Local Scout Leader Things Geocaching Sounds Like

[+Milbank]

I finally got around to talking with a scout leader about geocaching.

 

I have been waiting for my son's next cub scout meeting to bring it up, but the meeting kept get put off.

 

So I was talking to the scout leader today and I brought up that I had ordered a new gps.

 

He knows I use gps for work.

 

I then brought up geocaching and how my son and I had a blast last year geocaching.

I told him I was going to bring up geocaching to the leaders at the next scout meeting, but the next meeting never seems to happen.

 

He said the year was about done and they could not think of anything to do with the kids.

 

We talked more about geocaching and he thinks the kids would love it.

 

I'm going to give him the geocaching dvd to watch tonight and will see what happens from there.

[+Riddlers]

He could not think of anything else to do with the kids? Bet your idea gives him a lot of new ideas. There are TB's that travel from boy scout cache to boy scout cache. I got one that was from Canada and brought it down to the boy scout cache in Adir Oregon.

[+Husker]

You can work the GPS into a earning the Map & Compass and Geography belt loops and pins. These achievements don't call for a GPS but a creative person can weave it in.

 

Check the requirements at US Scouting Service Project

[+Team Wampus]

I just did a geocaching activity for my son's Cub Scout Bear Den this past week. I had a simple MS Power Point presentation, then took the kids out geocaching on the church grounds afterwards. Geocaching makes a great transition from doing arts & crafts of Wolves & Bears to doing more outdoor-oriented activities for Webelos. I had 9 micros hidden around the church grounds at various levels of difficulty, then a 10th cache that was an ammo box with their end-of-meeting treats inside. Each of the micros was filled with different colored beads for the boys to collect. We had a couple of glitches, but all-in-all, I think they had a really good time. I've already been asked to put on the same activity for 2 more Dens!

[+alnpd]

I was introduced to geocaching by my son's Cub Scout Pack! It has been madness ever since, I just can't get enough. I think its a great idea and hope he goes ahead with his idea.

[QuigleyJones]

Id be interested in what you figure out to do about every kid wanting there own GPS.

Team Wampus what was your kids to GPS ratio?

[+Milbank]

There are only 6 kids in my sons cub scout pack.

I have two gps, so we would just go in groups of three kids to one gps.

 

I have two geocaches places the state park and will place a couple more out there before we take the kids.

 

It would be hard to do with a larger group of kids.

Edited May 8, 2005 by Milbank

[+webscouter.]

Our troop, Troop 495, Internationally Famous North Star District, Heart of America Council, has put on a geocaching event at the last two fall camporees.

 

http://www.kaiserklan.com/roundtable/geoscouting.html

 

The boys run the event, the adults control the GPS assignments. Being in Kansas City has its advantages as Garmin provides us with 10 GPS units. This year we had 4 Rhino 130s and 6 GPSMAP 60C's. The boys hide 30 caches around the camporee area on Friday before camporee starts. 25 of the caches are designated as "First cache" the remaining 5 are "Bonus Cache". When the patrols come to the registration table a youth from our troop will give a 5 minute lesson on geocaching and the use of the GPS. Then the patrol leader of the unit will receive a GPS from one of the adults. The GPS units are preloaded with all 30 waypoints. They are assigned a "First Cache" to look for. They look for the cache, sign the log and bring back a sticker that is in the cache. The first year there was also a flag in the cache, last year was a geocaching button. If the boys choose to they can then search for a "Bonus Cache". The "Bonus Cache" is hidden to be more difficult. If they find that cache it is filled with Geoscouting wooden nickels. The first cache they only take one item for the patrol in the bonus caches they each get a nickel. At the end of the day all the caches are picked up and one of the locations is picked to leave a permanent cache that is posted on Geocaching.com.

 

If you would like more information contact me through my profile.

 

Also for those of you who recieve Scouting magazine, yes that was our troop teaching the Webelos pin badge.

 

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/

[+Milbank]

Our troop, Troop 495, Internationally Famous North Star District, Heart of America Council, has put on a geocaching event at the last two fall camporees.

