caching with friends in a group

[+all Wright]

Our next door neighbor has taken up geocaching and seems to be just as enthusiastic as we are. Our boys are friends, and our teens are too (but less interested in caching).

 

Past experience: We took a family with three kids caching with us one day, and I would say it was not very successful. We stuck out like a sore thumb, the kids were yelling all over the place "we found it!!!" We cleaned out our swag stash to appease all the kids with us, etc.. you get the picture. (BTW, in our own family we have 4 kids who can walk, so it was a lot)

 

So this other family next door - their kids are older and I would really love to go caching with them. How do you do it? It seems like the cache would be found before you even get a lock on it.... or the group might be conspicuous, or something.....

 

Do any of you cache with groups? How does it work?

Edited June 24, 2010 by all Wright

[+BulldogBlitz]

i cache a lot with my son who is 11.... a bit different age range there than the "I FOUND IT" crowd.

 

he's all about the stealth. it is also really good having him around since he seems to see things i don't....and vice versa.

 

we have yet to get the right timing to cache with another adult (not counting my wife who doesn't cache, she just tags along).

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Hmmmm.... Give the kids less sugar, before going out?

 

Dunno just how to handle it.

We've seen (not just in geocaching) where the kids explode from the vehicle, paying little (if any) attention to what the parents say, or YELL, to them...

 

But have also seen kids that understand and go as a "group" with the rest of the family/friends.

 

I guess it depends upon whether you are "taking" the kids, or if the kids are "going with" you, and everyone understands the difference.

 

Perhaps it is the "appease all the kids" remark I caught in the OP.

[+all Wright]

i cache a lot with my son who is 11.... a bit different age range there than the "I FOUND IT" crowd.

 

he's all about the stealth. it is also really good having him around since he seems to see things i don't....and vice versa.

 

we have yet to get the right timing to cache with another adult (not counting my wife who doesn't cache, she just tags along).

 

My son is 9 and my daughter is 5 - they have learned to be quiet about it, so they're pretty good. We just look like a family out together. (teenagers are pretty good about it - actually add to the stealth by standing around texting sometimes too!) But add another family and maybe it's too much. Of course if we did that it would probably be more of a hike cache than the local ones.

[+leejas72]

There are times I go out with my 4 kids, ages 18, 16, 13, and 8 and their cousins. 12, 8, 7. I too have had my swag bag cleaned out for all the kids to enjoy. But this is really one part of the hobby that makes me happy.

I always make sure that every kid gets something and the stealth thing is never a problem with us. I pretend like we're on a class trip for homeschoolers.

[+all Wright]

Hmmmm.... Give the kids less sugar, before going out?

 

 

Perhaps it is the "appease all the kids" remark I caught in the OP.

 

HAHA!! yes! What I meant by the last statement, is that the other family didn't have any swag to trade. We buy dollar stuff that is pretty good. So each cache we visted we were trading out about 5 items of our swag bag! I was beginning to feel stingy after the second one, but of course they wanted to continue! And their kids were little.

[+Leleboo_05]

Nice... This reminds me of when I went to a flashmob event last month. A cache friend of mine has his team, which consists of his buddy and their two sons. I got out to stand with them before the event started, and when they heard there was a cache in the park where the event was held, the two boys yelled "GEOCACHE!!!" and darted off right as dads grabbed them by the collars and sweetly explained to them that its supposed to be secretive. They TRIED to contain their excitement, and waited till they got the greenlight to go after it. Sometimes Its nice to have a child's perspective when finding caches. These two boys grabbed the cache and handed it to me (small hands are quite useful!)

 

Lately I've tried to convince the boyfriend to take his two sons caching with us. He's not a fan of the idea, but last weekend, they randomly picked up at least 10 random nano sized objects and handed them to me. Tell me they wouldn't be valuable members??

 

of course, there will be good and bad things about bringing the kiddos. its up to you to decide whether or not its worth it!

[+geodarts]

Do any of you cache with groups? How does it work?

