The estimated reading time for this post is 6 minutes
[Note from Carolyn: The Wonder of Tech is excited to bring you the following article by guest author Carol Biederman]
Want to pry your kids away from the tv and video games? Love the great outdoors but your kids don’t? Or they start off excited about that hike in the woods but within 10 minutes you hear, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do here. Can we go home now?”
Imagine the response if you answered, “Let’s go on a treasure hunt!” Geocaching can be your real life outdoor treasure hunt.
What Is Geocaching?
Geocaching is a world-wide hide and seek treasure hunt based on GPS navigation. Think of geocaching as an outdoor treasure hunting game that can be played practically anywhere in the world. Yes, the world! Someone hides a treasure cache in a public hiding place: in a tree, among rocks in a wall, behind a bush, under water, and other fun locations. The cache may contain a treasure, a pen and a log book in a waterproof container hidden from plain sight.
When you are the seeker, you try to find the treasure with the aid of a GPS-enabled device by navigating to a set of geographic coordinates. You can learn where caches are by checking a website by Groundspeak, geocaching.com, or using Groundspeak’s app: Geocaching, available for Android and the iPhone.
There are over 1.4 million caches logged into Groundspeak’s geocaching website and over 5 million “cachers” hunting these caches around the world.
Once you find a cache you want to seek, you use either your app or your hand-held GPS to guide you to the treasure. The GPS antennas of the iPhone and Android phones aren’t very precise, though, so you will definitely have some hunting to do. If you have a hand-held GPS device, such as a Garmin or Magellan, you can use it for geocaching and have an easier time homing in on the treasure.
Our family started geocaching several years ago when our youngest child was 4 years old. We loved to hike but found his attention span a little lacking to say the least. Another family suggested we try geocaching to pique his interest, and wow, did it ever!
Why geocache? Because it is just plain fun!
Sounds Great! What Do I Need to Geocache?
Well, you don’t need to look like this guy:
It costs very little to geocache. All you need is either a hand-held GPS such as one by Garmin or Magellan, or a smartphone with the Geocaching app, which is $9.99. I utilize Groundspeak’s website and their Geocaching App almost exclusively.
Both the Groundspeak website and the Geocaching app provide excellent details on the type of cache you are considering for your hunt … very important when you are caching with kids! You don’t want to discover you were hunting a micro-cache when your seven year old is expecting a larger cache filled with “treasure”!
And don’t forget to read the notes and others’ logs in the Cache Details. Sometimes a cache can go missing or be “closed for the winter.” You want to make sure you are not on wild-goose chase!
What Treasures Can I Find Geocaching?
The treasures vary from cache to cache. Some examples include:
- Traditional Caches, which are containers ranging in size from a micro container with only a logbook to a larger container filled with goodies for trade. The goodies can be toys, books, stuffed animals, computer games, audiobooks, cd’s, dvd’s and other treasures. These are the most exciting caches for kids.
- Earth-Caches, which are special places one can visit to learn more about a specific geo-science feature. Many US National Parks have Earth-caches detailing their own unique geographic features.
- Mystery/Puzzle Caches, which are caches that involve using puzzles and/or clues to help solve where the cache is hidden.
- Virtual Caches, which are about finding a destination rather than a container. These are also found in many US National Parks.
The first thing you do when you locate your treasure is add your name to the list of others who have found the cache. Then you take the treasure you want. Sometimes there is more than one treasure in a cache.
Hello, Jackpot for the kids!
But you don’t just take a treasure, you leave a treasure too. No one wants to find an empty cache!
Key words again for kids … treasure hunting! Best of all for the budget-minded family? Geocaching can be a very inexpensive way to entertain everyone, almost anywhere. With an iPhone or Android phone, the Groundspeak Geocaching app for $9.99, and a small bag of trinkets for trade (most of our trinkets are found around the house or at the Dollar Store), you can be geocaching within the hour. With over 1.4 million caches, the odds are good that you will find a cache somewhere close to your home!
Who can Geocache? Everyone!
The only requirement for geocaching is a sense of adventure! You can be old or young, it doesn’t matter. All you need is a desire to explore.
