
Geocaching with Your Kids
If you are looking for a great outdoor activity that combines modern technology with a traditional treasure-hunt game, then consider Geocaching.
At first glance, it may seem that Geocaching is not an appropriate actively for children, but in truth, it can be a great adventure game that can be safe, fun and extremely rewarding –just like roulette online Canada games– if you know what you are doing.
What is Geocaching?
The word Geocache is a mashup of two words. The prefix, geo means earth as in Geography. The second word is cache, which is another term used for a secure place for storing something of importance.
At its most basic form, Geocaching is a global treasure hunt with millions of treasures hidden all over the world. You might not know this, but there are probably dozens of caches hidden in your neighbourhood alone.
What You Need to Get Started?
In order to find a treasure, you can use your smartphone or handheld GPS device. The treasures themselves come in different shapes and sizes with varying difficulty levels. While some treasures are easy to find, others are disguised in camouflaged containers that are made to look like their surroundings.
The location of these treasures can also vary from urban areas to places off the beaten track. To date, there are over 2 million caches worldwide, so you will never run out of treasures to find.
Once you find a cache, you will find a small piece of paper or a log book to sign. Larger caches can contain treasures, which you swap out with something of your own, like stickers, toys or other trinkets. After signing the log, you close up your treasure and place it back in its hidey-hole for other explorers to find.
Downloading the Geocache App
If you want to get started Geocaching, all you need is a smartphone and a willingness to explore. You can download the geocache app for free to your tablet or smartphone directly from the site, geocaching.com.
Once you have downloaded the app, you can create a free account and immediately start locating caches in your local area. If want access to even more caches, you can pay for a premium membership, but the free membership has more than enough to keep you going for months or years even.
Before You Head Out
Before you head out on your first treasure hunt, it is a good idea is to pack snacks, drinks and maybe a bit of sunscreen for the kids as you might be out an about for a while. Choose a cache with a difficulty level that is easy enough to find for your first couple of outings.
Not only will this be a morale booster for the kids, it will also make the actively fun and rewarding. Once you start finding treasures, the drive to find the next one is simply overwhelming and you might find yourself zigzagging your way across the neighbourhood and foraging in the local parks.
If you start on a cache where the difficulty level is too high, you will end up walking in circles and getting pretty frustrated. The kids will want to go home and the whole actively will be ruined. The idea is to track your progress level and make the hunt as exciting as possible without getting to too technical.