Cashing With Kids

July 16, 2004

I am geared up to find my first cache this weekend. My brother and his wife and my mother all cache and I figure that it's time I jumped into it (it sounds like fun) but my only difference is I am hauling along a 3 and 4 year old.

Any advice? Is it possible?

I figure if anything - in high traffic places, they can be a GREAT distraction from mommy pulling out the cache ...

hehehe

2.8k · July 16, 2004

Best thing with the younger ones is to, unless you've hiked with them before, get them excited about the find. Attempt caches that are marked Kid Friendly or require minimal walking, BUT that also have a container with contents large enough to trade. Unlike adults, most kids like trading no matter what the item, so bring trade items expecting them to want to trade at every cache.

Good luck!

July 16, 2004

Well... excited is not an issue hehehe Told my son (the 4 year old) that we were gonna go hunt treasure this weekend... and his eyes lit up BIG.... we spend days on the weekend drawing out "arrrrrrrr" pirate maps and pretend to dig them up around the house and the like - so familiarity with the idea of a treasure is very understandable for them....

I'm looking for ones in parks and stuff - but not seeing anyting marked "kid friendly" -

will keep digging.

2.5k · July 16, 2004

Read the descriptions, and if it says that you're looking for an ammo box/clear container/whatever with trade items, chances are it's not a micro.

Then go through and read the journal entries and see what other people traded. Chances are, you'll be able to tell which ones had kids along/were a good cache by that...

Chances also are if it's in a park its more likely to not be a micro on a light post.

22k · July 16, 2004

I am geared up to find my first cache this weekend. My brother and his wife and my mother all cache and I figure that it's time I jumped into it (it sounds like fun) but my only difference is I am hauling along a 3 and 4 year old.

Any advice? Is it possible?

Sure, just make sure to trade even.

July 16, 2004

of course I'll trade even stevens!

:unsure:

22k · July 16, 2004

of course I'll trade even stevens!

Cool, what's a 3 year old worth these days?

I"M KIDDING!

July 16, 2004

I take my boys caching all the time. They are 9 and 2. I use a backpack carrier for longer hikes and a stroller for family friendly caches. It takes a little more patients sometimes but it certainly is possible.

July 16, 2004

most of my finds have been with my son, 8 and my daughter, 5. They are real nice to have around in busy places because hardly anyone pays attention to a parent with kids who are poking sticks into thinds, looking under and in everything in site. The kids enjoy the looking and simply getting out to new places. I have on a few had to stand back and watch them after already identifying the hiding spot. I just got back from a trip to Ohio where it would have been nice to have them with me. The micro took me too long grab in a busy place where the kids would have not looked suspicious reaching into this particular spot.

Edited July 16, 2004 by Cache Viking

1.1k · July 16, 2004

I almost always cache with my troupe. There are four of them, ages 4 to 11, and we've probably been on a good 300 caches together. The 4 year old is good up to about 4 miles depending on the weather. The kids are far more tolerant, and better at finding the goods (or getting better at at least TRYING to find the goods) than they were when we started in September.

-=-

michelle

July 17, 2004

It works best for me & my 2 yr old if we bring the jogging stroller and go to a cache /park with a playground. I would just plan on 1 cache at a time.

July 17, 2004

I cache with my kids all the time, and when the going gets tough, just start talking about the treasure. It helps if they have found one before, so they can dream about the treasure they find.

I frequently have to carry my 2 year old, and the 4 year old gets whiny at times, but I usually circumvent nap time to catch a cache, so it's kinda my fault :unsure:

The 7 year old doesn't seem to mind the walks, and helps out a lot, having been on enough to know what to expect.

It also helps to try and find a stash that has a kid-friendly feature nearby - a pond, a park with a playground, etc - to keep them interested on those tough finds.

1.1k · July 17, 2004

Oh yeah... the playgrounds!

My faves are the ones where the playground is within sight of the cache. Phew. Yeah - GO PLAY!

I was going to mentioned earlier that when we started out (the 4yo had just turned 4) we were good up to about 5 cache for quite a long time. For the locals we'd go pick up one or two at a time, but then started driving a little further as a necessity (there ain't much here folks) and my 'goal' would be to find five cache at a whack. It was a tangible number for the younger kids and so they would keep track and knew that once we'd done five we were outta there....

Now they seem to be more interested in seeing just how many we CAN do in an outing. So far, for an afternoon, we're up to about 15, but often still seem to land in that 5 to 10'ish range. We have to drive pretty far to find an area that has 10 or more cache we can do in one fell swoop.

On the other hand, we've also been known to drive 50 miles out on a gravel road just for one cache with an awesome view or a river to play in...

If you just play it by ear, you'll find a spot that works for you, and you can grow from there!