 

I have not done very much caching with younger kids as part of a group. My daughter discovered caching when her second or third grade class came upon a cache while on a field trip. She showed it to me and we would go out together. She sometimes liked look in the cache to see if there was something to trade. Since most caches were rather depleted, she lost interest in that. Now she is willing to go with me or with a group, enjoys a nice hike or bike ride, puts up with us as we look, but does not like to search herself. When other kids have been along on group runs, they usually just get bored.

 

As far as groups go, different people do it different ways. Almost every group that I have cached with will stop the search after one person finds it so that we can sign the log and continue hiking, biking, or driving to wherever we are going. Since the search is the least important reason why I cache, it works for me.

 

Some groups like to try to keep the find a secret until everybody has discovered it. And of course kids can change the dynamic. I happened to be looking for a cache at the same time as a family, with kids that really liked to find things. We spotted the cache right away but waited until the kids found it.

 

In most groups I cache with, the finder will sign the log for everyone. In larger groups we have used a group name. Some will pass around the log. But as a cache owner, I would just as soon if people kept the logs to a minimum and not hasten the day for a maintenance run.

 

Sometimes the group takes on its own energy. We met as a group for one extremely well camo'd cache at a bus stop on a busy street in the city. I believe there were seven to nine of us who were all over the stop. On my own I might have been a little reluctant to search in some of the areas we looked, but together we had the place covered. Its definitely more fun.

Edited June 24, 2010 by mulvaney

[+buttaskotch]

Maybe coming up with a secret word and walking a slight distance away stating the kids found it without grabbing the cache so the rest of the family can enjoy the hunt?

I have caches with groups od

F adults and they differ some want to find on own and others don't mind that someone in the group found it for all.

Another thought is to give a small swag bag to each child and teach them to trade on their own.

I think geocaching is an excellent activity for children and can teach so much, like sharing, love of the outdoors, our environment, and of course trail basics and my big thing leave no trace --many adults need to learn these, too!

[Andronicus]

I would target cacher that are not mugglefull. After doing some of those, and the kids catch on a bit, then maybe do the more stelth required caches.

 

I feel for you. I took my sisters kids once, and they are animals. It was all I could do to keep them from steeling all the swag. And my sister was not much help. She brought lame swag to trade (a face cloth for instance)

Edited June 24, 2010 by Andronicus

[+niraD]

When I've taken kids from church (3rd-6th grade boys) geocaching, I've taken them on hikes in parks that are some distance away from the church and any of their neighborhoods. My main goal was to protect the suburban caches in the neighborhoods, but a nice side effect is that it gets us into areas where stealth isn't really necessary. We also search Huckle Buckle Beanstalk style, so the kids have incentive not to be too obvious when they find a cache.

 

Sometimes, I've given each kid a small item at the beginning of the hike. If they want to use it to trade for something in a cache, then they can. If they'd rather keep it, then that's okay too. Other times, they're on their own for trade items. But I never let them just take what they want from a cache, making up the difference with my own trade items. They have to trade something of their own.

[+J the Goat]

I have a couple of caching friends with kids. I've found the trick to be staying away from really urban hides. Two families out on a trail wandering around is a whole lot less strange than 2 adults and 6 kids checking under lamp post skirts. It's fun to cache with others IMO, and the kids enjoy it as well.

 

My kids (5 and 4) aren't into the hunt very much, but very much like to trade items. If I'm caching with someone else and I find the cache first, I'll slowly wander away and then just sit down. Some of my caching partners do the same. The kids, who don't really like to hunt, don't play a huge factor in that aspect.

[+Chokecherry]

My one trip with kids was fairly successful. They were younger. The only problem was that they got bored very fast. So some caches were just not found. The swag issue wasn't as big of an issue for them as they were ready to trade for what they wanted. Would I do it again? Probably not. Not that it was bad but I enjoy caches that aren't necessarily kid friendly.

