Parents' Guide to

Geocaching

By Erin Brereton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Real-world treasure hunts are best for teens or as a family.

Website http://www.geocaching.com
Geocaching Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

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age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

ReedB
ReedB Parent
June 24, 2014
age 2+

Best of both worlds with Parent Supervision

We have been a Geocaching family since 2010. We search on-line for hides near places we're going and take the coordinates of hidden containers with us. We've traveled locally, around the country and in Canada while Geocaching. The social side is wonderful too. Our son knows other children from events we go to every year. We have friends we've met through Geocaching in the USA and Canada. We started when our son was only three. He has learned geography, GPS use, map reading, hiking, introducing himself to someone, staying safe in the woods, fair trading for SWAG (Stuff We All Get, larger containers have items for taking in return for leaving something of equal or greater value), playing outdoors, wildlife, plants and so much more. He can find a geocache faster than most adults. Playing builds confidence and encourages a family to be outside together.
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What’s It About?

In 2000, after civilian GPS accuracy improved, three friends who worked at a dot-com startup launched Geocaching.com. GEOCACHING is a hybrid of GEO, for geography, and caching, a term used to describe hiding hiking or camping provisions. Users hide secret trinkets and find items by entering an address, zip code, latitude and longitude, or other qualification, frequently employing a GPS device or smartphone with GPS to determine the object's hiding place. Users also discuss their geocaching experiences on active site forums.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

Geocaching hunts range from simple but exciting challenges to complex problem-solving adventures. Parents may want to remain heavily involved in the chase, instead of letting kids roam on their own; with a little help, the activity can be a good chance to reinforce valuable geography, map reading, and other skills and get your kids excited about exploring the world around them. After entering coordinates into a computer, GPS device, or phone, kids can track down hidden geocache packages, which are ranked by difficulty level and terrain rating. Many just contain a logbook or trinkets; but the contents really aren't the important part. With geocaching, getting there is more than half the fun -- and, as an added bonus, because users are encouraged to replace any items they remove, kids will get a bonus lesson in good citizenship.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about friending users you don't know. Should you accept all friend requests you get, even if you don't know the person?

  • What problems could arise from contacting total strangers on the site and finding something they've hidden in the real world? If they've posted the location on the site, does that mean it's safe?

  • You may find information about dozens of items in your area. How much time should you spend checking things out on a site like Geocaching? How much time should you spend online each day, in general?

Website Details

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