I think it started around my neck of the woods (the PNW) with all the tech-savy geeks at Micosoft, who all owned all-wheel drive vehicles (with the mandatory kayak on the roof rack), but who never went anywhere other than to work.
No, I've never done it, as I don't own a GPS and can't imagine why I'd want one. I don't recall anybody who did that relying on one either, though (just a little local TV show I watched about the hobby once).
It's sounds like great fun to do with a 6-y-o though. They'd still get excited about the concept at that age.
I got into geocaching for awhile. It was alot of fun, and was cool to find caches from right in my neighborhood, to distant parts of Hawaii when I was there. I don't know how one finds them without a gps device, but they're inexpensive and easy to use. If I could do it, anyone can.
I got a little bored with it because the items left in caches were usually the same kind of 'junk'. The last straw was when I found a cache in Hawaii,
with the same 'hello kitty' piece of paper I found in Pasadena.
I still think it's a fun thing to do, but have gotten out of the 'habit'. Some friends have done some really interesting caches that are out of the ordinary,unusual items in unusual places. I also discovered recently that my neighbor hid his fiance's engagement ring in a cache by the 'Hollywood' sign, and proposed when she found it.
I do it. It's a blast. The only thing is I do it where without technical climbing ability you can't get to them.
There is another sport called Letter Boxing that is done with a compass. You can do Geocaching with a map if you learn how to convert it to UGM grids. It's more challenging but thats half the fun. I do it to check off how many I find, not for the junk inside. There is another sport called the Confluence project where participants are trying to get to every spot where the Longitude and Latitude lines come together. You can find the details at www.confluence.org You need a GPS for this as you have to take a photo of it at the site but it also is alot of fun.
I have set up a few geo caches. All you need is a metal box (Preferably an army ammo box) and a few trinkets and you are on your way.
I've never been, but my children go. They enjoy it, and make it sound like alot of fun. My daughter said that some caches are themed, like some are Star Wars, and some are Disney, etc. She also said there were some caches that didn't have anything, you just left the time it took you to find it, or where you were from.
I've never heard of geocaching without a gps, but there is a sport called orieenteering. Runners have to do a course using a map and a compass, and they have to stop at control points on the way. I found a site for little ones here: http://www.us.orienteering.org/OYoung/ Its not exactly geocaching, but it looks like fun too.
I know that some of the young men form my ward at church have formed a group that goes about once a month. They have a blast, and really enjoy themselves. I can think of far less wholesome ways to spend a daythan plenty of fresh air, good companions, a bit of a challenge--if I were younger and in better health I wouldn't mind giving it a try.
Hubby has a co-worker at his school who is into it but says you have to have a couple of GPS divices to pull it off...
As a little experiment on a very rainy day, I wrote up some "coordinates" in the house for Kristopher to go by to find a prize (a Tootsie Pop) - there was about 20 steps and it was detailed. It was stuff like, "With your back to the TV, take twenty steps. Turn left. Take 40 steps. Look to your right." He was able to read it fine (that little guy reads very well - I was impressed!) and follow the instructions. He LOVED it - begged for more. (Dang he's fun!)
I think he's gonna do great and we're gonna have some fun this summer with it....
Chas............here's another idea your little one might really like, I just started up a little business along with my sculptures, doing treasure hunts, when it comes to entertainment for birthday parties, school activities, company parties, businesses, church picnics, you name it, can do it inside or out, with any amount of people, any age group, even midnight treasure hunts with a flash light, I design the treasure maps and all the clues, do the whole preparation, but I leave it up to the person having it, to purchase something for the treasure and then I'll put it in the treasure chest and hide it along with the clues, I hide the clues the day before in zip-lock baggies and let the person in charge know where all the clues are hidden, that way I don't have to be there for the party and it frees my time up to take off on the weekends. I charge according to the difficulty of the treasure hunt and all the preparation that goes into it (some of the maps get pretty elaborate and people want to keep them as a souvenir) I've always had this thing for treasure maps so I decided to expand on that and I came up with this idea, right now I'm putting some on at my boys school, kind of like a trial run.
I've done a simple version of that at Kristopher's birthday party last year, but it was more like I just hid a bunch of those little army guys around the property (we have a neat little stone wall that goes along a brook behind the house) and the kids went nuts there. It worked great for the 4-5 year old crowd. But the idea of now doing it with flashlights or making it more difficult is challenging and fun. I probably could have put a dime down for the treasure and he wouldn't have cared - he thought it was great. And I thought it might be a good exercise in following directions for him (something he's sorta challenged with right now...)
I will get the GPS in the mix at sometime because the little guy loves anything electronic (like all kids - myself included) and takes to gagets like a fish to water. I think I'll start simple and we'll go from there...
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George Aar
I think it started around my neck of the woods (the PNW) with all the tech-savy geeks at Micosoft, who all owned all-wheel drive vehicles (with the mandatory kayak on the roof rack), but who never went anywhere other than to work.
