Centsible Life

Helping Women Live Healthier, Happier, and Wealthier

  • Home
  • All Posts
  • About
    • Disclosure
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
  • Health
  • Money
    • Make Money from Home
    • What To Buy Series
  • Fashion
    • Beauty
  • Food
    • Menu Plans
    • Recipes
  • Personal Posts
  • Travel
  • Work With Me

Summer Fun: Geocaching Outdoor Treasure Hunting

July 15, 2015 By Kelly

Affiliate disclosure
Geocaching Collage

Geocaching is a fun activity for the whole family, and since we’ve been doing it for many, many years I thought it was high time I wrote about it. Especially if like me you’re desperate for a little fun in the last days of summer.

Geocaching is something that my husband discovered over a decade ago. At the time it was a bit more new and thus the caches were spread out a bit more and often trickier to find. Now there are literally caches everywhere! There’s probably one in the parking lot of the grocery store you go to and there may be one at your neighborhood park. It’s great because it allows young kids to participate while older kids and adults can hunt down those trickier caches.

Geocaching is using GPS tracking to find a location where a cache is hidden. Just like your car’s GPS the GPS device or app you use for geocaching will tell you how close (or far away you are) and which direction to go in to find the cache.

A cache is simply a container which contains a log and if it’s large enough a few treasures. When you find it you log your name and if you take something, you leave something.

The container is sometimes as small as a magnetic key holder, other times a metal locker that is as big as a shoebox.

The log is simply a recording of who has visited the cache. You write the date and your name or screen name.

The items you find are varied. In one box we found cool paperclips, Rainbow Loom bracelets, baseball cards, and dollar store race cars.

What you Need to go Geocaching:

  • A GPS device or app. The free version of the app allows you to search for local caches while the premium version allows you to search any location. The app is $10. A GPS device will run between $75-100 approximately. We have both and in our experience the app drains your battery REALLY fast, so be prepared if you use your phone with a battery charger you can use on the go.
  • Some trinkets. We search through the kids toys or pick up packs of cars or figures like the Angry Birds above to drop in the box if we find something we’d like to take home.
  • A pen or pencil. This is to log your visit. Some caches have pencils/pens while others are too small or simply do not.
  • Walking shoes and appropriate clothing. Many caches are in parks and easy to find areas, but if you’re interested in more of a challenge you will find yourself crossing streams and dodging thorns and branches to get to your location.
  • Bug spray and sunscreen. You will want to have both on when you leave and carry them to reapply.
  • Water. Especially if you’re looking for a challenging cache you will need water. This reusable water bottle includes a filter and is great to take along.
  • A camera (or your phone). My kids each bring their cameras and we document the caches and things we find along the way (a pretty garden in someone’s yard or a dragonfly).

Once you become experienced you can create your own cache for others to find!

Geocaching is a great way to get the kids outside and exploring. Even though you’re using a screen to find where you need to go it will get your kids exploring in nature and more importantly spending time together being active!

Find the geocaching apps (for Android and iPhone) here, learn more on Geocaching.com, and check out this link to Amazon for a great GPS device.

Have you ever gone geocaching? 

Kelly

I’ve included some items in the Amazon widget below (click through to the site if you can’t see it in email or your feedreader).

About Kelly


Kelly Whalen is the founder and editor of the Centsible Life. She started the blog in 2008 as her family faced a mountain of debt and the fixer upper they purchased became a FIXER UPPER. The website was born out of her desire to share what was working (and what was not) on her family's journey to financial security. Kelly lives in Minneapolis with her family.

  • View all posts by Kelly →
  • Blog
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+

Share:

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Print

Related

Filed Under: eBay, Kids Tagged With: geocache, geocaching, kids activities, outdoor scavenger hunt, summer family fun, summer fun


Comments

  1. Cole says

    July 3, 2015 at 11:29 am

    This is such a neat idea! I love that you actually get to find little treasures and leave treasures for others to find! I wonder if this is even in my city, because I want to try it now!

  2. Julie Meyers Pron says

    August 8, 2014 at 12:15 am

    This was on our list for the summer, but the reception is so lousy in parts of Maine that we couldn’t do it. Still want to start this summer–I have a few weeks left!

  3. Andrea Updyke says

    August 6, 2014 at 8:40 pm

    We haven’t done this yet, but it sounds so fun!

  4. Sarah says

    August 3, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    I’ve heard about this but wasn’t entirely sure what it was… looks pretty neat! This would be a great outing for my kids when they are a little older, thank you for sharing!

  5. Nicoyle Simmons says

    August 3, 2014 at 11:43 am

    This is something that I have been thinking about to do with the kids. It looks like it could be fun. I need to see what is around in my area.

  6. Kelly Whalen says

    August 3, 2014 at 9:50 am

    That’s the best kind! I hope you try it out. Start with a simple one and they’ll get hooked. 🙂

  7. Becky says

    July 31, 2014 at 6:02 am

    We were just talking about doing this with our little one. Our area has a decent number of caches, including some that take you in a series from historical site to historical site. Love it!

Trackbacks

  1. 25 Cheap Family Activities for President's Day Weekend - Centsible Life says:
    February 12, 2015 at 7:01 am

    […] 13. Go geocaching. Read all about this fun outdoor scavenger hunt here. […]

  2. Weekend Scrapbook 8.1.14 | A Life in Balance says:
    December 13, 2014 at 11:11 am

    […] Geocaching: Outdoor Treasure Hunting | The Centsible Life […]

  3. 25 Fall Family Activities for Less - Centsible Life says:
    August 28, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    […] 9. Go for a hike or geocache: Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cool enough to stay out longer, and you get to see the changing colors up close. Or go geocaching. […]

  4. Fun outdoor activities for kids says:
    August 5, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    […] If your teens tell you that they’re too old for scavenger hunts then try geocaching instead! These days you don’t even need a GPS device because if you have a smartphone you can […]

  5. Summer Family Fun Linky July 30th - Centsible Life says:
    July 30, 2014 at 10:51 am

    […] Geocaching: Outdoor Treasure Hunting #SummerFamilyFun […]

Pinterest
INSTAGRAM
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Follow by Email
RSS

Hi! I'm Kelly Whalen, writer, frugality expert, debt slayer, and money nerd. Welcome to the Centsible Life, my corner of the internet, where I help women live happier, healthier, and wealthier lives. My goal is to help you save time + money, so you can spend both how you want.

Want to know more about me and learn how Centsible Life has helped readers like you? Click here.

As seen on:

Top Posts & Pages

  • Owl Paper Roll Craft
    Owl Paper Roll Craft
  • 50 Activities For Kids When There Is No School
    50 Activities For Kids When There Is No School
  • Sleepaway Camp Tips and Packing List
    Sleepaway Camp Tips and Packing List
  • LEGO Friendship Bracelets
    LEGO Friendship Bracelets
  • Spray Paint Closet Door Makeover for $21
    Spray Paint Closet Door Makeover for $21
  • 13 Money-Saving Tips Infographic
    13 Money-Saving Tips Infographic
  • Working Parent’s Guide To Snow Days
    Working Parent’s Guide To Snow Days
  • How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
    How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
  • Free Printable Game Day Paper Chain
    Free Printable Game Day Paper Chain
  • DIY Cardboard Box Lap Tray
    DIY Cardboard Box Lap Tray

Archives

Categories

Copyright © 2022 ·Metro Pro Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.