I have for a long time wanted to try geocaching with my family. Think of geocaching as a high tech treasure hunt using a GPS instead of a smelly map made of leather with an X drawn on it. It has been an activity that has captured both the young and adult for some time, but there seems to be a surge of treasure hunting with the advent of GPS enabled smartphones.
My daughter has just started to learn about mapping at her school, so we thought it was a great time to introduce geocaching. We invited one of her friends to join us as we have learned that an outdoor adventure is more fun with a friend and a parent that just with mom or dad.
The great thing about geocaching is that you can do it everywhere (all over the world), and it is free. You just need a GPS device that you can enter in GPS coordinates or a smartphone with GPS/geocaching apps
Preparation
Register
Before you head out to do your first geocaching expedition you need to register at http://www.geocaching.com/ to find the registered caches in your area. You will notice that there is a difficulty level marked and I recommend that you start with the easy ones first and write down the coordinates and clues.It might be a good idea to research a couple caches incase one is too hard.
The caches can include different treasures. Some have a theme while others are random in their content. You need to bring a few trinkets of your own to replace any objects that you take. After you write in the log book and exchange the treasure carefully; replace the cache making sure it is properly sealed and well hidden.
Described longitude and latitude
Before we went out on our hunt we pulled out the globe and described longitude and latitude to the kids and how it can give us a point on the globe.
Check the weather
As always check the weather and dress for the weather.
Bring a bike or a scooter
We found that for little legs it was a lot of walking, so biking or using a scooter might be a good idea to keep the moral up and the troops happy.
Be sure to bring adequate snacks and water for your hunt.
On the location
Try to let your kids guide their hunt, and just give them clues as needed. Ask questions if they are doing something wrong. We learned that the clues for each cache were very important to finding it, as the accuracy of the GPS will only get you within 15 to 30 feet (5 to 10 meters). We almost missed our first cache because we didn’t carefully read our clues.
Our two girls, 6 and 8 years old, loved the treasure hunt and had fun using the GPS, looking at the arrow and seeing it move. Finding the treasure was of course the highlight. This activity is a great one for the whole family to lure them outside!
Some tips for an outdoor playgroup or a school class
For smaller kids and a bigger group I think it might be a good idea for the organizer or teacher to find the caches first so you can guide your students but also to make sure the cache is there, sometimes people do not replace the caches correctly.
What are you waiting for? Get outside and go geocaching
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