Have an older child? Me too. You may think they might be too old for this whole treasure hunt adventure? Think again! Our teenager enjoys geocaching as much as his younger brother does, though he enjoys hunting for a different kind of treasure.
How does our family geocache? We use two methods to hunt caches; a Garmin Oregon GPS preloaded with caches from www.geocaching.com, and an iPhone with the Groundspeak Geocaching App ready for instant “on-the-go” cache locating. Simultaneously! No fights between the kids of who gets to have the device!
When Can You Cache? Anytime, Anywhere!
Caches are hidden around the world.
- On vacation!
- Need to fill in that long drive to grandma’s house? Geocache along the way!
- Kids starting that summer chant, “I’m bored”? Geocache in your neighborhood!
- Visiting any great National Parks? Use Geocaching to find geological gems!
- Need to come up with a Cub/Boy/Girl Scout activity? Geocache!
Geocaching can be a main activity or a time filler, wherever, whenever!
One of our most favorite caches was in Montana, and we almost didn’t do it! The kids were tired from a long, overnight drive and were a bit cranky. I pulled out my Garmin, searched our surrounding area for where a cache might be, and off we went. By the time we found this cache, everyone was rejuvenated, the kids were excited about their trades, and best of all, the remainder of our drive was smooth sailing!
Our family will be exploring another fabulous US National Park this summer, but getting there involves a six to seven hour car ride. Using the www.geocaching.com website, I have preloaded caches of interest into both my Garmin hand-held and my iPhone app as well as marked the caches on paper maps along our drive route. Geocaching Sites
Bingo! Instant activity for that fourth hour of the ride when the chant, “how much longer, I’m bored, are we there yet?” rises from the back seat. I pull out my map of caches, locate one, pull over at the cache’s recommended start location, and my two kids are off and running to find a cache. With the two devices, it can become pretty competitive as to who will find the cache first.
Bottom Line
So when the kids start their summer mantra, “I’m bored!” go geocaching and take them on a treasure hunt!
One final caution .. beware the muggles! And I don’t mean the “non-magical” kind from Harry Potter!
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Are you looking for fun things to do with your kids this summer? Have you ever tried geocaching? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Image by RebelBlueAngel
** Image by Martin Biskoping
*** Image by Sean Carney
**** Image by Ryo
***** Image by William Hook
****** Image by Jott!
How timely! On Sunday my daughter and her friend went geocaching in the woods near our house, and Sparky and I inadvertently joined them when we came upon them during our walk. But we had a tech fail–the hand held GPS was intermittent under the trees, so we had to guess as to the coordinates.
Finally it was Sparky and I who investigated the right log, and found the cache. It was really fun, though! Now we’re looking for more nearby.
Hi Kathy, What a great geocaching adventure! Very smart to enlist Sparky’s help in finding the treasure. Sometimes low tech works best!
Thanks for your visit, comment and tweet!
Hi KathyF,
We’ve had that happen to with our GPS. Heavy tree cover can block the GPS signal. Glad to hear you and Sparky saved the day and found the cache. Happy hunting for future caches!
Hi Carolyn,
Wow, this I can really relate to. I have been geocaching with my family for a little over a year now. And, I started out with a friend of mine when I was visiting Madrid in Spain a while ago. It was so much fun, so I decided to download the geocaching app to my iPhone and try it with my family.
The kids love it, and they want to do it all the time. They just can’t get enough of the fresh air and the long walks. It’s amazing. And especially when they find the small treasures inside the containers. We’ve been doing it in Norway and Sweden. But we’re planning to do it in Italy as well during the summer 🙂
Awesome article!
Jens
Hi Jens, Wow, that’s really cool you have been geocaching in so many countries! Do you have the same app that was recommended in the article? Has it worked well in each country?
I wish I was geocaching when I was in England, there is a cache in the field across the street from where we used to live. Now I’m curious about it.
I love that geocaching is universal around the world, except Mt. Everest: http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=131254
Thanks so much for your visit, fascinating comment and tweets! 🙂
Yes, I am using the exact same app, and it has worked everywhere (so far) 🙂
Hi Jens,
Wow back to you! We would love to geocache in Europe one day! Haven’t done any geocaching outside the United States yet, but we have a friend going to Germany soon and I hope to have them release a “TravelBug” into a cache while they are there. This way, even though we won’t be geocaching in Europe, our TravelBug will!
