| | | | Check a Cache: Your Kids Will Love You for It |
By Glenn A. Hascall
Video game manufacturers found customers intrigued when they introduced games that required physical movement to control the movements of the game. It is a combined video experience that requires the shunning of a couch potato persona.
While this has been a potential positive in the sedentary lifestyle we seem to lead in greater measure, there is another hi tech means of getting your children away from the TV and allows them to interact with the great outdoors and they absolutely love to hear you say, "Hey, wanna go check a cache?"
GPS unites are found in cell phones and in travel guidance systems in many new automobiles. These little marvels of science pay attention to the latitude and longitude of a location. They can tell you how fast you're going and in what direction (now my daughter knows if I speed or if I've gotten off track).
These units are the primary means of Geocaching. If you've never heard of this phenomenon then it's time to open your eyes to a new way to explore your world. In the world of Geocaching you are directed to a specific latitude and longitude to uncover a specific geographically located cache. Now you're probably not going to get rich on this little geographic treasure hunt, but your children will get to find a treasure, sign a log book, chose an item and leave another behind.
Some of these Geocache sites are in out of the way places that are very difficult to get to while others are found in city parks (the trick is to find them without being seen or caught by other park visitors).
In my family we've been out Geocaching every evening for the last five nights. The GPS unit was a birthday present for my eleven year-old and she's been able to explore places she never would have thought to visit on her own.
If you are a parent with a hand held GPS then this can be a way to remove yourselves from the fantasy world of television and make a few treks into a nearby park or perhaps someplace a little more remote to discover a mini-journal that is sometimes signed by international guests. You may find something you'd like to take, or you may just be happy to have found the cache.
This may be entirely new to you, but a quick online search can help you learn more about this sport that is suitable for all ages and to help you locate a few caches that may likely be within a short distance from your home.
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