• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

geocaching: what it is & why we’re hooked

home / family life / family fun / outdoor activities / geocaching: what it is & why we’re hooked
15.6K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Right now, weโ€™re 2 for 6.

That’s right–2/6. 2:6?

geocaching: what it is and why we're hooked

And today we totally thought we had one, but we didnโ€™t.

Weโ€™ll masters by wintertime, after a fall of not worrying about poison ivy or scratched legs or sunburn.

Weโ€™ll move from โ€˜navigating to geocacheโ€™ to using the map or compass (on the phone, of course), and maybe the kids will even have their own Geomate.jr.

Weโ€™ll know every attribute symbol by heart.

Decrypting hints will become second-nature.ย  ROT13, anyone?

Weโ€™ll look for–and log–trackables or travel bugs and never alert the muggles.

Every logbook will have our initials, and weโ€™ll know exactly how to read d/t (levels of difficulty and terrain, hello) like the back of our hand.

Iโ€™m talking โ€˜geocachingโ€™ here if you havenโ€™t already guessed, and after becoming geocachers this July, weโ€™re hooked.ย  Seriously hooked.

Well, most of us are.

Hereโ€™s the skinny. . .

Geocaching–What it is & Why We’re Hooked:ย 

So ‘geocaching’. What on earth is it, anyway?

Geocaching is a free real-world outdoor treasure hunt. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS and can then share their experiences online (straight from the Geocaching site, yo!).

what is geocaching?

Boys’ Life Series: Let’s Go Geocaching by John Mckinney got us interested in geocaching. . .

what is geocaching

but the search is what got us hooked!

What does ‘geocaching’ mean?

‘Geo’ refers to ‘geography’ and a ‘cache’ is a container (strange, I know, but pronounced ‘cash’), so ‘geocaching’ is simply the act of hiding–or seeking–a little container using geographical coordinates.ย  Or you can look at it as ‘geo’ meaning ‘earth’ and interpret ‘geocaching’ as finding a small container somewhere outdoors.ย  Either way works.

Before we got started, we did a little reading.

We found Boys’ Life Series: Let’s Go Geocaching by John Mckinney at the library.ย  We read it cover to cover and renewed it three times. No joke. ย I found it extremely easy to understand and at a perfect level of difficulty for Maddy and Owen to read independently.

geocaching prep

We poked around on the geocaching site.

geocaching prep

We decoded a hint or two.ย  We were ready!

So what did we do next? How’d we go from reading about geocaching to becoming geocachers?

  • We visited the website: geocaching.com. And we played around, watching the video, reading about the caches close to us, and registering on the site. It’s all free unless you want to upgrade to a premium membership, which (shhhhh!) we did after our first find.
  • ย Then we downloaded the app: geocaching for smartphones.ย  (But you do not necessarily need a smartphone to geocache!! You do need to have a GPS device or a GPS-enabled phone to navigate to the cache, though.)
  • We found the cache closest to where we wanted to begin, we read the logs, decoded the hint, and we clicked ‘navigate to cache’.
  • ย Finally, we jumped in the car and headed out for our first cache!

what is geocaching

Maddy navigates to our first geocache. . .

what is geocaching

. . . and we tried and tried. . .

what is geocaching

. . . and tried some more. . .

geocaching pool - spoiler

And we FOUND IT!!

what is geocaching

This one was a micro, so no treasures–just a teeny, tiny log that we signed.

And then we danced around.

It. Was. Awesome.

We were instantly hooked.

Geocaching is like a treasure hunt outdoors. It’s a secret club that makes us look at our surroundings a little differently.

For some reason, it makes this great, big world seem a little . . .ย  smaller.ย  Like the whole world’s really a big playground.

geocaching park

Near one of our most favorite parks. . .

geocaching park

. . . we geocached up to 7 meters away from the cache but just couldn’t find it!

Every time we get in the car now, Owen asks, Can I see your phone? I want to find a closeby geocache.

So he pokes around, reads a few logs, and gets us on track to find one–when we’re running errands, when we’re at the park, when we’re on our way home, when we just need a fun diversion.

Geocaches. Are. Everywhere.

And like I said, we’re 2 for 6. We’ve found two. We tried for six.

Our record’s not great.ย  But we’re still hooked, and that should tell you something.

geocaching butterfly

Owen unrolls our second find–

geocaching butterfly

which was hidden near our bank, grocery, gas station–right in the center of town!

We’re lucky with micros (super, small, teeny-tiny geocaches) but not so lucky with the bigger ones.ย ย  But since most of the bigger ones are in the woods–or a little deeper out of sight, we’re going for those this fall.

I’m sure I’m missing some big geocaching pieces here, but for the recreational geocacher–especially for the family with young children–we’re enjoying it.ย 

And this mama believes geocaching is the ultimate sneaky-fun learning:

  • we’re looking at distances as we navigate to caches and giving the kids a sense of how far x-amount of feet or meters is from us;
  • we’re figuring out our position in relation to the cache;
  • we’re using direction–north, south, east, west–as we decide which way to walk;
  • we’re employing our critical thinking skills as we decode the hint and interpret what it means;
  • we’re reading past logs and synthesizing responses;
  • we’re getting out in nature, exploring our parks, routes, walks, and world in a way we haven’t experienced;
  • we’re looking at our surroundings with closer eyes and careful steps;
  • we’re practicing the difficult skills of patience, endurance, and handling disappointment;
  • we’re learning–each time!–and are excited to become better at our geocaching skills.