-=-

michelle - who covets more non-kid caching time every now and again

July 17, 2004

Hello --

We're just learning about caching. As soon as we can get a GPSr in hand, our family is itching to get started. We've been snooping in the forums, as well as in various cache site postings in our local area, and we have lots o' questions.

But for now, here's just one -- how many caches do families w/ children attempt in a typical day? I figured we'd start out with one cache at a time/per day. But my son noted a cacher with 3004 finds to his credit. My son wonders how a person could have made so many finds? (That's at least one find per day for 3004 days!)

Oh, just so you know -- our family includes me, my husband, a 10 year old and a 7 year old, and a dog. We live in the Los Angeles area (very urban, but with lots of nature close by).

Oh, another thing -- we'd like to take our dog caching with us whenever feasible -- are there any dog-related considerations we should be aware of when deciding whether we can take the dog?

Thanks so much. This is gonna be great!

JMDOG

July 18, 2004

Some terrain may not be suitable for animals, and you may come across the occasional nature preserve or park (or what have you) that doesn't allow pets.

As for caching with kids...yes it can and is done...a lot. My two are 12 and three. My three year old has actually done more caches with me than my older daughter. On longer hikes, I've found that it is great to be with a group...cause from here in Cincy, we have great people who cache, and everyone is willing to help you out.

Trading definately makes a difference of course. And we tend to fall in the five-ish area for "one fell swoop". But that is made all the more easy by the fact that we live in a "cache dense" area with a wide variety of terrains.

Edited July 18, 2004 by 4leafclover

July 18, 2004

Our kids love caching. We try to pick terrain levels of 2 1/2 and under and they are fine. They are 8 and 4. This is a fun family event. Use the bug spray, though!

July 19, 2004

I Have twin girls, age 8. they love caching.

One advantage- they are closer to the ground and often find the cache after being pointed in the right direction because of their lower angle view!!!!

July 19, 2004

My boys (9 and 11) enjoy caching. At first, we would be sure to track down the caches with items to trade - good incentive for hiking! But, now they enjoy doing virtual caches (which are great during vacations). The hunt is now probably more exciting than actually trading items!

July 19, 2004

You guys didn't think I'd let an opportunity to post my kids' caching photos go by did you?

lots more photos in my gallery...

I take my 3yr old and 22 month old with me caching all the time. They LOVE it. I take the double stroller for many cache hunts... and take my husband along for the ones that aren't stroller friendly. If you read some of our logs you'll find that they do get awful heavy after a long hike though!

July 19, 2004

When I cache with my daughter and it is hot, we can do 2 caches max before she is done. She does not do heat well. However, I found that four hunts in a day works pretty well for us (weather and time permitting).

July 21, 2004

My normal caching partner is my son (now 11), and he has his own GPS unit now (ETrex yellow). He finds the cache before me about half the time. My 9 yr old daughter also likes going, although on some of the tougher hikes (5 mi.) she stays home. On the other hand, my 15 yr old daughter wouldn't be caught dead caching!

We will typically go for 4-6 in a normal caching day, though it depends on the difficulty and the area. Last Saturday, we found 12 of 13. And in September, we're planning a 12 mile hike to the top of Mt San Jacinto, with 6 caches along the route.

1.5k · July 21, 2004

You're going to have to look for LARGE 'caches otherwise they aren't going to fit as trade items. <_<

July 21, 2004

I have done 31 caches so far...a couple last year and then a hiatus....did the last 28 or so in the last few months......Have done them all (aside from a few lunchtime micros) with my son Tyler, who is 5......Have taken my wife and 2 year old Dylan on a few....

Just yesterday I took the two boys on one that was rated 1.5/1.5....to be honest, it should be rated a little higher on the terrain....and having the 2 year old with us slowed us down some....but it was fun and they both had a blast! It was in the woods and there was some scrambling over logs and such, into ravines and back out.....lots of overgrowth....no way a stroller could do it....Icarried Dyamn for some parts of it which made the terrain harder for me....

Tyler is an AMAZING hiker...not quite 5 yet (6 more weeks) we have been doing 3 or 4 in a day, two days in row....

The key is keep their minds on the treasure and the fun they are having.....

July 23, 2004

Here's another thing to keep in mind when caching with little ones... SNACKS. Hubby and I cache with our 18 month old and 2 1/2 yr old frequently. Depending on the length of the car rides between caches we can get up to 3 in 1 day. Beyond that and we have exceeded their attention span, and my strength to carry the 18 mo. child is gone. (He's heavy!) I keep a small baggy of crackers or grapes when we go out to avoid cranky tummies. That seems to help. Keep your expectations low and you will have fun!

July 25, 2005

What inspirations!

We have been taking my 22 month old (see avatar) with us, but she seems much more interested in the slides at the parks than the caches.

