Questions For Parents Of Hyperkids

[+Kacky]

I only have one child and he's all grown up. He has autism, which brings its own set of quirks, so I was in tune with him most of the time when he was young, but a little out of touch with children who have other issues. In May I'll be caching with my niece and nephews. They are 12 and 11 years old and I have only ever seen them once, about 6 years ago, though we keep in touch by mail. Of the twins, one has autism, so I feel confident with him. He'll let everyone find the cache and then he'll think long and hard about his swag trade, and he'll do a good job of re-hiding it. The other boy and the girl both have ADHD and they are HYPER. What kind of prep talk do I give them so they don't cut a swath of destruction through the park? I am inclined to make them search together as opposed to splitting up. Since I am still a n00b and we only have one day together before I have to fly home, I am considering hiding a one-time cache just for them, to ensure a find. Is that ethical?

Edited April 6, 2006 by enfanTerrible

[+nfa]

I have done some "private caches" for my son, Ben, when he was just starting...it helped him understand the sort of thing we were looking for, and how to go about looking for the cache.

 

With hyper kids you could try and give them a pep-talk about how to avoid muggle detection...playing up the subtlety of the game might appeal to them, and might help them focus on looking for the cache discretely.

 

Good luck, and have fun!

 

Jamie - NFA

[+whistler & co.]

If you're taking them to hunt a cache published online, read the cache description, read the logs, check out the gallery pics, and even email the cache owner to make sure that the terrain won't be dangerous and that there won't really be anything for them to "cut a swath" through. If your main objective is for the kids to have fun, which basically means successfully finding the cache, you can't preplan too much. In fact, you might even want to find the cache yourself the day before (delay signing the logbook until the kids are with you) to make sure it's all in good order and that there are some interesting trade items inside (drop off some neat stuff for them if necessary).

 

If you want to create a cache hide specifically for the kids, that's fine too. You can set it up according to gc.com guidelines, fill out the cache sheet for submitting a new cache, then UNCHECK the box on the sheet that says the cache is set and ready to go. After it's approved and the kids find it, you enable the cache and it will be published for everyone's enjoyment.

 

Or you can hide something in a spot you think would suit your specific needs, create a cache description sheet on your computer, then print it out for the kids. Just remember to collect the container after the kids are done with their hunt! But you can't create a temporary cache that is published on gc.com. I seem to remember reading that the cache must be available for at least three months, or something like that.

 

Whatever you do, good luck!

[+Kacky]

Oh, I couldn't publish it anyway because it will be in Minnesota and I live in Maine. Plus I don't yet have the creds to go around planting caches. Thanks for the suggestions and I'll be looking forward to reading more.

Edited April 6, 2006 by enfanTerrible

[+The Leprechauns]

Assigning each kid in the group a job title is sometimes helpful. Let one be in charge of the GPS and call them the "navigator." Make the other one the "scout" and have that kid burn off excess energy by running ahead to check what's around the next bend, then come back to report to the group. (This is helpful when deciding whether to follow the arrow and bushwack, whether to take the left fork or the right fork in the trail, etc.) Keep making up jobs as you add more kids to the group.

 

Another way of holding concentration during the hike to and from ground zero is to have a separate scavenger hunt. Points are awarded for finding a salamander, seeing a white rock, picking up a piece of litter, etc. This helps make kids more aware of their surroundings, and to learn a bit about nature, instead of just focusing on "how long until we get to the treasure?"

 

If all else fails, and the kids are still hyper, threaten to leave them at the cache site as trade items.

[+Team Laxson]

 

If all else fails, and the kids are still hyper, threaten to leave them at the cache site as trade items.

 

I acutally laughed out loud when I read that.

 

Thanks!

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

...If all else fails, and the kids are still hyper, threaten to leave them at the cache site as trade items.

