Article written by: Gary [USMA77]
Every geocacher knows that Geocaching is a treasure hunting game. We all, young and old alike, dream of finding treasures … admit it! During the hunt for every cache there is that anticipation of making the find. The level of excitement jumps and high-fives are shared all around when the find is made. Then once found, there is that second wave of anticipation (at least for caches larger than a micro) of what may lie inside the container. Is there any ‘good’ SWAG (Stuff We All Get)? And don’t forget, what’s ‘good’ is in the eye of the beholder. Or maybe that cache contains a TB (Travel Bug), GC (GeoCoin), or Pathtag. We all enjoy that hunt for treasures!
That enjoyment of hunting for treasures is exactly what makes Geocaching rewarding for the entire family. Plus Geocaching is a low-cost way to move, hike, and enjoy nature as a family. It has the added benefits of building problem-solving, teamwork, and map & compass skills.
So take the kids and head out for the geotrail, but first make sure you’re prepared. Here are a few things to consider before you head out with the family.
- Plan your trip and target caches ahead of time.
- Make sure your trip is age-appropriate. Your teenagers may be psyched about a 10-mile trail with 5.0 Terrain caches, but your toddlers may not be ready … yet. Safety is a top priority in your planning, but additionally you may not want to carry your little ones back to the car, or even worse, listen to them whine the whole way back. Focus on Difficulty and Terrain ratings appropriate for their age. The younger the kids; the lower the targeted Difficulty & Terrain ratings.
- Make sure the caches will be entertaining for the kids. Target trails with varied cache sizes and cache types. Large and regular size caches are more appropriate for younger kids than micro and nano size caches. A lot of LPC hides in parking lots may help your cache count, but the kids will quickly become bored and turned off to Geocaching.
- Where can you find kid-friendly caches? State parks are a good place to start; additionally, Serrabou has a public list of 117 kid-friendly caches called “Caches for kids (Northern Virginia)” — https://www.geocaching.com/plan/lists/BM1A87A
- You know, I know, we all know that kids love SWAG, so come prepared with your own SWAG to trade. Remember, one of the golden rules of Geocaching is if you take an item from a cache, leave a replacement item of equal or greater value.
- Back to safety. As you’re loading up to go, remember to bring plenty of water for everyone, hats, sturdy footwear, long pants and sleeves if you anticipate lots of thorns and/or poison ivy, layered clothing appropriate for the weather, sun screen, insect repellant, and maybe snacks. Remember, your planning for your entire family, the youngest to the oldest.
- One more time – safety. Consider having a plan if someone gets separated from the group, and sharing that plan with everyone. Remember cell phones don’t work everywhere. Consider everyone carrying a loud whistle in their pocket, backpack, or on a break-away safety lanyard (the kids will love this). If you get separated, STOP, STAY CALM, and STAY PUT, and THREE blasts on the whistle until help arrives.
- When on the geotrail, involve the kids in the hunt as much as possible. If you have a map with the caches annotated (I recommend this), consider having them orient the map and lead you to ground zero. Consider letting them hold the GPSr and/or smart phone, and guide the family to ground zero. At ground zero, consider holding back and letting them make the find and open the container.
- Having lots of young eyes built close to the ground can be helpful. Plus age-appropriate youngsters can be invaluable in grabbing caches in hard-to-reach places like trees and storm drains.
‘Entire family’ means just that! One of my three grown daughters and her family are active geocachers. They now live in Wyoming and I’m in Virginia, so we don’t get to cache together as often, but we still love sharing our stories about caching accomplishments, favorite finds, tough puzzles, and innovative gadget caches. I have eight grands and they all LOVE to cache with PopPop. I’ve even started bring them to Events with me. I’ve taken my mother and aunt (during their 70s and 80s) caching. I had two brothers, one is a geocacher but never logs his finds, and the other brother (recently passed away) was a muggle, but we enjoyed finding caches together. When introducing my muggle brother to Geocaching, we couldn’t find the first cache we attempted, but it took a crowbar to get him to give up on it. But remember, for all families, plan ahead and make the caches appropriate.
I almost forgot … my better-half. She is a muggle but enjoys doing Adventure Labs and Virtual Caches. Over the years, we’ve developed some Geocaching ground rules for when we’re traveling together. She imposes a strict five caches per day limit when I’m with her (unless they happen to be ALs or Virtuals). You might need to think about similar compromises with your family.
I hope this blog sparks some interest and some ideas when it comes to Geocaching with your ‘entire family’. If you have any additional ideas, good family Geocaching stories, or favorite kid-friendly caches, please share them with us.