Help for Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts

[+texasfords]

I am a Junior Girl Scout Leader and I volunteer for the Cub Scout Day Camp in our area.

 

Our family recently started geocaching and would like to introduce it to the scouts here. My daughter and I are working making it a "Troop Badge" (since there is no formal badge for it in our council or GSUSA) and my son thinks it would be a fun event for day camp.

 

For Girl Scouts one of the requirements is it has to include at least 8 activities. Girls must complete at least six to earn the badge. Other requirements are:

it has to have a community service aspect (I'm thinking "Cache in, Trash out" will work for this)

you have to do or produce something (find and place a cache would work for this)

document it (logging it on to geocaching.com)

 

That is 4 activities and I would need at least 4 more.

 

Others I am considering are:

• History of geocaching
  
• What at GPS is and how it works
  
• Other uses for a GPS
  

Anyone else have any other ideas? We have the geocaching.com dvd and will use that for the technical/history info.

 

For the cub scouts, I am thinking of setting up a couple of caches. Teaching them how the GPS works. Since we have all levels of scouts, teach them to decode the clues, then have them find them. For the cubs, it will not serve as a belt loop or pin, but we can do the compass info also to have them work on the map and compass belt loop.

 

Any other ideas, helpful hints? We would appreciate them!

 

Thanks!

[+SM741]

Welcome to geocaching.

 

On my way out this evening.

 

Go to http://www.geoscouting.com/ for info on Geoscouting.

 

If you are in Boy Scouting, Philmont Training Center has a Geocaching and Scouting Course.

 

Frank

SM741

[+emb021]

Several scouters in my area geocache, and a few of us have run geocaching events at camporees. (I just did this at one of our major ones in January).

 

What most of us do is setup several temporary caches in the park (especially if there are no 'official' caches).

 

We will have a booth setup with info on caching. Have handouts on caching (using geocaching-U's brochures are great) and examples of caches (different sizes and types: ammo cans, decon containers, 35mm, nanos, lock n locks, etc). Some of us even have nice science fair type displays, with pictures of caches and such on them. Try to have several GPSr units they can borrow.

 

Most of us try to make sure the kids (we rather they go as a group with an adult leader, this way we can make sure we get back our loaner GPS as well as we have a responsible adult to make sure nothing gets out of hand) understand some basics about geocaching:

 

* using a GPS

* typical hides and how to look

* understand the concept of trading stuff

* understand trackables (TB & geocoins).

 

One thing we really haven't had is anykind of recognition or reward. what I've been thinking to do is making up some similiar certificates and have the caches we setup be a series. They have to find them all, and those who do get a certificate (prehaps have a special code in each cache to write down as proof). Then maybe do a drawing of all the scouts who completed the series for something (maybe one of the Cache to Eagle geocoins or the like).

 

Also, check out some of the patches at geoswag.com. Some look like merit badges. Another idea for prizes.

[+MissLatitude]

Girl Scouts of Erie Shores had a council's own. (They are now part of NEOGS)

Here is the link to the requirements.

 

http://www.girlscoutserieshores.org/uploaded_forms/0843.doc

[+Gazza&Girls]

-Geocache friendly swaps (not every swap can stand the conditions of container)

-CITO

-Container Camouflage

 

Kickapoo Council's Camp Tapawingo has a few geocaches in it for the girls to hunt with eTrex's they can check out from the Regional Office

[+KoosKoos]

Travel Bugs are another fun item that the kids can set free and then (hopefully) watch as it moves from cache to cache.

[bsagptx]

I am a Junior Girl Scout Leader and I volunteer for the Cub Scout Day Camp in our area.

 

Our family recently started geocaching and would like to introduce it to the scouts here. My daughter and I are working making it a "Troop Badge" (since there is no formal badge for it in our council or GSUSA) and my son thinks it would be a fun event for day camp.

 

For Girl Scouts one of the requirements is it has to include at least 8 activities. Girls must complete at least six to earn the badge. Other requirements are:

it has to have a community service aspect (I'm thinking "Cache in, Trash out" will work for this)

you have to do or produce something (find and place a cache would work for this)

document it (logging it on to geocaching.com)

 

That is 4 activities and I would need at least 4 more.

 

Others I am considering are:

• History of geocaching
  
• What at GPS is and how it works
  
• Other uses for a GPS
  

Anyone else have any other ideas? We have the geocaching.com dvd and will use that for the technical/history info.

 

For the cub scouts, I am thinking of setting up a couple of caches. Teaching them how the GPS works. Since we have all levels of scouts, teach them to decode the clues, then have them find them. For the cubs, it will not serve as a belt loop or pin, but we can do the compass info also to have them work on the map and compass belt loop.

 

Any other ideas, helpful hints? We would appreciate them!

 

Thanks!

[MC Choctaw]

I am a Junior Girl Scout Leader and I volunteer for the Cub Scout Day Camp in our area.

 

Anyone else have any other ideas? We have the geocaching.com dvd and will use that for the technical/history info.

 

For the cub scouts, I am thinking of setting up a couple of caches. Teaching them how the GPS works. Since we have all levels of scouts, teach them to decode the clues, then have them find them. For the cubs, it will not serve as a belt loop or pin, but we can do the compass info also to have them work on the map and compass belt loop.

 

Any other ideas, helpful hints? We would appreciate them!