[+Mother Wolf]

My caching partner has 2 kids, 9 & 12 when we took them with us. It was a PITA. All they did was mope around & whine. (They wanted to come). So we tried it again but this time on some small trails. Even worse. Rule now is I DONT CACHE WITH KIDS! When the kids want to go they can go with heir mom & bond. Ill stay home.

 

At events I will go out with a few other adults but wont cache with the kids. Just isnt enjoyable for me.

[+Team Cotati]

Stick my head in an empty trash can and bang on it with the lid.

[+BulldogBlitz]

My caching partner has 2 kids, 9 & 12 when we took them with us. It was a PITA. All they did was mope around & whine. (They wanted to come). So we tried it again but this time on some small trails. Even worse. Rule now is I DONT CACHE WITH KIDS! When the kids want to go they can go with heir mom & bond. Ill stay home.

 

At events I will go out with a few other adults but wont cache with the kids. Just isnt enjoyable for me.

 

i think i saw you at the restaurant the other night.

[+TripCyclone]

Several others have mentioned going after caches away from urban environments were yelling out that they found it might be less of a problem. Parks with forest trails would be good for that as the kids can run around a bit more and it provides an opportunity to teach some respect for nature.

 

This next answer may seem a bit harsh, but it comes from my experience as a teacher. I see a lot of day-to-day behaviors that scream "lack of discipline", reinforced by parents who "don't know what to do" or "my child isn't like that", etc., etc. My thought is that if you are concerned about your kids or their kids drawing too much attention to a cache, then this is a great opportunity to not only set some rules, but reinforce them. Be ready to cut the trip short if the kids can follow the rules after, say, two warnings. And stick with the decision. Make sure they understand that you're willing to try this again in the future, but that it isn't working that day. If done right, especially if this happens early enough in the day, the kids will make a stronger effort the next time (maybe not perfect as they will likely test you to see if they can get away with it). And make sure if you set this plan, you do it with the support of your neighbors. Nothing will end that plan faster than if the kids can learn that if they don't like one parent's decision, they can bounce to the other for a better decision.

 

I've run into my fair share of parents who try to hard to be their child's friend instead of their parent. The above may seem a bit harsh depending on where you stand on that line. My own views a few years ago were closer to that line then they are now.

 

By the way, someone else mentioned some benefits of geocaching for kids. I'll stand by another one...critical thinking skills. Having to take several pieces of information, including a possible location, rough size (if the container isn't described), possible hiding spots in the immediate area, possible hints, etc., all help provide practice at critical thinking. This skill is not an easy one to properly teach, and many grow up never fully developing it. Just another valuable benefit of geocaching.

[+needaxeo]

 

HAHA!! yes! What I meant by the last statement, is that the other family didn't have any swag to trade. We buy dollar stuff that is pretty good. So each cache we visted we were trading out about 5 items of our swag bag! I was beginning to feel stingy after the second one, but of course they wanted to continue! And their kids were little.

 

Either

 

1. Give the kids 1 or 2 items each. At each cache, tell them they can swap one of their items for something in the cache if they want to. (This is more or less what my son does. We take a few things with us, either junk he already has or stuff we found on earlier trips. If he wants something in a cache more than the stuff he has, he swaps. If later, in another cache, he sees something more appealing he'll swap again. But we don't think of it in terms of "We're visiting 20 caches so we need 20 things to put in them"

 

Doing this each kid will never run out of items, they'll always have 2, but can still swap something at every cache if they want to. In theory at the end of the trip they should have 2 items they picked (although with more than 1 kid you might have the additional problem of 2 kids both wanting the same item)

 

Better yet, tell the parents of the kids you're taking they'll need a couple of items to swap when they reach the cache.

 

Or

 

2. Keep the bag of items yourself, let the kids take it turns at each cache (perhaps a couple at a time) to swap something in the bag for something in the cache if they want to. At the end of the day, split up the "treasure" you've found by letting them each take an item to keep. 5 kids means you've given away 5 items max.