Ar, I likes the sound of that – treasure huntin’… I’ve taken interesting pictures today in a park. The pictures of the kids paddling pool look good! 🙂
Hi Mike, I visited your blog and saw your great pictures yesterday. Maybe you could go on a treasure hunt and share some pictures of that, or did you find the volcanic rock during a treasure hunt?
Thanks for your visit!
Hi Mike,
Give goecaching a try and take some great photos along the way. BTW your photos are incredible!
Wow! I love this guest blog post. This has convinced me to go geocaching! It sounds like so much fun! I always loved treasure hunts when I was a kid and now this is like a real life treasure hunt! I will definitely be geocaching in the near future!
Hi Roseblawesome, I was very fortunate to go on my first geocaching adventure today with our guest author, Carol. She is amazing in knowing what to do and explaining it well (as she showed in writing this post!). We went to a site I had been intending to visit for a long time, with lots of history. The site was as exciting a discovery as the cache was. A great time was had by all.
Rose, I think you will love geocaching. I hope you give it a go soon!
Thanks for your visit and your blawesome comment! 😉
Hi Roseblawesome,
So glad you liked the blog. Can’t wait to hear how your first geocaching adventures go!
I set up a geocaching treasure hunt with my neices and nephews. It was both a combination of geocaching, finding clues, to find the next clue, etc. I had a theme of boats, planes and trains.
A KID’S INTRODUCTION GEOCACHING
Geocaching is great outdoor family activity for summer. Take a virtual field trip to Colorado to learn about modern day Geocaching, a fun outdoor treasure hunt. (meetmeatthecorner.org)
MEET ME AT THE CORNER, Virtual Field Trips for Kids is a series of free kid-friendly educational video podcasts for children ages 5-13. Each episode comes with a list of recommended books, a list of fun websites and a Learning Corner of questions and extended activities.
Hi Donna, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I just checked out your website, what a find! Your site is great for all kids and parents, but I can see it being especially helpful for families who do home schooling.
Here is the link for readers who want to check out Donna’s amazing site: Meet Me At The Corner.
Thanks so much for your visit and your comment!
Hi Donna,
Thanks for sharing your website and the video on geocaching. Another great educational tool for the kids.
Hey Carolyn,
I had to comment on this one and let me tell you why.
Easter Sunday my family and I went to church. Guess what the sermon was about? Geocaching… Seriously, on Easter Sunday! We all sat there not having a darn clue what she was talking about (yep, we have a female minister) and they even showed a video. My 19 year old niece had no clue what she was talking about so to say the least, we didn’t enjoy that particular sermon at all.
I did get a little bit of information about what it was but you definitely explained it so much better. I think I’ll have to forward this link to the rest of my family now.
Thought you might get a kick out of that one. Enjoy your day!
Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Wow, I never thought of the religious aspect of geocaching. I’m very curious how the minister tied geocaching into an Easter Sunday sermon!
Yes, Carol, our guest author, did a great job of explaining geocaching. It’s not an easy topic to explain but she knows it well and really made it clear.
Thanks so much for your visit, comment and tweet!
Hi Adrienne,
Thanks for sharing your “geocaching at church” story. Can’t say I’ve heard that sermon before; glad I was able to help you better understand what geocaching is all about. It can be lots of fun!
Hey Carolyn, you know that sounds really cool there is something that would make it so much better. I’d love it if I could take the kid’s favourite game and hide it and that would be the incentive for the treasure hunt. Heck, forget the game, why not hide the whole console 😀 I can just imagine the look on their faces.
Hey Sire, Great idea! I just hope that no one else finds your treasure first. Then the looks on their faces wouldn’t be very joyful. Don’t forget to use a waterproof container!
Thanks so much for your visit and comment! It’s great to have you back at The Wonder of Tech. 🙂
Damn, I didn’t think of that. 😀
Lucky you set me straight Carolyn.
Hi Sire, I just hope you read my advice in time… :-0