The Maritime Geocaching Association

Ask your children if they want to go outdoors for a hike, and you’ll likely hear moans of protest as they turn back to their screens. Invite them on a high-tech treasure hunt for a “geocache,” and they’ll start peppering you with questions as they put on their shoes and head for the door.

Geocaching has never failed to fascinate the kids I’ve introduced to it, and it’s a great way to get children out of the door and onto the trail.

Seven tips for geocaching with kids:

• Engage kids in every step, from learning to use the GPS, to selecting and finding caches.
• Bring water, bug repellent, and hats on cache hunts.
• Let kids find the cache after arriving at the coordinates.
• Educate kids on the “take one, leave one” ethic of cache treasures.
• Pack out your own trash, or better yet, show the kids a great example by packing out other trash you may find along the way.
• Bring a camera and notepad and pen (to write down numbers of trackable items).
• Integrate science, history, geography, or geology lessons.