Edited June 25, 2010 by needaxeo

[Smithereen]

I've been waiting since 2002 (when I joined) for my sons to be interested enough to give it a try. Had to wait a while as the youngest was only born in 2002, lol.

 

When Cub Scouts ended in May for the year, the boys wanted to keep doing stuff...so I said "Lets go Geocaching!" After explaining that it's gps treasure hunting, they were very interested!

 

We've done urban and suburban and forest style geocaching to much success...and they're learning to be discrete when other people are around.

 

I found that it made a big difference when I brought out gps's for each son. I even brought out my oldest gps when one of their friends came along for a few seeks. I don't even bother carrying a gps...if I have to check something...I'll look at one of the kids' gps.

 

As for the friend...my sons explained the 'discrete' part and after he came on a couple seeks, I gave him homework for the next trip...bring your own waterbottle and a bag of trade swag. He really enjoyed it!

 

It's been really good times for all of us...including our dog!

 

Setting ground rules is important, and so is having fun.

Remember that it's time well invested with your loved ones.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

This next answer may seem a bit harsh, but it comes from my experience as a teacher. I see a lot of day-to-day behaviors that scream "lack of discipline", reinforced by parents who "don't know what to do" or "my child isn't like that", etc., etc. My thought is that if you are concerned about your kids or their kids drawing too much attention to a cache, then this is a great opportunity to not only set some rules, but reinforce them. Be ready to cut the trip short if the kids can follow the rules after, say, two warnings. And stick with the decision. Make sure they understand that you're willing to try this again in the future, but that it isn't working that day. If done right, especially if this happens early enough in the day, the kids will make a stronger effort the next time (maybe not perfect as they will likely test you to see if they can get away with it). And make sure if you set this plan, you do it with the support of your neighbors. Nothing will end that plan faster than if the kids can learn that if they don't like one parent's decision, they can bounce to the other for a better decision. I've run into my fair share of parents who try to hard to be their child's friend instead of their parent. The above may seem a bit harsh depending on where you stand on that line. My own views a few years ago were closer to that line then they are now.

I was going to post something like this earlier. BUT, I am happy to have waited to see somebody post it instead, as it was put much more eloquently than I would have said it.

 

Even this post could be taken wrongly -- it's all a matter of point-of-view, i.e. whether they are your kids, or if they are somebody else' kids. Personally, I liked the differentiation of being a parent and being a friend. It usually does not run hand-in-hand.

[+HOWsMom]

I pretty much ONLY cache with kids in tow.

We are a family.

And we homeschool.

So, the kids are with me almost 24/7.

 

I don't see any reason not to take them along. This activity seems more family-centric than adult-only, anyhow - it's an oversized, fancy scavenger hunt.

 

My kids are :

7 yr old boy, on the autism spectrum, with ADHD.

5 yr old girl.

3 yr old boy.

 

Nope, not a quiet bunch. But they "kind of" get the idea of being secretive when we're in a more public place.

 

Out on the trail the other day, when my 3-yr old was the first to spot a cache, his little voice calling out "I see pea-buh jah, Mommy" was much more enjoyable than finding it myself and calling them over to see.

 

Each kid gets a piece or two of stuff (is that the "swag" ?) that they are allowed to swap/trade. They're catching on to the trade-even or trade-up concept, even if it is hard for them.

[+needaxeo]

This next answer may seem a bit harsh, but it comes from my experience as a teacher. I see a lot of day-to-day behaviors that scream "lack of discipline", reinforced by parents who "don't know what to do" or "my child isn't like that", etc., etc.

 

Well maybe, but even in teaching there must be a huge difference between being in a classroom and being in the playground?

 

I don't suppose you expect the kids to all sit quietly and listen in the playground?

 

It seems rather naive to suppose that kids can't differentiate between different circumstances and act accordingly hence, yes, a lot of my son's behaviour would look undisciplined compared with how you'd expect someone to behave at a funeral or in school lesson.

