There are treasures hidden all around you. But do you know how to find them?
If you’re a "geocacher," you do. According to geocaching.com, this activity is “a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (a container) hidden at that location.”
Geocaching became possible as a sport or activity in 2000, when GPS, or global position satellites were no longer programmed to add in a large margin of error, which up until then, made finding small objects difficult, if not impossible.
Geocaching enthusiasts said that the activity is a great way to get children active and outdoors and to help them to develop some great skills at the same time.
August Hopp, who is an active member of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association, said his children were the reason that he got started geocaching.
“My wife was looking for a way for us to get the kids outside, and found a free app on her iPhone actually," he said. "So, we figured we’d give it a shot. Parked less than a mile from our house and went out and found our first one! It’s free, and you get outside and enjoy the day with the kids.”
Rebecca Lillo, who is a board member of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association, said she had heard about geocaching from friends, and saw some pictures that really intrigued her. Her parents got interested about the same time and when she got out there for the first time, she was hooked.
“The kids love it," Lillo said. "My daughter likes to brag that nobody in her school, has stories like she does because we go on all kinds of crazy adventures. It’s a great way to get the kids outside and get them active. It’s kind of an additional incentive to go out. We’ve used geocaching to go hiking, or biking, canoeing, snowshoeing, rock climbing – all kinds of different activities.”
While the physical exercise of searching can be great for children, there are other good reasons to get them involved with geocaching, too. Lillo said she sees a bonus in drawing their family closer together.
“We’ve had a lot of great family bonding experiences as well as the exercise," she said.
Lillo said she also feels that it complements the work they are doing in school. After all, it’s kind of a social studies lesson because of using the GPS coordinates to find the caches.
“One time, when they were talking about (longitude and latitude) in her social studies class, my daughter says, ‘Oh yeah! We live at N43,'" she said. "She knew exactly what her longitude and latitude lines were for her house, and no one else knew that.”
Lillo said she also takes the opportunity to teach her children about animal homes, plants, and other things that they see when they're out hiking and looking for a cache. She said it’s very important to her that they also learn “to be respectful of the environment.”
Hopp said he feels that geocaching is a way for children to develop skills in critical thinking, teamwork, socialization, and problem-solving. He said he's also pretty sure that adults get the same benefits, too, plus patience and prioritizing.
But what about the logistics of getting children out on this kind of high-tech scavenger hunt? In August, Hopp’s case began with having to corral three young boys into the activity.
“We like to start our adventures out with a park so they can run around a little, and play on the equipment, and then they get to go find treasure, which is great if you’re 5 years old!" he said. "They don’t care if it’s a race car, a pencil, or whatever they might find. Kind of teach them about value and swapping out stuff.
"Then, we can get out hiking and we do enough of it that the boys can go almost two miles before they start complaining that they’re tired. Then we end at another park so they can burn off any excess energy," he said.
Hopp said that to keep the boys engaged, he lets them take turns carrying the GPS and phone so they can get the family to the cache. And once they find the general location, he lets them search for the easier ones on their own so they have that sense of accomplishment.
Lillo offers similar advice.
“We started out by visiting parks and playgrounds. That’s how we started geocaching," she said. "We’d go, and the kids would run around, and then we’d go into the woods and find the geocache, and then we’d play a little bit more.
"Now, that my kids are getting a little older, maybe we’ll go find one that’s near a lake, and then they’ll go swimming for a while. We’ll do geocaching and we’ll combine it with something else that the kids enjoy as well," she said.
Upcoming events in Wisconsin include the West Bend $1,000 Cache Ba$h 2013, which is slated for Aug. 10. It includes a beginner geocaching class hosted by the Wisconsin Geocaching Association.
Those who want more information can also start at the Wisconsin Geocaching Association for information on upcoming events and other resources.
Watch this short video for a good overview of geocaching:
