Geocaching With The Kids

[+Coopss26]

I have been researching Geocaching for quite some time and I am hoping that the kids and I are going to have the time to start exploring in the next few weeks. My main question is what to do with the kids, they are 7 & 5. Do we do it as a family and log all of our finds together, or do we open up accounts for each of them in case I only have one of them with me when we find a cache? I know I may be reading too far into this, but I also want to make it as interesting as possible for them.

On a side note, any in the market for a GPS should check out the deals at Cabelas right now. They've got some great markdowns on the Garmin line.

[+Team Batpony]

I have been researching Geocaching for quite some time and I am hoping that the kids and I are going to have the time to start exploring in the next few weeks. My main question is what to do with the kids, they are 7 & 5. Do we do it as a family and log all of our finds together, or do we open up accounts for each of them in case I only have one of them with me when we find a cache? I know I may be reading too far into this, but I also want to make it as interesting as possible for them.

On a side note, any in the market for a GPS should check out the deals at Cabelas right now. They've got some great markdowns on the Garmin line.

 

Personally, our family uses one account (this one). It makes it easier if you ever get a PM and wish to find PMO caches. It is cheaper to get a PM for one account than 3, obviously. I would stick with 1 family account, but that is just my opinion.

 

Edit: I see you have a PM already. I would keep the one account and log everyone's finds as one "found" log to each cache under it.

 

Edited again: Welcome to the hobby, the adventure, the addiction: Geocaching! I really should start being more friendly to new members.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Team Krammer

[+niraD]

I know some families where everyone has their own individual account. I know others that share a single account. And I know some families where everyone has their own individual account, plus they have a common "team" account for the entire family. There are other variations too, like individual accounts for each parent and a "team" account for all the kids. You can do it pretty much any way you want.

 

And if you change your mind later, that's okay too. Some people start out with a team account, and then create an individual account later. You do have to relog all the team logs by hand though, so its best not to wait too long before changing your mind.

 

And welcome to the addiction geocaching!

[+Arndtwe]

I have been researching Geocaching for quite some time and I am hoping that the kids and I are going to have the time to start exploring in the next few weeks. My main question is what to do with the kids, they are 7 & 5. Do we do it as a family and log all of our finds together, or do we open up accounts for each of them in case I only have one of them with me when we find a cache? I know I may be reading too far into this, but I also want to make it as interesting as possible for them.

On a side note, any in the market for a GPS should check out the deals at Cabelas right now. They've got some great markdowns on the Garmin line.

 

Personally, our family uses one account (this one). It makes it easier if you ever get a PM and wish to find PMO caches. It is cheaper to get a PM for one account than 3, obviously. I would stick with 1 family account, but that is just my opinion.

 

Edit: I see you have a PM already. I would keep the one account and log everyone's finds as one "found" log to each cache under it.

 

Edited again: Welcome to the hobby, the adventure, the addiction: Geocaching! I really should start being more friendly to new members.

 

This shouldn't make a difference... non PM's can still log PMO caches online, they just can't view the description and read the logs like normal. The one PM account could get access to the caches you find as a family, and everyone can still log it as a 'find'.

 

Edit for clarity.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Arndtwe

[+Team Batpony]

I have been researching Geocaching for quite some time and I am hoping that the kids and I are going to have the time to start exploring in the next few weeks. My main question is what to do with the kids, they are 7 & 5. Do we do it as a family and log all of our finds together, or do we open up accounts for each of them in case I only have one of them with me when we find a cache? I know I may be reading too far into this, but I also want to make it as interesting as possible for them.

On a side note, any in the market for a GPS should check out the deals at Cabelas right now. They've got some great markdowns on the Garmin line.

 

Personally, our family uses one account (this one). It makes it easier if you ever get a PM and wish to find PMO caches. It is cheaper to get a PM for one account than 3, obviously. I would stick with 1 family account, but that is just my opinion.

 

Edit: I see you have a PM already. I would keep the one account and log everyone's finds as one "found" log to each cache under it.

 

Edited again: Welcome to the hobby, the adventure, the addiction: Geocaching! I really should start being more friendly to new members.

 

This shouldn't make a difference... non PM's can still log PMO caches online, they just can't view the description and read the logs like normal. The one PM account could get access to the caches you find as a family, and everyone can still log it as a 'find'.