And that’s it–we’ve been geocachin’ fools for a good two months now, so we’ll just catchya in the logbooks, okay? And any advice, ideas, suggestions, or resources YOU have, I’d love to see!ย  We’re newbies–and we want to learn!

Some geocaching resources for the newbies:

    • Geocaching site (check out the Geocaching in 2 minutes video!)
    • Geocaching 101
    • request a Geocaching Premium membership for your family for the holidays–or give one to a friend!

fyi: Affiliate links are included in this unsponsored post, written by totally new geocacher (me) and influenced only by my three little geocachers and my geocaching dog.

You May Also Like...

  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
    Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:help! when kids hate reading: 3 tips for parents
Next Post:how to raise kids who love mathhow to raise kids who love math

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
Today, tomorrow, and forever. 
โค๏ธ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ–ค๐ŸคŽ๐Ÿฉต๐Ÿฉท

๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ = @missjohnstonsjourney 

#pridemonth #youarelovedโค๏ธ #pridemonth๐ŸŒˆ #teachersofinstagram #parentsofinstagram
View
Open
Thank you @upliftyogaolney for a fun and joy-filled afternoon of yoga with goats! ๐Ÿง˜๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ

#goatyoga #marylandyoga #sundayworkout #motherdaughtertime #yogawithgoats #ourfaves
View
Open
loved our first @saltvinemd experience 

cannot wait to return!
View
Open
Had THE BEST dinner at Olneyโ€™s newest restaurant, @saltvinemd โ€”

Our hostesses were kind and welcoming, our server was THE BEST, and food was delivered to our table by SUPER food runners. 

Everything we ordered we LOVED. Cannot wait to return. 

(Swipe to see what we ordered!)

#saltandvine #mocoeats #mocofood #marylandeats
View
Open
What a DAY!! 
Any book festival is a great festival, but @gburgbookfest KNOWS how to put together a celebration of books and authors!!

Loved meeting 
@evascreativity 
@zigzagzeph 
@jackieadrian_art 
@nomoreblankpageskids 
@palavergames 
@jessicadallauthor 
@keanstrategies 
@gurkirtsinghvirk 
@teegarner 
@lincolnhartlaub 
@jadesocoby 

and so many others! And loved hearing @authoralexandrarobbins speak!

#gaithersburgbookfestival #gburgbookfest #bookfestival #readingteacher #featuredreels #marylandlife
View
Open
still peaceful

#yogapractice #peaceful #sheepadoodle #bigfuzzydog #yogaeverydamnday
View
Open
The must-have guide for every woman:  The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs is officially out in the world today! 

Congratulations to my pal @laura.tremaine ! 

This book WILL:
๐ŸŽˆEncourage you to look around at your current life landscape to really SEE your acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, and friends
๐ŸŽˆFill you with gratitude for the friendships of your past
๐ŸŽˆOffer suggestions for how to navigate the complications of modern friendship
๐ŸŽˆGive you space to mourn the friendships that are over
๐ŸŽˆOutline 10 types of friends that can shape your life 
๐ŸŽˆHelp you name the type of friend YOU are on other peopleโ€™s Life Councils 
๐ŸŽˆInspire you to let friendship take on the important role that it deserves 
I want this book to spark a million This book WILL:
๐ŸŽˆEncourage you to look around at your current life landscape to really SEE your acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, and friends
๐ŸŽˆFill you with gratitude for the friendships of your past
๐ŸŽˆOffer suggestions for how to navigate the complications of modern friendship
๐ŸŽˆGive you space to mourn the friendships that are over
๐ŸŽˆOutline 10 types of friends that can shape your life 
๐ŸŽˆHelp you name the type of friend YOU are on other peopleโ€™s Life Councils 
๐ŸŽˆInspire you to let friendship take on the important role that it deserves 
I want this book to spark a million conversations.

Laura, I know it will. Love you, girl. 
#TheLifeCouncil #happybookbirthday
View
Open
I was in #annapolis today demanding our lawmakers take meaningful action on gun safety. 

Are you fed up with lawmakersโ€™ inaction, too? 

Join me & turn your anger into action with @MomsDemand by texting FED UP to 644-33. #FedUp #MDpolitics 
#notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice
View
Open
I started my teaching career at @hcpss_wlhs โ€” a place packed with really awesome educatorsโ€” and @eric.ebersole.for.maryland was one of them!

LOOK at us now! Delegate Ebersole is moving mountains in Annapolis! 

It was so cool to run into my friend while Iโ€™m here with @momsdemand โค๏ธโ™ฅ๏ธ 

Want to get involved? YOU NEED TO. 

Please text FED UP to 644-33 to find an event near you and make your voice heard!

#FEDUP #notonemore #dosomething #useyourvoice #bethechange #momsdemandaction

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 269
15.6K shares