 

http://www.kaiserklan.com/roundtable/geoscouting.html

 

The boys run the event, the adults control the GPS assignments. Being in Kansas City has its advantages as Garmin provides us with 10 GPS units. This year we had 4 Rhino 130s and 6 GPSMAP 60C's. The boys hide 30 caches around the camporee area on Friday before camporee starts. 25 of the caches are designated as "First cache" the remaining 5 are "Bonus Cache". When the patrols come to the registration table a youth from our troop will give a 5 minute lesson on geocaching and the use of the GPS. Then the patrol leader of the unit will receive a GPS from one of the adults. The GPS units are preloaded with all 30 waypoints. They are assigned a "First Cache" to look for. They look for the cache, sign the log and bring back a sticker that is in the cache. The first year there was also a flag in the cache, last year was a geocaching button. If the boys choose to they can then search for a "Bonus Cache". The "Bonus Cache" is hidden to be more difficult. If they find that cache it is filled with Geoscouting wooden nickels. The first cache they only take one item for the patrol in the bonus caches they each get a nickel. At the end of the day all the caches are picked up and one of the locations is picked to leave a permanent cache that is posted on Geocaching.com.

 

If you would like more information contact me through my profile.

 

Also for those of you who recieve Scouting magazine, yes that was our troop teaching the Webelos pin badge.

 

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/

 

wow, thats awesome

[+Reid Cruzers]

2 geocaches without a gps:

 

I have been trying to introduce geocaching to our scouts but rarely have time to set it up (a night cache was planned) before our meetings. In June we will be participating in the 1st overnight campout for the entire pack. Somehow I was volunteered for activities-again. That's okay though because I'm alway chiming in.

Plans-Night cache using the hunters reflectors from Walmart (they reflect so you can see entering the site AND exiting). We won't have to worry about gps units for the 30+ scouts, they only need a flashlight. At the end of the hunt I plan to hide an ammo can with paper #s for each to retrieve. These #s will be matched up to wooden craft kits I had donated from Home Depot and Lowes. The reason for the #s is so there will be no squabbles over which craft kit they receive-it will depend on the # they retrieve.

Letterbox type cache- so no need for gps units again. I will give out a sheet/sheets of instructions (this can be attempted by entire group or individual families). It will list the start point and then directions like-go 30 paces (2 steps/pace) until you reach the tree stump, look to the N until you see the cabin, walk 22 paces in this direction, etc. We will probably have some sort of cache with prizes at the end also.

[QuigleyJones]

For my troop of 30+ kids (only 1 GPS) doing activities with GPS isn’t practical so we just do orienteering, witch Id say is a much better activity then “follow-what-the GPS-says-caching”

 

(Thanks Reid Cruzers for the pm)

[Lt32]

This past weekend while camping with my son's Boy Scout Troop (Troop 774- Gulf Ridge Council in Florida) I intrduced Geocaching. We set out to find the caches that were in the camp ground we were in. After going from one cache to another the younger scouts had their 5 mile hike to advance in rank. They all loved geocaching, not to mention getting their hike out of the way.

[+Faith the Aquariaqueen]

Just got back from Webelos camp, I knew there were two caches in the city's park. During lunch breaks, my son and I would go looking for them.

 

There was then an avalanching interest in what we were doing as the days drug on, so by the end of camp, we would have several scouts and parents hunting up the caches.

 

I hope to do a fun "get together" (just get the boys together for fun, without any purposefully tied to earning badges, etc) and hide caches around our church's property, and introduce the boys, probably in teams, to this hobby of mine.

 

As a tie-in, I thought we could buy hiking sticks, and start making them tools. Fishing rod, ruler, monkey paws, compass, etc.

 

I would love any other ideas about enlightening the scouts about geocaching.

 

Queenie

Webelos II Patrol leader

[uber_bike_geek]

I've considered trying to bring up caching to my troop... We will be helping out at an American Cancer Society Relay For Life at a local HS's track next weekend, and there is a cache on the XC course just off the track, so I'm going to see who's interested...

 

Happy Caching

Jeff

Senior Patrol Leader, Troop 521, DWC

[+sbell111]

For those going to the national jamboree, there is going to be plenty of chances to get acquainted with the game. There will be at least twenty caches set up.

[+Markwell]

Pack13 has been caching since November of 2002.

 

Check out the goober Scout Leader with a Travel Bug on his hat:

 

[+sbell111]

How embarrassing. For the kids, I mean.

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

Day Camp is this week for the local council, but AFAIK nothing has been setup in regards to Geocaching. I'm not the only scout leader involved in caching around here, but at this point I know of only one. I'd love to do something next year though, because community-type caches are fun for me to do. As soon as a local sponsor decides what to do about some custom pins being made, I'll have a 6-stage multi fully endorsed by zoo staff for cachers to go around and find. They do classes for schools, Scouts and the like, and have arranged for a local GPS supplier to sponsor some pins for each finder of this cache. The actual design is quite awesome.