 

Edit for clarity.

 

It's just an annoying process though...

[+Coopss26]

Thanks for all the input!! I think we'll start as a family while they're young and go from there.

[+Totem Clan]

As soon as my kids got old enough to write their own logs they got their own accounts.

[+Arndtwe]

I have been researching Geocaching for quite some time and I am hoping that the kids and I are going to have the time to start exploring in the next few weeks. My main question is what to do with the kids, they are 7 & 5. Do we do it as a family and log all of our finds together, or do we open up accounts for each of them in case I only have one of them with me when we find a cache? I know I may be reading too far into this, but I also want to make it as interesting as possible for them.

On a side note, any in the market for a GPS should check out the deals at Cabelas right now. They've got some great markdowns on the Garmin line.

 

Personally, our family uses one account (this one). It makes it easier if you ever get a PM and wish to find PMO caches. It is cheaper to get a PM for one account than 3, obviously. I would stick with 1 family account, but that is just my opinion.

 

Edit: I see you have a PM already. I would keep the one account and log everyone's finds as one "found" log to each cache under it.

 

Edited again: Welcome to the hobby, the adventure, the addiction: Geocaching! I really should start being more friendly to new members.

 

This shouldn't make a difference... non PM's can still log PMO caches online, they just can't view the description and read the logs like normal. The one PM account could get access to the caches you find as a family, and everyone can still log it as a 'find'.

 

Edit for clarity.

 

It's just an annoying process though...

 

Not really...

Edited March 16, 2012 by Arndtwe

[+Team Pixos]

Not sure where you are but water; snacks; and off makes it much more enjoyable.

[hoosier guy]

With kids that young I'd do one acount. They want to run around in the woods not type on the puter. Good on you Bro for finding activities to do with your kids. They are gonna have better lives for it.

[+6NoisyHikers]

We have a family account. I am the geo-instigator, so it's always me and whomever else I can drag out wants to eagerly come along. We are looking into each of us getting our own geocoin though, that visits only the caches we do. That will track who was where, for which cache, and how far each member of the family has traveled.

[+akkatracker]

I mainly geocache by myself but with family we use same. I do know of some people with individual accounts though

[+J the Goat]

I have one account but regularly have at least one of my kids with me. They're all too young to log on their own, although my oldest could probably pull it off at this point.

 

It's a great kid frienly activity, so either way do your best to keep them out there with you

[+Wolfiesden]

Thought I would throw in my $.02

 

I am caching with two of my 4 granddaughters. The oldest (13) is, well, too old to be seen having fun with me I guess and never wants to go. Another one, 5 is a once in a while one. The 11 yr old and 8yr old both seem to be getting into it as is their neighbor friend across the street.

 

 

This is 2 granddaughters and neighbor ankle deep looking in the wrong place And having fun doing it!

 

Initially I went with 1 account. Since, I let Vanna get a basic account here so she could get credit and be able to do searches on her own for use when she goes with friends/girl scouts.

 

As mentioned, the downside is not easily logging PM caches. Logging a PM cache with a non-PM account is done here:

http://www.geocachingadmin.com/

 

Enter the GC code of the cache (they will need that from you) and click LOG. Takes them right to the log entry screen.

 

With the age of your kids, I would suggest a single account. Age 5 can't read well enough I don't think. The 7yr old maybe, don't know them to judge. My GD8 can read well enough so I may sign her up eventually.

[+Team LegoMINI]

As someone else mentioned, we bought each child a trackable that we use to "visit" as a representation of which members of our family were actually at a particular cache. I used to travel quite a bit, so I logged everything under our team account even when I was alone, but when the kids are old enough for their own accounts, they can have a record of caches they found before. Then, they can decide if they want to go back and find them again or just log them under their new account.

[+Max and 99]

My kids got their own accounts when they decided they wanted their own geocaching name. We started with one family account, then a couple of years later they asked for their own.

[+popokiiti]

Do whatever feels right for you. A couple we know have their account and one for each of their children, started when they were babies. Others cache with just the one account. A Mom and daughter started out with one account, then the young teen got her own also. She had a lot of catching up on logging to do!