There are many ways to explore the world. Travel and adventure tend to be memories we hold with us forever. Geocaching was created in 2001 to add to these experiences. Combining nature, exploration, adventure and geography, geocaching is a fun, family-friendly adventure that you can do almost anywhere in the world.
What Is Geocaching?
Geocaching is a scavenger hunt using GPS (global positioning system) to guide you to an item hidden from view. The caches (containers) are hidden using geographic coordinates. Once you find the cache, sign the logbook and place it back in its place.
Geocaches are found all over the world and can bring you to places you’ve never explored. You can search for hidden caches and also add your own caches to the database. Because the database is always changing, there are adventures waiting almost anywhere you may travel and explore.
Find Geocaches Around the World
Geocaches are hidden throughout the world. They are hidden in parks, busy major cities, on the top of mountains, inside trees, etc. In short, you can find them almost anywhere.
If you want to go on an adventure here in Canada, you’ll find the geocaching capital of Canada in central Ontario among the string of hamlets: Irondale, Gooderham, Troy Hill, Wilberforce, Harcourt, Highland Grove and Cardiff. According to the Geocaching Capital of Canada website, you will find "creative caches hidden in and around magnificent forests and pristine lakes."
Even if you don’t plan to go into the geocaching capital of Canada, you can find geocaches near you using the Geocaching.com app. Put in your location, and nearby caches will be listed. Choose your adventure and begin!
Geocaching for Family Learning and Adventure
There are many reasons to try geocaching. Geocaching is a family friendly game that uses skills we all need: ability to follow geographical directions and distances, teamwork, problem solving and more.
Geocaching gets us outside and on an adventure. We spend more and more time inside behind desks and computers and less and less time outside in nature. Geocaching provides a fun way to be in nature, exploring places you may not have known about and seeing things you have never seen.
Everyone will experience something different when looking for a geocache, and everywhere you go will be a new adventure. A simple hike can turn into a great quest when you begin traveling off the main path and onto side paths that lead you to destinations you’ve never seen.
How to Add Your Own Geocache
Once you have begun searching for geocaches, you may want to add your own to the database. Luckily, it is as simple as picking a container, picking your family-friendly items, hiding your container, and listing it on the geocaching website. Once you’ve listed your item, you can check the status of the geocache through the app or website.
For guidelines and instructions, visit the Geocaching.com website and get started!
Learn More and Get Involved
Interested in trying geocaching for yourself? You can find more information about geocaching at the Geocaching.com blog where you’ll be inspired from people all over the world placing, finding and maintaining geocaches.
This is a learning-rich activity that can be easily meshed with every family holiday and educational field trip. Enjoy your next adventure!
This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our Front Door page that has content on our monthly theme and links to all our content sections.
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).