 

We are also new to geocaching. We have one finishing Brownies and one Cub Scout. I really like the idea of working on the compass and map belt loop as a starting point for the boys. The girls need those skills as well however we get them there. I gather we are both in the same Council (Sam Houston Area Council) for the boys but different councils for the girls. Let me know what you come up with for both! Maybe we'll run into each other in Navasota at cub scout camp this July. My boy and girl also generally like the opportunity to earn nice "brag vest" or "back of vest/sash" patches for doing their organized activities. Same patch for both?

 

Two things we learned on an outing to Rocky Creek State Park with some scouts and some girls scouts:

1. Finding geocaches near trails is a great excuse to hike more trails with less grumbling.

2. Taking turns carrying the GPSr is a really big deal to the younger cubs and brownies. (Note to self: a safety pin can hold the lanyard on the back of their collars)

 

Since camp is so close to us (College Station, TX), I was thinking about setting up a couple of temporary caches somewhere near Navasota just for the cubs and parents to find as they arrive/depart Camp Bovay. If we can do some work on GPS skills in our respective day camps and den meetings between now and then that could be a novelty for them later in the summer. They'll still be Cubs but with more practice they'll be able to do more at the end than they could at the beginning of the summer. Do your best. RahRahRah How does that sound?

Edited February 24, 2009 by MC Choctaw

[+Coyote's Girl]

Trackables are a great idea. Each girl (or the troop as a whole) could create a travel bug and a goal for said bug, and set it off to the world. Also see if there are geocaches at say a state historic site. The folks here in Illinois were gracious enough to allow caching at our Cahokia Mounds site. with many of the caches placed at important places within the site that people usually miss just hitting the visitors center and Monk's Mound. I'm all about multi-tasking and it'd be a great way to get two things done at once.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Butterfly Fox

[+Rockin Roddy]

I've worked with a few GS troops, we have such fun! Besides the usual, I'll post what a troop leader came up with and what we may or may not be using in the next classes:

 

I have a list of things the girls must/can do to earn the geocaching badge. All the girls must:

1. Find out what GPS stands for, how it works, what they cost and where you can get one.

2. What is geo-caching? How is the word pronounced? What are some other terms used for geo-caching?

3. Before going to the event, visit www.geocaching.com or a similiar website to learn about the sport and find geo-caches in the area. (this will be done by each troop prior to coming to Hayes and I may print some of the pages of the website to have on hand to show the girls.)

If a girl is a Brownie, she needs to finish 1 additional requirement; Juniors must complete 3 additional requirements; and Cadettes-Seniors must complete 7 additional requirements:

4. Learn about 4 of the things listed below:

a) What is a cache box?

Travel bugs

c) What things do you need for geo-caching?

d) Geo-caching rules

e) CITO

f) Waypoints

g) Muggles (as related to geocaching)

5. Learn how to use a GPS unit.

6. Create a business card-sized signature card to leave behind in a cache.

7. Create your own cache box and hide it, recording the coordinates for it so it can be found later. (probably not one we would choose to do based on a previous email)

8. Learn about latitudes and longitudes.

9. Locate a geo-cache association in our area. Talk with members about their experiences.

10. List 4 occupations that use GPS in different ways.

11. List some safety precautions you should use when geo-caching. Find out where geo-caching is not allowed.

 

Let me know which of these requirements you usually do. Some are obviously not going to work out for that day, or in the case of number 3 should be done before the event. We will have the girls doing some clean-up for Earth Day while they are waiting for their turn and maybe some other activities. Tell me what you think?

 

I have said it a few times, TBs are a great teaching tool!!

[+Scouters Fred and Brenda]

 

That is 4 activities and I would need at least 4 more.

 

Others I am considering are:

• History of geocaching
  
• What at GPS is and how it works
  
• Other uses for a GPS
  

Anyone else have any other ideas? We have the geocaching.com dvd and will use that for the technical/history info.

 

When I went out to a Cub Pack Meeting I took some GeoCoins we talked about tracking and collecting them

Scouterfred

Edited February 28, 2009 by Scouters Fred and Brenda

[+Max and 99]

I've held many geocaching activities for scout groups of all ages and group sizes. At last year's summer twilight camp we helped 175 girl scouts earn their geocaching badges/try-its from Eerie Council. It was a phenomenal activity and the girls loved finding the temporary caches we hid around the park and collecting the little trinkets they found inside.

For cub scouts I've hidden small tokens around the church we met at and they had a wonderful time learning how to use the gps units and find them. I've taken several girl scout troops out caching just for fun.

I met with a boy scout troop one night at a local park to teach them how to geocache and find some temporary caches we hid for the class. The next week they geared up and found some permanent caches at the same park.

You may want to take a look at the requirements of the two girl scout councils that do offer geocaching try-its, badges, and IPPs and see what requirements they list. It might help you as you create your own.

 

Good luck with the project.

[+River Cacher]

I am hosting a Girl scout Geocaching type of event.

 

Brownies will receive Let's Go Geo Brownie Try-It

 

Juniors will recieve a Let's Go Geo Junior Badge

 

 

I am getting the badges form this link GSCC New York

 

When you go to this link just click on the link below the badges for the easy print out and requirements for these badges.

 

I am taking them on private property and we will be having a family campout as well.

Edited March 6, 2009 by River Cacher