5-year-old?

[+Team Og Rof A Klaw]

Hi, all,

 

I've got some friends with a five-year-old daughter. Do you think that kids this young would be interested in cache hunting? If so, any suggestions on what sort of a cache to pick, how to organize the outing, etc. are welcome.

 

I'm very new to this stuff too, so please bear with me.

 

Thanks,

- pdmoderator

[+Bluespreacher]

Your 5-year-old will love it! She will have a different take on it than you. To her it will be a treasure hunt and finding cool stuff. Make sure that the difficulty isn't too hard, though. She may not be up to long, hot hikes. Just like any hike, though, be sure you take water, snacks, bug dope, and sunscreen. If you move at her speed, you'll see she does just fine.

 

You probably want to consider finding a few on your own first. That will familiarize you with the hardware and the process. Then when you take the little one, she won't get discouraged by too many 'no-finds'.

 

One last point. To you the whole thing is about the find, to her it will be the loot. Be sure to take good trade items so she can learn to 'trade up'. This will help keep the quality up in your area, plus, it's just more fun to leave better than you take!

 

Get out there and have some fun!

 

Bluespreacher

 

"We've got the hardware and the software, the plans and the maps ..." -- Citizen Wayne Kramer

[rabbitsong]

I'm new to geocaching, but not new to having kids--LOL! I think geocaching is great for kids. They may not understand the GPS, but they do understand tromping around in the woods, and looking for treasure--wow!--that's a delight for kids. Make sure you have a couple of extra things on hand to trade, so that if she sees something she wants, and you see a travel bug or something you want, you can trade for both. Some of the caches are hidden near playgrounds, too, and this would be an added bonus--after you find the treasure, relax while she plays on the playground.

[+HartClimbs]

I've taken my 4 and 7 yr. old's caching. For them, it's just a fun hike in the woods where they get to find a secret treasure!

 

Good suggestion to read the logs/ratings before you go - when I started out I took the family along to one of the more difficult caches in the area (of course, we didn't reach it that day - I came back alone later!).

 

Keep it fun and not about the cache - they'll enjoy the hike and if you *do* happen to find the cache - just stand next to it and ask the 5 yr. old for help. Good luck!

 

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There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family." -Jerry Seinfeld

[+rldill]

I started caching in April 2002, I took my 5 y/o grandson with me on my 1st cache. We got in the area of the cache, I knew nothing about how it was hidden or what we were looking for. My grandson said I see some thing, and he did he saw an ammo box in a hollowed out log. He still loves to go with me on "treasure hunts" as he calls it. He knows what we are looking for, and finds it half of the time. I take some thing that I know he wants or will like and put it in the cache before I let him see what is in the cache if we have been to few that had nothing he wanted, and always see to it that he trades up. I asked him what he wanted to do on his birthday abd he said "go on a treasure hunt" so we found 4 caches that day along with a picnic and playgrounds.

 

Former EarthNOlink user!!!!!!!!!

 

Take a chance or you'll never know. Let your spirits soar!

[+Mopar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by HartClimbs:

I've taken my 4 and 7 yr. old's caching.

---

Yes, but the real question is:

 

Did you let them drive a car there?

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[+IMLost]

My daughter who is five asks to go caching just about every weekend. She loves finding "treasure" and now she is learning how to use a compass. My son also comes along he just turned three a week and half ago. They both really enjoy being in the woods. I would just try and keep the hikes to a mile or less round trip to start out and fairly easy terrain. One other tip is to slow down, kids don't hike as fast as adults so make sure your not rushed for time it really make it more enjoyable. My daughter needs time to pick flowers along the way and fill her pockets with acorns and all kinds of good stuff she finds along the way. After a while you can work them up to bigger hikes my daughter has done some difficult two to three mile hikes with me without much problem.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Kids love it.

Out of the 5 members of Team GPSaxophone, our 6 year old finds the container on about half of them. I find about a third, the others have found the rest.

The kids enjoy looking through the cache contents. The adults like the hunt/hike part better. The longest hike we've done with the kids is a 4 mile round trip. There was a warm spring pool at the end, so it was worth it.

 

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

[+HartClimbs]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mopar:

Yes, but the real question is:

 

Did you let them drive a car there?

---

 

The seven year old gets to drive. The four year old won't put down his cigar or cellphone so he's not allowed behind the wheel.

 

After all, you do have to draw the line somewhere.

 

NJ auto insurance is already ridiculously expensive - and I blame the chindren.

 

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There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family." -Jerry Seinfeld

[Dinoprophet]

Here's my 23-month old on a hunt. Looks like she's having fun! Okay, she doesn't completely comprehend what we're doing, but she got all excited when I pointed out the "treasure". I know a guy whose two-year old spotted a cache before he did. So absolutely, get them started early.

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mopar:

Yes, but the real question is:

 

Did you let them drive a car there?

---

Sick! (no, I don't know why).

 

I made a big decision a little while ago.

I don't remember what it was, which prob'ly goes to show

That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential

Even though it often might appear inconsequential. -- Bill Watterson

[+RobRee]

a picture is worth a thousand words....

 

 

yep 5 and 7 years old and they love it. potty break, snacks, water, some bird books, field guides, and a walking stick.

 

good luck

robbie

 

A family that Geocaches together... eventually gets wet.

 

required reading

My first bible

[+TMAN264]

My 6 year old niece loves it, she thinks pirates hide the caches (maybe her strange uncle told her that).

 

Make a sanity check.

[+FFC]

I would say to go find a few on your own first so you have some backups. For the first trip find one that you're previously find so you know the interest level will start high. After that just make sure and check the ratings and read the descriptions well enough so you both enjoy the outing. If you're not sure if a cache is right either skip it or drop the cache owner a quick note asking about the terrain and or distance if you can't tell from the map. Good luck.

[+Julie]

My 4 year old loves to "Treasure Hunt" with his Mommy. He can even follow the compass pointer and tell me which direction we should be going. Of course the most important thing is the trinkets themselves, so I don't take him to virtual or micro caches because they are "boring" and he isn't up to the puzzles since he can't read yet

He also knows that if he wants an item he has to leave something of his own in return, so I let him choose his own trade items (within reason). I think it helps children see what things are worth to them and a sense of fair play when they trade themselves.

 

Good luck and happy hunting!