 

Geocaching is a game, if one of the rules is stealth, making that aspect into a game and keeping it fun should be what it's about. If you have to threaten to leave every 5 minutes the problem probably isn't the kids.

 

Maybe it's because I've been a pupil this will sound harsh, but I can't think of anything more miserable than turning what should be a fun family activity into wandering around from cache to cache with a teacher acting like you're in the middle of a maths exam....

[+TripCyclone]

This next answer may seem a bit harsh, but it comes from my experience as a teacher. I see a lot of day-to-day behaviors that scream "lack of discipline", reinforced by parents who "don't know what to do" or "my child isn't like that", etc., etc.

 

Well maybe, but even in teaching there must be a huge difference between being in a classroom and being in the playground?

 

I don't suppose you expect the kids to all sit quietly and listen in the playground?

 

It seems rather naive to suppose that kids can't differentiate between different circumstances and act accordingly hence, yes, a lot of my son's behaviour would look undisciplined compared with how you'd expect someone to behave at a funeral or in school lesson.

 

Geocaching is a game, if one of the rules is stealth, making that aspect into a game and keeping it fun should be what it's about. If you have to threaten to leave every 5 minutes the problem probably isn't the kids.

 

Maybe it's because I've been a pupil this will sound harsh, but I can't think of anything more miserable than turning what should be a fun family activity into wandering around from cache to cache with a teacher acting like you're in the middle of a maths exam....

There is a huge difference between a classroom and a playground, and we don't expect to see kids sitting quietly and listening on the playground. I never stated anything to even imply that. But let me ask something. Is merely being out of a classroom-like setting justification for Johnny to misbehave and cause problems on the playground without getting punished? Sounds like you ready to say yes merely because it's not in the classroom.

 

I never said kids can't have fun while geocaching. My comments were made in response to prior comments made about kids who run off yelling "I'VE FOUND IT" or "GEOCACHE!" without regard to possible muggles. Yes, Geocaching is a game, but if your kids aren't able to play along with acting stealthy and not getting the cache muggled, then yes, discipline is needed. I'm not advocating that Geocaching has to be rigidly controlled with kids. Stealth, or acting like a spy, can entirely be a game with kids. But if you set rules such as "Now if you think you've found it, don't yell out 'I'VE FOUND IT' because don't want muggles to know where it is.", then the kids don't follow that rule and yell it out the first time, and you DON'T respond, you are setting your kids up for the idea that they can ignore rules. What if they do it a second, third, or fourth time? Are you going to keep going? At this point, your kids don't grasp the concept and you will attract attention EVERY time until you can convince them otherwise. It's called discipline, and even in games, it's needed.

 

Naive? I deal with over 100 kids in my classroom on a daily basis and over 200 kids in between classes. I've worked with kids between preschool and college age. I've seen kids in classroom settings and on the playground. I've seen an IMMENSE number of kids who can't differentiate between the two and act accordingly. And I've seen parents respond just like you, that their kids know the difference between play time and work time, despite the fact that four teachers are standing there telling them otherwise.

 

If your kid is causing enough problems that you have to threaten to leave every 5 minutes, and you've not only provided some instructions but even given a warning once or twice, and your kid is still causing problems, then yes, the problem isn't the kids. The problem is with the parent. But before saying that maybe the parent is being too strict, maybe you need to ask why your kid didn't respond to your warning? Maybe the kid has learned that eventually, you'll give up and they can do what they want without getting punished?

 

And if you feel I was advocating walking around like it's a math exam, then you need to reread my first post. I never once said that. I said to set some ground rules and stick to them so that you don't draw unnecessary attention to the cache. One of the main points being discussed is trying to avoid caches getting muggled because kids aren't acting stealthy while finding the cache.

 

And if done right, so that the kids understand the value of being stealthy (treat it like they are spies), kids can TOTALLY get into the game and be rather useful. I saw a picture in here yesterday of two kids who threw a toy under a bench so that, while grabbing the toy, they could check for a cache hidden under the bench. Once they got it, they were stealthy in signing it and replacing it...WITH A MUGGLE SITTING ON THE BENCH. Those kids understood the rules for being stealthy while finding a cache...and the older one looked like he was only 10 or 11 years old at best.

