new to GC, need software help

[arej00dazed]

forget it

Edited June 5, 2014 by arej00dazed

[+Chrysalides]

There's a thread that may be helpful to you : http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=322765

 

Some, like Locus, has support for offline maps.

[+TeamRabbitRun]

This may be unpopular, but I think the question to ask is whether Geocaching is an appropriate activity for your Cub Scout Pack. That's "Pack", not "Troop" - are you a Scout Leader in the US?

 

I see that your account is brand new online, with no 'finds'. You say you're new at this; do you have any experience caching? if not, then I'd suggest that you should get into the hobby and learn a lot before opening it up to Cub Scouts.

 

There are many aspects of this hobby that don't mix well with groups of nine-year-old boys, and it would take a very special leader indeed to not end up with a lot of angry local Cache Owners and decimated caches.

 

Remember, you have to worry about what the kids'll do when you're NOT with them as well as what they'll do when you are.

 

"Hey, fellas," he said to his friends, the day after the Pack Meeting. "Wanna see sumpin' cool in that bush?"

 

So, learn all about caching, and then you'll be better able to assess the risks to the hobby.

 

And yes, I've been a Scout Leader for about a decade, through Cubs and Boy Scouts, and I'm a Merit Badge Councelor for the BSA's GeoCaching Merit Badge.

 

--

 

OK, gang - beat me up.

 

...Bill

[+whh0]

I agree, if you think you are going to wonder into the forest with a GPS and find a big box of goodies you and the cubs are likely to be very disappointed. Unfortunately we do not know where in the world you are.......... The cache that is on your route may be a tiny nano the size of your little finger nail.

 

When we have done this with Brownies we have made our own multi cache and had the physical cache back at the starting point, filled with lots of lovely swag so they have got the idea of caching without actually finding any "real" geocaches.

[arej00dazed]

Thanks for the discouragement. I figured they would enjoy a bit of “treasure hunting” and I do understand bout being careful with caches. If this is something they enjoyed, I had planned to create my own caches for them to find with pay it forward prizes AND have them create a special one for other ppl to find. Thanks, I’ll find my info elsewhere.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Thanks for the discouragement. I figured they would enjoy a bit of “treasure hunting” and I do understand bout being careful with caches. If this is something they enjoyed, I had planned to create my own caches for them to find with pay it forward prizes AND have them create a special one for other ppl to find. Thanks, I’ll find my info elsewhere.

 

These days "The Treasure" is the journey.

 

There is very little of any value, especially in the smaller caches...

[+TeamRabbitRun]

Thanks for the discouragement. I figured they would enjoy a bit of treasure hunting and I do understand bout being careful with caches. If this is something they enjoyed, I had planned to create my own caches for them to find with pay it forward prizes AND have them create a special one for other ppl to find. Thanks, Ill find my info elsewhere.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to turn you off to GeoCaching. But, I think you might be misunderstanding the hobby a little, evidenced by your reference to "Treasure Hunting". It's a term that makes us cachers bristle because it leaves a VERY erroneous picture of what we do.

 

And, while you may have come across terms like 'swappable swag' and 'FTF prizes', the concept of "Prizes" as you probably intended is definitely not what we're about, and definitely NOT an attitude we foster as a primary attraction to the activity. Again, as with anything, learn about this hobby before you try to administer it to others.

 

Cache Owners spend a LOT of time and effort (and some money) creating caches, and you have to understand that this isn't the equivalent of a museum or playground or park or some other general-public attraction that you should expose to even well-behaved little boys without, frankly, more experience and a better perspective.

 

By the way, after typing the comment above, I just saw that you essentially deleted your original post in what looks like a fit of pique. That's too bad. It was good of you to reach out here in the forum to get input before you jumped right in with them. Sorry you didn't get the response you wanted.

Edited June 5, 2014 by TeamRabbitRun

[+Panther&Pine]

I don't know much about Boy Scouts but I do know Girl Scouts.

It wouldn't be a good idea to jump right into finding, badges usually have a paperwork and learning aspect well before the practical application of the skills.

It would be more appropriate to start there, so mapping reading skills, map drawing skills, reading up of geocaching together, maybe finding a local cacher to come and do a lesson on it, all before trying to find some caches that you planted around your meeting location. Swaps, trading up, even or not at all needs to be practiced, several meetings apart. Also LNT and general outing rules need to be hammered home over and over before adventures involving others things, which is what geocaches are.

[+niraD]

When I've taught geocaching to kids that age, I've started with an "in class" lesson, explaining the basics of how GPS works and the basics of geocaching with as many hands-on "show and tell" examples as possible. Then I've taken them outside to an area where I've hidden at least a dozen geocache containers, and asked them to spot the hidden containers. (Ideally, I'll have more containers than there are kids, and I ask the kids to take turns raising their hands and identifying caches when I call on them.)

 

Later, I might take a group geocaching, searching for actual geocaches. When I do, I make a point to take them on a hike some distance from the local neighborhood. I do not take them to the local neighborhood caches. Even if I trust all the kids with me completely, I don't necessarily trust their friends or classmates, when they hear about the "free toys" that might be in some of the local neighborhood caches.