Kids and Caching

[+scottch]

I take my kids (5 yr and 3.5 yr) caching all the time. They really enjoy the search for the cache and they take turns with who is going to find the cache this time. If the oldest found the last one then the youngest find the next one. (I give the necessary hint to keep the order of finds equal).

 

They really like digging through a cache to pickout a swag item. Sometimes they find something they like to trade for, while other times they prefer to keep the item they brought with them. Depends on their mood.

[+pebrswel]

Got three boys. The oldest, 15, can't be bothered unless it is a long hike to nowheres. The 13 year old goes out every now and then. The 9 year old just loves it. I will go out and find local caches myself but wait to log until I go back out with him and the wife. He will hunt anything but likes the ammo cans the best, of course, because of the swag. We don't bother with nano's or micros too much but he has quite a nose for those. And as others have said, nothing like having a cache monkey for those hard to reach spots.

[+greywynd]

My son is 8, and is mixed about it. I'll ask him though, and if he wants to come, he's welcomed along, and if not, I don't force the issue. I don't want him out doing something like this if (or when) he doesn't want to. I try to be honest though, tell him what kind of caches are planned, who I'm going with (if anyone) and how long I'm going for. If a cache is different, then I'll tell him that in case I think he'll really enjoy it.

 

Reminds me, we need to get his logging caught up....

[+Team Googleberry]

We had been taking our kids (2 and 5) hiking, but our five year old was not having fun most of the time. My wife actually suggested geocaching first, ironically because I am the GPS/map-hound in the family.

 

Since we've started geocaching we have turned our "hikes" into "treasure hunts" and things have been somewhat better for our bored little guy. He loves to pick out a toy, hates to pick one to trade and has a lot of trouble sometimes deciding between cool new "treasures." But the last cache we found was all him. We got to the coordinates and he crawled under a boulder to find the ammo can.

 

So most assuredly we target bigger caches with kid friendly stuff and walkable trails. I'm planning on putting about four caches togethe to place in the next years and they will all be kid (of all sizes) friendly.