 

Funny you should mention how it should sound harsh because you've been a pupil. In a conversation earlier this year, a fellow teacher made a comment. The conversation was about how parents these days seem so ready to blame the teacher when their kid gets in trouble as opposed to parents 20 or 30 years ago. They said "You want to know why parents these days seem so ready to blame the teacher? It's because when they were kids, they didn't like getting in trouble by a few teachers who they thought were being harsh. So, if those teachers were mean and picked on kids, all teachers are mean and pick on kids. Therefore, their kid's teacher is wrong and they choose to challenge the teacher, forgetting all the times that they didn't give their parents the full story so they could try to get out of trouble."

Edited June 25, 2010 by TripCyclone

[+BulldogBlitz]

"kids should be seen and not heard" (or kids shouldn't even be seen because they are going to tip a cache location... we just KNOW IT!!!)

Edited June 25, 2010 by BulldogBlitz

[+needaxeo]

I never said kids can't have fun while geocaching. My comments were made in response to prior comments made about kids who run off yelling "I'VE FOUND IT" or "GEOCACHE!" without regard to possible muggles.

 

To me this isn't misbehaviour worthy of punishment. Didn't Archimedes get rather excited and shout "I've found it" once?

 

And I've seen parents respond just like you, that their kids know the difference between play time and work time, despite the fact that four teachers are standing there telling them otherwise.

 

I think it self evident that kids behave differently with different people in different circumstances. Indeed, I'm sure if you add a 5th teacher they will say "Johnny's fine in my lessons" even if the 6th agrees with the first

4.

 

I think you should see that your hypothetical exchange here tells us more about the parents and teachers involved and the rather poor relationship that exists between them. All are probably telling the truth about the way their kids behave with them. But none are actually communicating and both seem more interested in pointing their fingers and blaming the other, or talking in some vague general way about "what parents / teachers are like these days"

 

I don't know whether to blame the parents or the teachers of these parents and teachers, but if they were anything like themselves it's probably down to both Or maybe these parents and teachers were taught just fine how to behave but they act like this despite that.

 

The kid standing there watching how these hapless buffoons act is learning to behave just like them no matter if you take his toy away or not.

 

If your kid is causing enough problems that you have to threaten to leave every 5 minutes, and you've not only provided some instructions but even given a warning once or twice, and your kid is still causing problems, then yes, the problem isn't the kids.

 

I never advocated leaving anywhere or threatening to. You did. I just thought it a rather ineffective thing to do.

 

My son is too old / intelligent to be kidded that if he doesn't shut up we're not going on holiday because he knows dad wants to go. But maybe it'll work on very young kids.

 

Besides, didn't ma and pa sit there for months trying to get him to talk and then jump up and down when he said his first word, and they whooped with delight when he took his first step.

 

So why, after all that, does everyone just want him to sit down and shut up?

 

If you think the best way to teach maths or science isn't via various "punishments" you mete out as they fail, then maybe that's not the way to teach anything? Certainly not geocaching.

 

The conversation was about how parents these days....

 

Compared with what parents were like when she wasn't a teacher in the old days?

 

Look, folk moaning over the watercooler is par for the course in every profession. It helps get rid of the stress. Doctors do it about their patients and so on and so on.

 

I wouldn't take what they say or their conclusions too seriously though. Or else you'd vote for a taxi driver because they'll all tell you what's wrong with everything from "the kids today" to "the trouble with this country is..." and whose fault it is too

[+Mother Wolf]

It seems that some feathers have been ruffled here & the topic turned into a is it the parents fault or the teachers fault kids dont behave.

 

Granted there are kids that do much better than others if out caching. WHY? Does it really matter for the sake of answering the initial question here which is.... Do any of you cache with groups? How does it work?

