will even be able to determine if it is feasible to tackle with young children. Different people create the hunt so difficulty and clue information will vary. Do be cautious of your surroundings as far a wildlife, steep terrain ect.
The first time I went Geo-caching with my boys, I wanted to make it a really fun adventure for them – we dressed up in costumes – CJ age seven wanted to be Indiana Jones, Landon age five transformed himself into a pirate – the boys and their friends Colin and Tyler were ready for adventure. We has such a great time climbing over rocks, hiking hills and taking in all the nature around us – our first cache was hidden VERY well – but when we found it all of our hard work was worth it – even though the treasure was anything from extraordinary – these boys felt like the heroes whose clothing they donned that day – exclaiming things like “we did it” and “I’m a real explorer” they were so proud as they carefully selected their treasure from the box and placed the ones they had brought for the next adventurers. They also loved writing our names and date in the log book .
Geocaching is a great way to build confidence while teaching problem solving and critical thinking. It also teaches them how to use a compass.
Since our explorers had worked so hard – I wanted to reward them with some buried treasure cupcakes (recipe to follow) and we kicked back and watched the Goonies (if your kids are younger – something like Jake and the Neverland pirates might be a better fit.) A fantastic time was had by all and I highly recommend this fun and free family activity!
