This article first appeared in Education Outside magazine.
If you’re looking for an outdoor activity to stimulate and excite your children this summer, with educational opportunities, you could so worse than dip into the world of Geocaching.
When you’re a Geocacher, like me, you start to see the world differently. You see tree stumps and wonder what might be hidden underneath them, road signs and want to check if there’s a magnetic container on the back. You give directions to people based on locations at which you once found a hidden container. Words like nano and micro take on new meanings. You start to plan journeys to ensure that you pass close to where you know a “cache” is hidden and you look at everyday objects and junk, thinking, “what could I hide inside that…?”
Geocaching has been around for about 14 years now and is often described as a high-tech treasure hunt. Players use a handheld GPS unit, the same technology as car sat-nav devices, or a smart phone to locate containers or “caches” hidden by other players. These containers can vary in size from large plastic clip-top lunch boxes right down to tiny capsules, known as nano caches. The object of the game is, quite simply, to locate and find the cache using just the coordinates and the option of a simple hint and to sign the log book that it containers. Larger caches might contain swap items such as toys or trinkets. Once you have done this you visit the geocaching website and “log” your find, telling others about you adventure. There are over 2 million caches places right around the world
But it can be far more exciting than just looking for a piece of Tupperware under a bush! There are several types of geocache. The simplest being the traditional cache described above. These might simply stand alone or be placed in a series around, for example, a circular walk. They can only be hidden in public places or beside footpaths and all the locations are checked by a volunteer reviewer before they are “published” so you can be sure that you won’t be trespassing! However, sometimes each cache in a series might contain a clue in the form of a letter or a number. By gathering these clues and arranging them in a given order the coordinates of a bonus cache can be worked out. This type, known as a multi cache can be great fun for a walk with children!
There are also mystery caches which require solving before heading out. The coordinates might have to be discovered by solving a fiendish puzzle before you can even begin to work out where to go! I’ve solved problems by studying the enigma machine, the Klingon language and the flight formations of the Red Arrows! There are many more that I’m still scratching my head about, however, and I’ll keep returning to them. That’s all part of the fun.
There are few cache-types where there is no actual container at all. Most of these are known as Virtual caches and all that you have to do is visit the given location and answer a question on something that you see there or maybe just post a photo of yourself at the co-ordinates. My favourite of these was one I visited recently at Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. Again, that can be one of the most satisfying aspects of caching- that you get taken to places of great interest, often places that you never even knew existed!
One of favourite cache types, however, is the “Earthcache”. These are a type of virtual cache that require you to show that you have learned something about an earth science, such as geology or oceanography. For example, you might be taken to a place where there is an interesting rock formation, or to a building made from fossil-rich limestone. You might be able to answer some of the questions by using Google but you will always need to have visited the location to complete all of the tasks before being allowed to log your visit.
Caches are all rated out of 5 for both their difficulty and the terrain on which they are found. This enables a cacher to be sure that they are likely to be able to access the cache site or whether it is within their limitations. A cache rated as Terrain 1, for example, will be accessible by wheelchair or a child’s buggy. A “T5”, on the other hand, might require you to have a boat or even climbing gear. Tne difficulty rating, on the other hand, might simply reflect how hard it is to solve a particular puzzle cache.
For those wanting something more social than simply walking to find a cache, there is another “cache” type- the Event Cache! These are not containers at all, but gatherings of cachers at a given time and place. This might be flash-mob type of event, a night in a pub (family-friendly pubs are often chosen, where food is served), a picnic in a park, an overnight camp or even a litter-picking meet-up, known as a CITO (Cache In-trash out). If this doesn’t satisfy you then there are also Mega Events, where more than 500 people are expected to attend!
Another feature of geocaching is the “trackable” item; these include Travelbugs and geocoins. Each of these have their own unique tracking number and can visit caches. By logging them into each cache that they are placed it, their journey from cache to cache, country to country can be followed and mapped. Owners can give their items a “mission”, such as to try and reach Australia, or to visit caches in capital cities. The possibilities are almost endless!
Geocaching is, essentially, an outdoor activity yet still allows for techs, geeks and statos to itch their scratch. It can give shape and purpose to a walk, be the basic for themed study and even provide new social opportunities. Why not give it a go this summer?
How to get started:
- Set up a free account at www.geocaching.com
- Download an app onto your smart phone (c:geo is free; the “official” Geocaching app costs about £7
- Search for a simple, nearby cache on the website
- Get out there and find it!
- Log your adventure online
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