Newbie experince

[_mo_]

Well, I went on my first hunt the other day.

 

Didn't find it, had a great time until my 2yo decided to become terrified of trees.

 

Hint to other newbies: Wait until after the kids' naptime to haul them with you.

[+rbrtwntr]

Remember GRAMMA and GRAMPA.

[_mo_]

they're 3 hours away if we fly.

 

I'm a stay-at-home dad (got canned two weeks ago) trying to find ways to keep the kids entertained and help them enjoy the great outdoors as much as possible.

 

I'd heard of geocaching a year or so ago and thought it sounded fun. We're going again, but this next time, it's going to be right after breakfast. We were headed towards a 1/1 rated cache, and I know we were within 20 feet, but it's hard to do much when you're holding a 6 month old with the same arm you're holding the GPS and the other hand is trying to console a screaming 2 year old.

 

I'd rate the experience as a -4 on a scale from 1 to 10. However, the potential was there for much more enjoyable time. Mostly poor planning on my part. Live and learn.

[61CJ5]

Hey Mo, glad you got to go on your first hunt. What kinda jeep ya got? as you can probably tell, I have a 61 CJ5

Chris

 

Why cant my sucess be as spectacular as my failures

[_mo_]

81 Scrambler that I'm still putting together... any chance I know you? I'm in Cleveland and have wheeled out at Wellsville a couple times with buddies from da'burg.

 

Mo

[Grey Wolf]

Mo if you have any luck with the two year old let me know. I have a three almost four year old who is afraid of nothing.:eek:Best I can say is I might have been within 40 feet. But boy do I feel my age.

 

Grey

[bloomcru]

You can chase the 2 yo much quicker with the baby "papoosed" on your back AND you have free hand for the GPS. Only problem is scooching under low hanging branches, but you can always take it off and perch it on a level spot.

 

Don't forget a bag of skittles or fruit gummies to dispense every 20-30 feet.

 

Before you know it, they'll be begging you to go hunt.

[+Renegade Knight]

I second a good baby backpack. Just putting my kids up there when they were young kept them entertained. Don't ask me why.

[+MountainMudbug]

My caching partner started to run a bit wild on the hunts today. Maybe I'll look into one of those "papoose backpacks" to put him in.....

Nah, I guess it wouldn't work. He's 28. But its an interesting thought.... Might go with a straight jacket instead.

 

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I sincerely feel that the facts are completely irrelevant in this case.

[_mo_]

quote:

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Originally posted by bloomcru:

You can chase the 2 yo much quicker with the baby "papoosed" on your back AND you have free hand for the GPS. Only problem is scooching under low hanging branches, but you can always take it off and perch it on a level spot.

---

Yep... too bad I left it in the garage that day.

 

quote:

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Don't forget a bag of skittles or fruit gummies to dispense every 20-30 feet.

---

Excellent idea.

[+MedicP1]

Try a magnifying glass (Plastic lense) to get the older one cool with the forest and it's hidden treasures. It is amazing what they can discover.

 

Try PLANTING a cache in an easy area, with lots of cool trinckets to choose from. Then take your kids out and DISCOVER it, once they see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you'll have troubles getting away on a hunt without them.

 

GPSr's...A step in the right direction!

[pdumas]

Gramma & Grandpa maybe out finding caches. They can come along with Grandpa at five. They seem to like it then and they learn about a gps real fast.

[+Planet]

I personally don't have any of those, but what if you try 1/1 caches first, ask the 2 yo if he/she wants to go treasure hunting. The next time it can hunting pirate's booty, or a scavenger hunt if you do a multi cache. On a 1/1 hunt in a town park you can put the littlest guy in a stroller, pack some snacks and juices and call it a picnic. I sometimes find that when a child gets cranky, they can be easily distracted from their problems with a simple "What's THAT?!" and point to something interesting. Plan some time for a rest, little legs don't go as far as fast. Definitley bring water. I may not have any little curtain climbers of my own but I have 14 nieces and nephews ranging from 2 to 30, so I have been around them enough to have experience in being the entertaining aunt.

 

Cache you later,

Planet

[+DirtRunner]

Hey

 

My little girl (4 yrs) was afraid of trees the first couple of times we went, had to hold her hand and constantly assure her that bears and lions were no where close.

 

2 Months later, she's a true bushwacker. Up, over, crawling or stepping over, she's fearless now...I think it's just a case of getting used to a new environment, some forests can be pretty spooky for a little guy/girl.

 

Also, factor in the fact that she never even saw a forest until she was four (we were in the Middle East for a spell), she great on sand and out in the open, knows how to keep cool in 50+ degree heat, just those pesky spooky forests she needed help with.

 

DirtRunner.

[+apersson850]

quote:

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Originally posted by rbrtwntr:

Remember GRAMMA and GRAMPA.

---

 

Are these NMEA status messages?

 

Anders

[+Grandpa Rocks & Grouchy Gramma]

Gramma and Grandpa are out caching themselves but love to take the short ones with us whenever we go to visit them.

 

Can't complain, no one listens anyway.