Cache Quality For Kids

[+hikemeister]

You can try our strategy. We just placed two huge caches absolutely loaded with great prizes for kids. Those items will hopefully end up being spread out to local caches. Come to Gainesville Florida! We have several caches full of great kids stuff

 

edited post ---> wow! first post in months and I'm NORM!

Edited March 2, 2005 by hikemeister

[mauricelcassidy]

for my first cache "The Brim Shack"(temp dissabled) i feel i placed some good stuff (original contents posted) and once i replace it i place to stock it regularly. i hust looked around my room for somethings that i had collected over the years and i didnt really need anymore. i even placed some free movie passes. anyway in comparison to some other hobbies i have (ie. paintball, scouting) this one i find to be pretty cheap.

 

peace, bob

[+reveritt]

for my first cache "The Brim Shack"(temp dissabled) i feel i placed some good stuff (original contents posted) and once i replace it i place to stock it regularly...

It was a good cache--nice, large container full of good swag. My granddaughter and I both enjoyed it. Finding the hibernating skunk behind the container was an extra bonus!

[+st3roadking]

the children, the children, ohhh, what about the CHILDREN?

 

oh, seriously. i'm tired of the cache degradation topic being framed in terms of children. i like to see good stuff in a cache whether i take any or not. it's just nice to open up a box full of little treasures or quirky items and paw through it all like it's a little museum.

 

while this is and should be a family-friendly activity let's not forget that it is not FOR children.

 

a clean, well-stocked cache enhances everybody's experience.

I do have to agree somewhat with this post. It's just that I can't imagine an adult getting too upset that there wasn't anything they wanted in the cache. I have seen adults throw tantrums over trivial things but never the lack of swag in a cache. Also, adults and children have different needs and if an adult wants something they can go out and buy it.

if it wasnt for the kids, trade toys wouldnt even be a problem. i'm a dad of 3 and the only way i get to cache is if i have them with me. im there for the hunt . i could care less about trading (except for sig items). now, my kids are in it for the "treasure" . and if they arent happy they wont want to cache and then i wont be able to go cause the wont want to and whine the whole time.

 

I think most of us with kids are in the same boat.

[+fly46]

my POINT (whump, whump) is that framing the discussion in terms of the saddened faces of the poor little wee ones assumes that we care about all the maudlin hand-wringing attached to a cranky afternoon for some tyke.

....

Sounds like someone is getting a bit cranky herself.

 

This thread is specifically about caching with children, and how cache quality effects the experience. For those of us who go geocaching with kids, it is relevant. The topic title indicates that fairly clearly.

 

If this topic is of no interest to you, then don't let the door slap you on the way out (whump, whump).

Heck, for those of us who know the local cachers have kids, it's relevent, too.

 

Why don't I worry too much about adults when I place a cache? The adults in my area don't trade hardly ever. So why should I bother spending money on items that the local cachers will barely glance at?

[mauricelcassidy]

It was a good cache--nice, large container full of good swag. My granddaughter and I both enjoyed it. Finding the hibernating skunk behind the container was an extra bonus! 

 

haha yea. i thought that was great too. i just wish it wasnt there. i thought it was a good site for an easy, large, cache. awell ill find a new spot nearby (once this wretched white stuff melts)and all will be good.

 

peace,bob

[+geodarts]

My daughter first discovered geocaching when one of her schoolmates accidently came upon a cache on a class trip. It has given her a focus for taking hikes that she might otherwise not have done -- but it is much more fun for her to find a well-stocked cache. Its also fairly rare -- whether it be cache degredation or that the cache never had that much to degrade.

 

I always try to make sure that the caches I place have a number of items that either myself or my daughter would find worthwhile. It does get a little frustrating to have spent over a $100 on a cache, only to have the FTF take all of a particular kind of item (that I had anticipated would last for several months). So once a cache is out there, it is subject to a lot of different things, and we both realize that there are no guarantees.

 

The attribute icon indicating that a cache is recommended for children was a nice addition to the geocaching site. I hope that it will be used to help identify caches that have at least started out as being something that kids will like to find. And that logs will note how accurate the icon may be.