Anyone Out There Go Geocaching With Scouts?

[+Team Perrito Blanco]

Both of my daughters are in the girl scouts and I think that an outing involving Geocaching would be a good educational activity for their troops. Any ideas or advice?

 

Thanx

[magellan315]

You may want to try posting this in the educational forum

[+BeachBuddies]

Yes, I took our troop of Webelos (8-9 years old) out caching, and they had a blast. Some of the parents even came with us.

 

We spent about 2 hours. I spent about 10 minutes talking about geocaching and GPS, and then we headed into the woods (at a big local park we have). We found 3 caches (one easy, one medium, and one multi). I had stocked the multi with lots of RPG miniatures (the little metal ones that you paint, orcs, elves, and such). The kids had a lot of fun picking out one to take with them.

 

We had one DNF too. Two of the caches (including the multi) I had hid, so I was sure we'd be able to find them (didn't want to risk not finding any just in case).

 

We also made a new cache with contributions from the kids, and I let them hide it. It's called Pack 1388. They really enjoyed that.

 

We had 8 kids and 3 GPSrs, so they all got a chance to play with them. I think they part they liked best was crossing the stream. The caches were hidden along a small stream, so they must have crossed about a dozen times during the hunt. Lots of fun!

[Eaglehaslanded]

I am a ASM and I put out a Scouting Theme cache, Scout It Out GCKT55. I noticed that a lot of cachers where Scouts or had been in Scouting in my area. I put it close by a parking area so it was easy to get to by the youger Scouts(Tigers and Cubs.

I think that for the youger Scouts you start off by the adult guiding them to the area and letting them find it. Once they find it and see the trading items then you have them hooked. I would use a cache that you know where its at so you don't end up DNF and the kids are running around the woods playing games.

Also I would have an item for them to trade that IDs them as Scouts! Troop number, pen, patch etc.

[+webscouter.]

I am one of the leaders that teach geocaching at our Fall Fellowship every year.

 

You can see the 2003 event here.

 

I am the adult at the table without a hat.

 

We hide about 25 caches each year and the patrols look for one of the first twenty. If they find that they get a large patrol item. In 2003 it was the flag that you can find on the page above. Then they get to look for one of the remaining 5 caches. When they find that they get a geoscouting coin.

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

I'm an old scout - Cubs, Scout, Venturer, Leader. Although I am no longer involved with Scouts (my daughter is 3 and a half). I do try to place Scouting items into my caches when I can -- old Jamboree patches etc. I think it's a great idea to teach orienteering.

[+briansnat]

I've seen many logs from scout troops in caches. I just wish the scoutmaster, or whomever is in charge would make sure the cache was replaced correctly. On a maint trip yesterday I found the cache out in the open with the lid off and the last log was from a scout troop who found it the day before.

[Poppa Duck]

I did a geocaching night for my son's cub pack.

 

Went over the basics of caching and how a GPS works inside and then went 'caching' for several small stashes I placed on the school property for the night.

 

At our next picnic, the cubmaster and several of the boys went with me for several of the local caches. We ended up placing one too (Cub Pack 66). Nice thing about placing it was that quite a few scouting related patches have passed through it.

 

Now that my older son has bridged to a boy scout troop and my younger one is in the cub pack, I've been asked to do it again.

 

-Poppa Duck

[+JoGPS]

I all ways try to carry along a Webelo, or a few Cub Scout’s with me while caching in the everglades with all the alligators around sometimes you can throw one of at them to keep the busy so you can find the cache. They are quite helpful and hope you know I am kidding, the devil made me say it …………… JOE

[+Markwell]

Yep.

[+G'n,G]

I go with my troop sometimes.

[+Will+Bill]

Go caching on every campout with Troop 180. Here is a cache we hid at one of our campouts.

[+WascoZooKeeper]

I've seen many logs from scout troops in caches.  I just wish the scoutmaster, or whomever is in charge would make sure the cache was replaced correctly.  On a maint trip yesterday I found the cache out in the open with the lid off and the last log was from a scout troop who found it the day before.

 

I agree that it looks like a smoking gun . . . but it might have been muggled after they'd been there, too. Assuming they included their troop number in the log, you ought to be able to track down their SM and ask.

 

Another possibility is that someone before them left it out, and, if the group was fairly new to geocaching, they assumed they were to leave it exactly as they found it.

 

Just a thought . . . .