 

No, it doesnt matter. Actually the questions didnt even specify children. It just said groups. Based on the story in the log prior to the question we, myself included, added our response based on children being in the group. So let me clarify my answer based on the actual question.

 

I have cached with groups. Sometimes it's been good sometimes its not been so good. (also the reason I usually just cache with my partner).

 

On an added note, I dont care to cache with children. It doesnt matter if they are well behaved or not. This is my time & I like it to be with other adults (who act enough like children).

 

With that Im sure there is another thread somewhere to debate who is responsible for childrens behaviors or lack there of. This wasnt it.

[+TripCyclone]

No, it doesnt matter. Actually the questions didnt even specify children. It just said groups. Based on the story in the log prior to the question we, myself included, added our response based on children being in the group. So let me clarify my answer based on the actual question.

 

Actually, in the OP's words:

Past experience: We took a family with three kids caching with us one day, and I would say it was not very successful. We stuck out like a sore thumb, the kids were yelling all over the place "we found it!!!" We cleaned out our swag stash to appease all the kids with us, etc.. you get the picture. (BTW, in our own family we have 4 kids who can walk, so it was a lot)

 

So yes, children were part of the original question. Hence the conversation steering the way it did. However, I agree that I see this turning into another debate so I'm going to stop. From what I read, it's quite obvious that whatever I say is going to be argued as biased because I'm strict, I don't know their kid, or whatever other justification might be used. Anything the other person is going to say is going to be seen by me as biased because of my past experiences with dealing with parents. It's a lose-lose situation.

 

By the way, who said the teacher I quoted wasn't teaching 20-30 years ago? They happen to have been teaching for just over 20 years. So yes, they have the experience to say how the parent/teacher relationship has changed over the last 20 years.

 

However, I will tell a story. Maybe it will explain a bit behind my viewpoint, maybe not. I'm not using this as an arguement for or against what someone else has said in here, only as an example of one of the experiences that leads towards my original arguement that punishment can be a valuable tool if used properly. It is an example of something that happened while I was subbing during my first year out of college.

 

Three kids are seen in a side room at the school during class. Kid one is found bound with duct tape around wrists, ankles, and mouth. The other two are laughing. A teacher discovers this, and tells them to remove the tape. The kid who was bound reaches up and removes the tape from his own mouth. That kid then claims that the other two held him against his well, forced him into the room and ignored his cries for help. Kid two admits to everything, but says that kid one asked them to do it, that kid two bound the wrists and mouth but kid one duct taped his own ankles, and that Kid three stood guard watching for teachers. Kid three claims absolutely no involvement, but admits seeing Kid One and Kid Two go to that room together and that nobody was forced. The teacher who caught all of this argued that after the kid removed HIS OWN DUCT TAPE (indicating that if he truly needed help, he could have removed it and cried out for help), he started laughing about the whole thing, along with the other kids.

 

It is later discovered Kid Two was telling the truth. Kid one lied so he wouldn't get in trouble even though. Kid Three lied because he didn't want to get in trouble. Parent of Kid Two said they got the same story and adds that all three are inseparable friends. Parent of Kid Three claims their kid wasn't even in the room despite several witnesses, both kids and adults, along with both participants, claiming he was. Why? Because that's what their kid said. Parent of Kid One wants the other two punished for what they did and is adament that their kid was forced, despite how he removed his own duct tape then laughed about it, and that the other two parties both claim he wasn't forced. He even tried claiming it was racially based because Kid One was black and Kid's Two and Three were white (remember, Kid One and Two are so close they are like brothers. That has been said by both parents during prior conversations).

 

What was the outcoome? Talking with Parent Three cleared up the issue as their kid finally admitted to what he did. Parent One realized that Kid Two and Kid One are so close that the story doesn't exactly fit. They still argued with the school against the punishment, but realized that something was amis. Vice Principal didn't dish out any punishment because two parents initially complained about it, and they didn't want to anger the parents.