 

Yes, and another tactic which seems to be in wide use among the geo elite for controlling unruly kids is stun guns, commonly sold for use with cattle. Many satisfied geocacher parents report on our local geocaching society forum that one brief shock from a $20 stun gun results in a very relaxed and sleepy kid for the next twenty mintues or so, although they may not be very coordinated when navigating the trails for a short while. I dunno any of this from personal experience, as we do not have kids. In fact, every time we even think of having kids, an angel comes down from heaven and tells us in a booming voice "Certain people are just not meant to be parents, and you are at the top of that list!".

 

sigh...

[+LostPuppy]

Whrn my daughter was 4, she asked if we could leaver her little brother under a bush anc call him treasure baby. In retrospect, she may have had a good point.

 

Back to topic... If you have time, you may want to hide 3 temporary caches so they each have a chance to run the GPSr. If you want bonus points, you could load fun swag like coupons for ice cream cones, etc.

[nobby.nobbs]

taks to each kid and the hyper one has the important task of waiting on the path to keep eye for muggles. keeps them from destroying everything and gives them a calming thing to concentrate on.

 

and beware what you feed them on as hyper is aggravated by certain foodstuffs....

[+Kacky]

Thanks for that. Their mom is a registered dietician and since I only see them once every six years. I defer to her.

 

There is some really great advice here. They will love each having a task, and I'm sure that will keep the hooliganism down. Part of their conidtion is that they are also hyper-intelligent and the way they can multi-task is amazing! I have a brother in law who is the same way, he invents cellphones and stuff while doing extreme sports and holds 6 patents. I think geocaching is great for people like this because they are stubborn and won't give up the search, even if they do have to be reminded not to get too rough sometimes.

[+Resolution]

I think your biggest concern is things getting out of hand. In order to control that, you have to start before you even begin the hunt. Once kids get wound up, they're very resistant to any "unwinding" efforts. I'd start by explaining to them that this is like a secret mission, but stress that it's a game. Nobody can know what you're doing and nobody should be able to see where you've been, or else the secret location will be discovered! Give them each a name... Agent Black Bear, Agent Super Star... let them pick their names. Teach them what stealth means. Teach them the theme from Mission Impossible. Bring along some swag that they may like in case there's nothing of interest in the caches. There doesn't have to be something traded at each cache, but they should at least be able to come home with some sort of treasure. Show them how to leave the area just the way they found it so it won't look suspicious. When the day is over, ask them what parts they liked the best, and what parts they didn't like. Finally, check for ticks!

[bogleman]

Assigning each kid in the group a job title is sometimes helpful. Let one be in charge of the GPS and call them the "navigator." Make the other one the "scout" and have that kid burn off excess energy by running ahead to check what's around the next bend, then come back to report to the group. (This is helpful when deciding whether to follow the arrow and bushwack, whether to take the left fork or the right fork in the trail, etc.) Keep making up jobs as you add more kids to the group.

 

I have 3 kids - 10, 8 & 6. I do exactaly what the Leprechauns described, it works quite well. Just have to pick the right job for the right kid.

 

My kids are not hyper but the biggest problem I have is that they quickly loose interest if we dint find the cache fairly quickly when we hit ground zero.

 

When we are looking for micros we play the secret agent game. I give each one a specific assignment so we can complete our secret mission.

 

The biggest pleasure I get out of taking the kids along is the company and the joy they get when they find the cache.

 

I remember the times my father took my brothers and I out on adventures when we were kids, I think this is why I still enjoy going out and stomping around in the woods.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

...The biggest pleasure I get out of taking the kids along is the company and the joy they get when they find the cache.

 

I remember the times my father took my brothers and I out on adventures when we were kids, I think this is why I still enjoy going out and stomping around in the woods.

 

My parents took us out in the woods too when we were young. All would be fine until we came to the circular clearing, where they made us wait. Then we would hear the strange sound I will never forget and there would be the blinding blue and orange lights and then the circular craft -- which I later realized was an alien starship -- would land. And then next thing I knew, I would wake up in my bed two days later with those funny scars on my neck -- my siblings and parents always had the same fresh scars too -- and the voices in my head. Sigh.