Also, there are a lot of parking lot caches around my neck of the woods. Trying to get better at identifying these before we head to them.

2.1k · July 25, 2005

Good ideas here. I cache with our 3 (almost 4) year old, he often hikes 1 -1.5 miles in total with no carries ("I'm A BIG BOY!"). He very much enjoys it, sometimes the ideas of looking for the "small" treasures isn't fun to him. But we've found a few with stickers / very small toy cars in so he always has that lure

Another one is to take some swag with you that you KNOW the kids will like but havent seen you buy... if the cache you find has not got anything they want in / suitable, secretly drop in or reveal the secret swag

If caching with more than one 3-5 year old, I go for displaying the cache contents and taking turns to see if each kid wants it, making sure there is something for eveyone.

Sometimes caching with kids is like working for the UN

Edited July 25, 2005 by maingray

2k · July 25, 2005

Hello! I geocache with my 4 and 7 yeard old all the time. It can be hard in some places, and you may have to abort the cache, but we have a blast.

My seven year old and myself race to see who can find it first and we keep score during the day.

Edited July 25, 2005 by ladycacher

July 25, 2005

My caching partners are our 7 and 9 year old boys. While we'd like to go out for longer periods of time, we're pretty much limited to 1-1.5 hours on a weekday after I'm done with work, or about 3 hours on a weekend day. I've found it takes careful planning to adequately squeeze in all we want to do. We managed 4 in about 3 hours on Saturday, would have been more if one hadn't involved extreme bushwacking.

Like a few others have said, keep them focused on the treasure. Stick to mainly regular caches that aren't too small. Pick caches with low enough terrain ratings for your children to handle. Snacks are always good (we make a big production of mixing our own GORP.)

A couple other things I've learned from our hiking and now geocaching experience --

* You don't want to be the family pack mule if you don't have to be. If they're old enough have them carry what they can. My boys each have their own Camelbaks so they can carry their water, and it has saved my back. They love using them because they think they are cool. Just adds a little to the experience for them. (Campmor often has excellent prices on their 'hot deals' -- I got their Camelbaks for $12.50 each. Right now they have Kelty Starfish junior hydration packs on sale for about $15.) Or get them their own water bottle that they have to take care of themselves.

* If you're on a schedule and the cache is in a park with a playground, let them play for a predetermined amount of time either before or after the cache is found. I tell them they have 5-10 minutes on the playground before we load up to look for the next cache. We usually don't have time left on our outings for too much playtime, but this is just enough time for them to get to use all the equipment and be ready to go.

* They take turns getting to be the one who goes first to make a trade. But I usually open the cache so I can do an inspection of its contents before letting them at it. That way if I see any signature item I may want to trade for I can grab it, and I can also make sure there isn't anything among the swag that I wouldn't want the kids to have. Having to find and dig out the log book is the pretense that I use while making my precursory swag-check before turning it over to them.

July 25, 2005

My boys are 3 and 4 and go cahcing with me quite often. Start them out on easy ones, where the difficulty and terrain is low, as you don't want to have to carry them on the hike. My boys can walk about 3/4 to 1 mile before they start to whine.

Once they figure out that there is a treasure at the end of the quest, they will be more eager to go caching or treasure hunt to them.

Most of all, just have fun and enjoy your time with your kids!

July 25, 2005

I just started caching. My first find was July 14th on vacation, so my wife and two sons (9 and 4) were with me. I just told them we were going on a treasure hunt. That really got their attention.

They dug through their pockets and bugged Mom and I to have some items to trade. We did a second cache the same day, after I let them play on a playground.

They've helped me find one more since we've been home. My 9 yr old had my GPSr and was able to navigate to the site pretty well. So my 4yr didn't feel left out, he got to "use" my compass.

And I have an ulterior motive. I use geocaching as a way to spend some fun time with my family, and also as a way to get us out and walking about. (And they don't even know).

I've got a couple days of vacation coming up so I can watch the boys while my wife goes to work. I plan to do some geocaching at least one day as part of our fun activities.

July 26, 2005

Our team is Mom (me), Dad 3 year old twins and a two year old. We stick with the ones and twos on terrain when they're around. They love it! We definately bring the little kid porta potty though!

This was teken yesterday in KY. The 2 year old was using the potty behind the photographer (as usual)!

Edited July 26, 2005 by Cache Buzzards

July 26, 2005

we make it fun for the little guy limit 3 a day mostly and in between caches i let

him hold the unit i set it to the compass and have him tell me left right or straight

makes it more fun for him and thats what it's about

July 26, 2005

Caching with kids... my older boy, J, is a fanatical hiker at only 5 y.o. with around 225 finds.

Then there is E, with about 125, who just loves the playground stops.