 

Nobody got punished. The kids got off scott free. The next time something happened to Kid One, he complained to parents, parents complained to the school, and that kid got off scott free despite breaking a rule that only a week earlier earned a student a two hour detention for doing the exact same thing. So what has the student learned? Complain to mom and dad such that they complain to the school, kid doesn't get in trouble.

 

Sounds like wonderful justification to avoid using punishment to deter bad behavior.

 

Is my viewpoint biased. Maybe it is. But I've also seen this scenario countless times since I became a full time teacher and not just a substitute teacher. So while biased, it's biased with multiple examples of parent/teacher differences. Sometimes the parent has valid complaints and we listen to them. In 90% of the cases where we've had a difference, we later discover that the parent didn't have the full story.

[+Red_Swingline]

I am new to this and have only done this with my kids and never by myself. My children are 10 and 7. They are totally into the 'secrecy' part of geocaching and have been faced with muggles being nearby when we've been out. We all just act cool and do something else until we can get back to the sight.

[+narcissa]

I am usually caching with my four-year-old son, and I plan my caching accordingly. I don't try to haul him to terrain 4.5 caches, and I don't let him run around in a busy parking lot while I am trying to covertly find and sign an LPC. If he wants to make a trade in a cache, that's fine, but if he wants something in the next cache, he has to leave behind the thing he got from the previous one. Even at four years old he can choose between two McToys and leave one behind without fuss. If he has lots of energy, we can go for a longer hike where his exuberance won't be heard by muggles. If he's asleep in the car, that's a good time to do park and grabs.

 

It's important to keep in mind the environment and the age of the children. Putting younger kids into a group outside and then telling them they have to be quiet might be a little unreasonable. With the right planning and some flexibility, caching with kids can be a lot of fun.

[+TripCyclone]

I am usually caching with my four-year-old son, and I plan my caching accordingly. I don't try to haul him to terrain 4.5 caches, and I don't let him run around in a busy parking lot while I am trying to covertly find and sign an LPC. If he wants to make a trade in a cache, that's fine, but if he wants something in the next cache, he has to leave behind the thing he got from the previous one. Even at four years old he can choose between two McToys and leave one behind without fuss. If he has lots of energy, we can go for a longer hike where his exuberance won't be heard by muggles. If he's asleep in the car, that's a good time to do park and grabs.

 

It's important to keep in mind the environment and the age of the children. Putting younger kids into a group outside and then telling them they have to be quiet might be a little unreasonable. With the right planning and some flexibility, caching with kids can be a lot of fun.

 

And again, I point out that my original comment was directed at avoiding kids yelling out that they found a cache when it's found, attracting the attention of muggles to the cache itself. I never once said the kids had to go outside and be totally quiet.

[+all Wright]

Well, this wasn't meant to be a question of weather or not kids should go geocaching, or a lesson on parenting, or behavior of kids. My kids will always be included in the game, and being stealthy takes practice because it's EXCITING! So, with a group the size we had, and the fact that that family had never gone before....it's clear to me why it wasn't successful. I guess I wanted to know if other people go in groups. And how to make it look "normal" and not obvious. And at what point does sheer numbers become a problem? For us, 7 kids (four of them being young) was too much - we won't do that again - but I do feel that it was because it was their first time that they were loud.

 

Another example was that I was looking at the pictures on a cache page that someone posted and realized that this CARAVAN of a group of people had gone all over on a marathon Geocaching run. There had to be at least 6 cars full of people. HOW ON EARTH was that not obvious? The cache was in a residential circle in a vacant lot. Apparently a neighbor came over to talk to them too.

 

That's way too obvious, and the day with our friends was unsuccessful. However, I'm sure if done right and with the tips I got here that we could go with the neighbors that I mentioned. It would be fun to share it with them. I like the tips on swag - having two pieces and that's all. I like the idea that we should do more rural caches so we can be more open without detection. Anyway, without my kids it wouldn't even be fun.

[+BulldogBlitz]

why any person who loathes, hates, or otherwise despises kids would actually teach is beyond me.