No, I've never done it, as I don't own a GPS and can't imagine why I'd want one. I don't recall anybody who did that relying on one either, though (just a little local TV show I watched about the hobby once).
It's sounds like great fun to do with a 6-y-o though. They'd still get excited about the concept at that age.
Good luck.
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hiway29
I got into geocaching for awhile. It was alot of fun, and was cool to find caches from right in my neighborhood, to distant parts of Hawaii when I was there. I don't know how one finds them without a gps device, but they're inexpensive and easy to use. If I could do it, anyone can.
I got a little bored with it because the items left in caches were usually the same kind of 'junk'. The last straw was when I found a cache in Hawaii,
with the same 'hello kitty' piece of paper I found in Pasadena.
I still think it's a fun thing to do, but have gotten out of the 'habit'. Some friends have done some really interesting caches that are out of the ordinary,unusual items in unusual places. I also discovered recently that my neighbor hid his fiance's engagement ring in a cache by the 'Hollywood' sign, and proposed when she found it.
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likeaneagle
hey chas- I started a thread on this last year..My daughters are both into it. My oldest and her husband have gc'd up in NH..
they realy enjoyed it..
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Out There
I do it. It's a blast. The only thing is I do it where without technical climbing ability you can't get to them.
There is another sport called Letter Boxing that is done with a compass. You can do Geocaching with a map if you learn how to convert it to UGM grids. It's more challenging but thats half the fun. I do it to check off how many I find, not for the junk inside. There is another sport called the Confluence project where participants are trying to get to every spot where the Longitude and Latitude lines come together. You can find the details at www.confluence.org You need a GPS for this as you have to take a photo of it at the site but it also is alot of fun.
I have set up a few geo caches. All you need is a metal box (Preferably an army ammo box) and a few trinkets and you are on your way.
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dmiller
"Mandatory kayak".
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VeganXTC
I've never been, but my children go. They enjoy it, and make it sound like alot of fun. My daughter said that some caches are themed, like some are Star Wars, and some are Disney, etc. She also said there were some caches that didn't have anything, you just left the time it took you to find it, or where you were from.
I've never heard of geocaching without a gps, but there is a sport called orieenteering. Runners have to do a course using a map and a compass, and they have to stop at control points on the way. I found a site for little ones here: http://www.us.orienteering.org/OYoung/ Its not exactly geocaching, but it looks like fun too.
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Cindy!
My kids and Steve!'s sister go alla time and they really enjoy themselves!
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dmiller
HELLO TO ALL THE !!!'S
(how be ye??)
:)
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templelady
I know that some of the young men form my ward at church have formed a group that goes about once a month. They have a blast, and really enjoy themselves. I can think of far less wholesome ways to spend a daythan plenty of fresh air, good companions, a bit of a challenge--if I were younger and in better health I wouldn't mind giving it a try.
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ChasUFarley
Hubby has a co-worker at his school who is into it but says you have to have a couple of GPS divices to pull it off...
As a little experiment on a very rainy day, I wrote up some "coordinates" in the house for Kristopher to go by to find a prize (a Tootsie Pop) - there was about 20 steps and it was detailed. It was stuff like, "With your back to the TV, take twenty steps. Turn left. Take 40 steps. Look to your right." He was able to read it fine (that little guy reads very well - I was impressed!) and follow the instructions. He LOVED it - begged for more. (Dang he's fun!)
I think he's gonna do great and we're gonna have some fun this summer with it....
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Cowgirl
Chas............here's another idea your little one might really like, I just started up a little business along with my sculptures, doing treasure hunts, when it comes to entertainment for birthday parties, school activities, company parties, businesses, church picnics, you name it, can do it inside or out, with any amount of people, any age group, even midnight treasure hunts with a flash light, I design the treasure maps and all the clues, do the whole preparation, but I leave it up to the person having it, to purchase something for the treasure and then I'll put it in the treasure chest and hide it along with the clues, I hide the clues the day before in zip-lock baggies and let the person in charge know where all the clues are hidden, that way I don't have to be there for the party and it frees my time up to take off on the weekends. I charge according to the difficulty of the treasure hunt and all the preparation that goes into it (some of the maps get pretty elaborate and people want to keep them as a souvenir) I've always had this thing for treasure maps so I decided to expand on that and I came up with this idea, right now I'm putting some on at my boys school, kind of like a trial run.
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ChasUFarley
Man, that sounds like a blast!
I've done a simple version of that at Kristopher's birthday party last year, but it was more like I just hid a bunch of those little army guys around the property (we have a neat little stone wall that goes along a brook behind the house) and the kids went nuts there. It worked great for the 4-5 year old crowd. But the idea of now doing it with flashlights or making it more difficult is challenging and fun. I probably could have put a dime down for the treasure and he wouldn't have cared - he thought it was great. And I thought it might be a good exercise in following directions for him (something he's sorta challenged with right now...)
I will get the GPS in the mix at sometime because the little guy loves anything electronic (like all kids - myself included) and takes to gagets like a fish to water. I think I'll start simple and we'll go from there...
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