And then, there is Agent K, who I think likes this sport... I'm not too certain... is it a good thing to let kids hide caches, especially as evil as hers? (You should see what she is planning next... on second thought, you might not want to. )

Edited July 26, 2005 by M&DofKJE

July 26, 2005

Oh, another thing -- we'd like to take our dog caching with us whenever feasible -- are there any dog-related considerations we should be aware of when deciding whether we can take the dog?

If there is a leash law where you take your dog, please keep it on a leash. I know it is a bummer for the dog and owner alike, but there is a reason leash laws are enacted, generally out of respect for all of the other users of the area.

Now, if local governments would just have the sense to pass leash laws for children.....

Just kidding.

Caching kids are the reason I generally leave a new Matchbox Car in every cache I find. I get them at the local flea market for $.50 still in the original package. Not a bad deal for me and the finder. I guess if I found a lot of caches, it would get expensive.

July 26, 2005

Here's my guy on one of his first hikes with me. We didn't find the cache that day, but it wasn't for lack of trying, but a 30 feet slog up a 45 degree slope is not really that kid friendly (no matter what the description says)

1.4k · July 26, 2005

I take the kids along with me when I go out. They are 10, 8, and 6 so it is a little easier for them to get around. I have taken on some big adventures and the biggest problem is keeping their attention so I try to keep the adventures short and close to home. Mom works daylight and I work at night so I get to play with the kids until mom gets home. I just throw them over my shoulder to get them through the thick stuff. I just have to be careful I don't want to push them too hard and completely turn them off on going treasure hunting.

July 27, 2005

...

Edited July 27, 2005 by M&DofKJE

July 27, 2005

I forgot to log in under myself.

Now, if local governments would just have the sense to pass leash laws for children.....

How about leash laws for parents! What kind of parent would send his daughter in to get poison ivy? Back to the topic, TAKE YOUR KIDS! I love going caching, and don't use kids as a distraction. I go in and get the stealthy caches. The muggles overlook me and I can just barge right in and get it.

July 27, 2005

I'll chime in as well! Here is a pic of my 2 team mates at our first cache (6 1/2 and 4 at the time. Yes the little one does have hands, she was just cold! ). They love trading and take turns at each cache (unless there is really something both of them want in the same cache) We also try to do caches at parks where there will be playgrounds as they love to hit the slide after a good cache! Enjoy!!!

Edited July 27, 2005 by Team JASS

July 27, 2005

Too Cute!

Ok, I gotta show mine:

Edited July 27, 2005 by Langner91

July 27, 2005

My favorite parts of this thread are the pictures everyone is posting! So cute! Of course I'll have to add mine....

July 27, 2005

I guess the most important thing would be to take your time. Try not to get caught up in the hunt and just enjoy spending time with your kids. If my daughter wants to play at that playground instead of going after another cache up the road thats fine--they are only little once ya know......

July 28, 2005

I cache normally with the youngest of my children, Katie who is 8 and loves caching sometimes Leighton (16) comes along but only if he thinks he may miss something :laughing:

l to r Courtney , Katie and Leighton

Courtney is Katies friend who got so fed up of Katie talking about caching she nagged to come along and then moaned all day :laughing:

Edited July 28, 2005 by Matrix

July 28, 2005

I guess the most important thing would be to take your time. Try not to get caught up in the hunt and just enjoy spending time with your kids. If my daughter wants to play at that playground instead of going after another cache up the road thats fine--they are only little once ya know......

No, I totally disagrre, you heretic! Teach your kids to love caching. Teach them playgrounds are evil unless there's one hidden on it!

Note: the pics of my 2 youngest were on playgrounds, so tounge is planted firmly in cheek

July 29, 2005

We're Team E4, - Ed, Emily, Ethan (3yrs) and Evan (8wks). We are new and hooked. Ethan loves it because he gets to hunt and poke around like mom and dad. Evan just hangs out in his stroller doing the baby thing, sleeping. There's nothing like starting them early. No pics yet, but we have a big weekend planned, hopefully have some then.

July 30, 2005

My normal caching partner is my son (now 11), and he has his own GPS unit now (ETrex yellow). He finds the cache before me about half the time. My 9 yr old daughter also likes going, although on some of the tougher hikes (5 mi.) she stays home. On the other hand, my 15 yr old daughter wouldn't be caught dead caching!

We will typically go for 4-6 in a normal caching day, though it depends on the difficulty and the area. Last Saturday, we found 12 of 13. And in September, we're planning a 12 mile hike to the top of Mt San Jacinto, with 6 caches along the route.

Well, I'll be. Imagine that. A geomuggle in a geocaching family. I wonder why she wouldn't be caught dead geocaching. I'm a little younger, but I've become more popular because of geocaching (not the reason I started though.)

Cashing With Kids

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