Geocaching birthday party

[+myth-fit]

As part of a birthday party this weekend, we are planning to hit a local hotspot for geocaching (9 caches hidden). Also, being new to geocaching, I am unfamiliar with many of the rules/traditions/expectations of the hobby. Are there particular concerns that I need to address so as not to offend anyone? I am including rules about placing the caches in the exact post they were found, not taking any of the toys (we are not having them bring items to switch into the cache), signing the logbook, and respecting the area. What else do I need to include?

 

Also, if anyone has done this before, please provide suggestions on how to pull it off successfully!

 

Incidentally, the idea was my 10 year old son's. He is turning 11 and wanted to share his new love with his friends.

 

Thank you,

Myth-fit

[+T.D.M.22]

Maybe you should find some caches yourself, so you know what to do. Check on the caches before hand-or at least the cache pages. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it'll be easy to find. A cache can be as small as the eraser on top of a pencil, and very well camo'd. It can be harder than you think. Look at the size-micro is probably not the best to look for. Regular or large, possibly small. Look at the difficulty rating- a rating of 3 or more probably isn't too good for newbs. Look at the recent logs-if someone says the cache is broken or missing or other issues, it probably isn't good for them.

 

Read the rules and guideline before placing a cache-as for finding it, you've got the general idea. Don't take anything without trading. Sign the logbook. Put it back as found. Log it online-or at least you log them online. Any trackables- any at all-do not let the kids take them. They belong to someone, so if the kids take them, there's a good chance they'll dissapear forever.

 

And my personal opinion;you and your kid should keep on caching-there's 2 million+ geocaches in the world. If you and your kid enjoy it, there's no reason to not do it after the party.

[+T.D.M.22]

Another thought here-if you're using a GPS rather than a phone app, you could go ahead and place some of your own caches. You'd then know they're not missing, you can put larger ones out, and could put another 10 caches. Of course you can't log them online but I doubt the kids will be worrying about that.

[+myth-fit]

Maybe you should find some caches yourself, so you know what to do. Check on the caches before hand-or at least the cache pages. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it'll be easy to find. A cache can be as small as the eraser on top of a pencil, and very well camo'd. It can be harder than you think. Look at the size-micro is probably not the best to look for. Regular or large, possibly small. Look at the difficulty rating- a rating of 3 or more probably isn't too good for newbs. Look at the recent logs-if someone says the cache is broken or missing or other issues, it probably isn't good for them.

 

Read the rules and guideline before placing a cache-as for finding it, you've got the general idea. Don't take anything without trading. Sign the logbook. Put it back as found. Log it online-or at least you log them online. Any trackables- any at all-do not let the kids take them. They belong to someone, so if the kids take them, there's a good chance they'll dissapear forever.

 

And my personal opinion;you and your kid should keep on caching-there's 2 million+ geocaches in the world. If you and your kid enjoy it, there's no reason to not do it after the party.

 

I did look for the caches earlier in the week. I found 2 of the 9, though I spent very little time at each. Most have been reported as found in the last month by other users. Most are marked as difficulty 1 or 2 (but also small size). We will be using phone apps. My only concern with the presence of some caches is we had a very windy storm (blew over my anchored trampoline) early this week. I went out after the storm.

 

My son took a week-long course about geocaching through a local STEM program and loved it. We also went caching with some friends in March. We are planning to continue looking. Thanks for the encouragement and information!

[+The_Incredibles_]

I think you're on the right track. Kids do enjoy trading, but if you choose not to, that's OK too. One advantage is there won't be any fighting over swag.

 

Since you don't have alot of experience, I would suggest maybe bringing an experienced geocacher with you or pre-finding the caches before the party. The last thing you want is alot of people searching for 20 minutes and getting frustrated. I would also be careful about which area you're taking the kids. If any of them live close by, they will likely show their friends the caches and some of the caches may get stolen.

 

Overall, I think you're on the right track. Sounds like you have a great day planned! Have fun!

[+niraD]

FWIW, when I teach kids about geocaching, I either hide my own temporary caches for them to find, or take them on a hike somewhere well away from home. Even if I completely trust all the kids I'm with, I don't necessarily trust their friends, classmates, siblings, etc. who might hear about hidden treasure boxes in the neighborhood.

 

And if I take them on a geocaching hike with existing geocaches, then I supervise their trades carefully. I'm not so much concerned about them trading down for toys and trinkets, as I am concerned about them trying to trade for geocoins or Travel Bugs.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Also, you may want to think about how you want to do the actual finding. I've taken groups out with kids and there are 2 strategies I know of.

 

#1 As soon as someone spots the cache, they grab it and bring it out to show the rest of the group.

 

#2 Everybody searches and when you spot the cache, you step away and say 'huckle buckle beanstalk' until everyone has spotted the cache, then someone grabs it.

 

Whatever you do, the kids might like to take turns retrieving the containers. So if 1 child has already retrieved a container, at the next cache, another kid gets to have a turn.

[+niraD]

Whatever you do, the kids might like to take turns retrieving the containers. So if 1 child has already retrieved a container, at the next cache, another kid gets to have a turn.

And whoever retrieves it should be the person to replace it, to minimize cache migration.

[+Chrysalides]

I like the idea of hiding your own (non-published) caches. You can put better stuff inside, kids can just take and no need to trade, you have full control over it, and you can have it closer together so that the kids don't have to walk as far between caches. It will probably interest them a lot more than finding a bunch of film canisters with soggy logsheets.

[+Chief301]

I like the idea of hiding your own (non-published) caches. You can put better stuff inside, kids can just take and no need to trade, you have full control over it, and you can have it closer together so that the kids don't have to walk as far between caches. It will probably interest them a lot more than finding a bunch of film canisters with soggy logsheets.

 

^^^ This

[+The_Incredibles_]

kids can just take and no need to trade,

 

I wouldn't go there, because then you are training them to take and not put anything in.

[+T.D.M.22]

kids can just take and no need to trade,

 

I wouldn't go there, because then you are training them to take and not put anything in.

 

I disagree. I'm pretty sure the kids who would do that are already quite proficient at taking and not giving. And I'm not just talking about geocaching...

[+myth-fit]

The party today was fun. We split into three teams and put the focus on simply finding the most caches. The teams each found 5 or 6 in 75 minutes. Most of the kids enjoyed it. I held an "orientation" at the beginning talking about the importance of respecting the Cachers' Code and etiquette. Nothing was taken from any cache and all were replaced where they were originally found. Several of the kids had caching experience, but not at this location. Swimming afterward helped everyone cool down after a hot 95 degrees!

 

Thank you all for your input. I did make some changes and made sure to try to address concerns raised when explaining things to the kids. We, as a family, are looking forward to more adventures, especially on our upcoming trip.