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Caches placed on playground structures.


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What's you view on caches placed on playground equipment? You can't place a cache on school property so how is a playground different? I think these type of caches might backfire. Middle aged cachers snooping around a playgrounds are only slightly suspicious.

 

1. School property is generally owned by the school district, so it isn't city property that is for free use by its citizens. Schools are a place for children, parks are a place for all.

 

2. You don't need to look for or find every cache. Maybe look early morning before anyone is there.

 

3. You may look suspicious looking for it, but the cacher who brings their kid to the park would. It would provide a cache that a parent could find without loosing sight of their child playing. Also, I work at a day care and the kids love to look for caches with me.

 

4. Anyone snooping anywhere is suspicious. Historic cemeteries at 10pm on Friday the 13th (2 cops in one night), a couple walking into the woods for a cache and exiting to find 3 squad cars around mine, I've had my share, and I am a fairly innocent looking college student.

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I find playground caches are a great way for the family to get out and enjoy the day, the kids get to play in more ways than one. I think there needs to be more playground caches, kids love the sport(hobby) just as much as us adults and i would find it very hard to beleive anyone would think even for a moment that they won't be around for long, i guess those people do not have kids.

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What's you view on caches placed on playground equipment? You can't place a cache on school property so how is a playground different? I think these type of caches might backfire. Middle aged cachers snooping around a playgrounds are only slightly suspicious.

 

1. School property is generally owned by the school district, so it isn't city property that is for free use by its citizens. Schools are a place for children, parks are a place for all.

 

2. You don't need to look for or find every cache. Maybe look early morning before anyone is there.

 

3. You may look suspicious looking for it, but the cacher who brings their kid to the park would. It would provide a cache that a parent could find without loosing sight of their child playing. Also, I work at a day care and the kids love to look for caches with me.

 

4. Anyone snooping anywhere is suspicious. Historic cemeteries at 10pm on Friday the 13th (2 cops in one night), a couple walking into the woods for a cache and exiting to find 3 squad cars around mine, I've had my share, and I am a fairly innocent looking college student.

Had more than my share of LEO encounters... but then again I'm 6 foot, 230 pounds with a shaved head. Kids are always good cover...

 

Oh, there is a law about being in a cemetary after dark, technically it's illegal. (Not really technically, it is) Then try to explain your caching name to a local LEO. It puts the Fun in Funny.

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I find playground caches are a great way for the family to get out and enjoy the day, the kids get to play in more ways than one. I think there needs to be more playground caches, kids love the sport(hobby) just as much as us adults and i would find it very hard to beleive anyone would think even for a moment that they won't be around for long, i guess those people do not have kids.

What he meant is that they tend to go missing quicker because they are in an extremely high muggle zone. Therefore, these caches require a higher amount of maintenance visits than the average cache.

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They're typically so short-lived that you can just ignore them. Soon they'll be archived, or moved to some spot off the equipment.
I'll have to disagree with you there. I've placed a few on playgrounds in 9/2007 and only one or two of them went missing or needed maintenance. There was one that got entombed within the structure when maintenance workers capped the tube, but it's still there. :wub: Take a look at this thread for more debate:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=175984&hl=

Edited by meralgia
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i would find it very hard to beleive anyone would think even for a moment that they won't be around for long

If a muggle child finds the cache, they're likely to take it and show it to their friends. It's not likely that the cache will go back where it was, if it goes back at all.

A playground cache came out close to my house, and we ran out to grab it within the first couple days figuring it would disappear, and that was from only having an "idea" of what it was from the write up.

 

When we got there, the hide was even more "exposed" than I thought, and my wife said she didn't think it would last long.

 

Sure enough, it was gone a couple weeks later and is now disabled while they decide what to do with it.

Edited by Skippermark
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Not the best spot for older guys. A friend was doing one early in the morning when no one else was using the equipment, but a city worker still went to talk to him. My friend explained that he was trying not to look suspicious. The park worker told him it was too late.

 

At one point, my daughter could give me better cover, but she never liked to find the kind of micros or nanos that typically are left at playgrounds. For her, a better family activity was to find a larger cache with tradeable items a short distance from a playground and then go to use the equipment.

 

Still, if you must, please identify it as a playground cache in the description. At least I can try to time my visit, move it straight to my ignore list, or decide to go get it in any event.

 

If the park is "off limits" to people without children by city ordinance, let us know that as well.

 

And place it with the permission of the land manager. If I am stopped, I can say that the container was approved to be there. If the park officials think its okay to bring suspicious looking guys into their playground, who am I to argue?

Edited by Erickson
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I have found a number of caches on or near playgrounds.

 

If kids are present an adult won't be far away.

 

I approach the adult(s) (NOT the kids!) and explain the game, tell them I (usually we because I rarely cache alone) are going to look for something hidden over there and point out the area.

 

Depending on the situation I may ask the adults if the kids can help us hunt, hand them the GPS and tell them to follow the arrow. They love it and I love introducing families to the game.

 

There's never been a problem.

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