Can You Dig It? Geocaching in the Classroom

A high-tech twist on the treasure hunt, geocaching is a fun way to take learning outdoors

By Anna Adam and Helen Mowers -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2007

Searching for buried treasure, deciphering a map, and encountering mysterious clues along the way—sound like fun? It’s geocaching, a cool new activity that offers all the outdoor adventure and intriguing pursuit of a traditional treasure hunt, with a high-tech twist: Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. Armed with these tracking devices, enthusiastic participants hide and seek “caches” all over the world. If you’re looking to create a high-impact lesson—and don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty—consider geocaching. Few learning tools could be more appealing to kids.

Let’s say your students are doing a Civil War study. They read accounts of the battle at Gettysburg and, perhaps, even get to visit the actual site. Now imagine combing the battlefield in pursuit of a cache (that’s the “treasure” in geocaching, typically just a notebook and a trinket or two encased in Tupperware or some other container). You watch as students examine a monument and discover a clue, leading them to the next location. Solving each query in turn reveals more and more about the devastating conflict, the sacrifices made, and the pivotal role this seemingly unremarkable patch of farmland played in our nation’s history (This cache, along with the other links mentioned in this article are available at techchicktips.net/slj/07Aug.) The students are really getting into the search now, while at the same time engaging important content and making authentic connections—that’s the potential of geocaching.

Whether it’s tracking a cache in central Pennsylvania, the Nevada desert, or New York’s Central Park, a host of intriguing adventures awaits you online, with numerous activities freely available for all ages. Geocaching—The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site is among the most popular resources and a good place to start. Registration is free (though a reasonably priced premium subscription increases available features of the site). After signing up, you can search a database, which allows you to find a geocaching project based on various criteria, such as state and zip code. Say you’re planning a class trip to our nation’s capital. There are at least 28 caches hidden within a mile of the White House. (Terra Caching and NaviCache are other good places to find a project.)

Activities are also rated by difficulty (some caches are well camouflaged, with others in plain sight) and terrain (so you can determine if you’ll be climbing hills, encountering rocky areas, etc.). The “treasures” themselves vary in appearance. “Microcaches,” for example, can be as small as a 33mm film canister, allowing room for only a tiny logbook, in which finders enter their name and date. Other, larger caches may contain a little toy or other inexpensive token meant to be taken and swapped for another item or left in place for the next finder. Some caches you may be expected to log online (called “travel bugs” at Geocache.com) or move to another location, spinning off a whole new geocache.

Other “attributes” will help you determine if a particular cache is right for you. For example, one potential listing might have a low level of difficulty (one star out of five) and easy terrain (one star out of five). Icons for various attributes additionally indicate that the cache is kid- and even pet-friendly, accessible by bike and stroller, with restrooms and drinking water available nearby.

Once you select a cache to investigate, you’ll need a GPS device in which to enter the cache’s waypoints (geographic coordinates). A decent handheld GPS device can be purchased for under $100, and some cell phones offer this functionality, as well. Although geocaching may seem easy—just plug in the coordinates and find your way there—many factors play into the hunt. Difficult terrain may require a detour or two. Caches can be buried underground or hidden in the knotholes of trees or some other creative location. But watch out for geomuggles—non-cachers—who might grow suspicious at seeing you circling around with a handheld device or excavating a cache.

Once a geocache has been located, take or leave an item as instructed and add your information in the logbook. Then be sure to carefully return the cache to its hiding spot. Later, you can add comments about the cache online.

If you don’t live near a national historic site or don’t own a GPS device, there’s virtual geocaching. Seekers can enter a cache’s coordinates into a program such as Google Earth and enjoy a little armchair treasure hunting (see April 2007 “Got the World on a Screen,” pp. 40–42).

You might try your hand at hiding a cache. If students are researching a local historical event, for example, consider having them devise a cache involving some related trivia. But remember: hiding your treasure on private property is a no-no without the owner’s permission, and public areas may have their own restrictions. The physical container should be somewhat waterproof (plastic or metal) and large enough to accommodate a logbook, trinkets to share, and any information you want to leave for finders. The container should also be labeled as to its purpose—in case of discovery by geomuggles. Finally, providing an accurate set of coordinates is vital. Some geocachers will take several readings and average them for the best location. For details on creating a cache, visit www.geocaching.com/about/hiding.aspx.

Variations of geocaching include Terra Clues. This online puzzle uses Google Maps to lead seekers on geographic “Terra Hunts,” but no coordinates are given. Instead, participants follow a series of clues leading to different places on the map. Clue hunters scour the Internet for the answers, then key in the location of the answer into the Google Map within Terra Clues. Successfully solving a clue leads you to the next. Hunts are ranked by difficulty, and clues are provided in a number of ways, based on multiple subjects, for instance, or centered on a common theme. In the Age of Exploration hunt, students provide information about various explorers to find places on the map, while a Famous Quotations hunt involves the origins of famous quotes. There’s even a hunt based on the TV show MythBusters. The site also allows teachers to create private areas, where they can restrict student access to specific hunts. Even better, teachers and students can create their own TerraHunts to share globally. Kids select locations, create clues, and complete an online form to activate their hunt. They can choose to share their clues and monitor comments about their project.

Google Earth provides another option: a couch-potato method of hiding caches. It involves using placemarks, a tool with which students and educators can specify the location of a cache. Placemarks—which can include descriptions, images, and links that you want to share with other users—can also be used to note that a location has been discovered. While placemarks are typically intended to take a user directly to that location, you have the option of setting another view. In other words, your placemark can point to Timbuktu, but when someone double-clicks it, the globe in Google Earth will spin them around to Milwaukee. This will help prevent cheating by hunters, requiring them to use Google Earth’s search function with the name of the location. The clues themselves can be provided through email, a Web site, or a second placemark properly positioned at the starting location.

Libraries are a perfect place to stage a virtual scavenger hunt. “Going on Safari” could be one theme. In this geocache, you could provide clues based on all the books in your collection that have to do with that topic. Having each clue build on the previous one adds a fun element of suspense. And, if you can arrange it, hide actual caches, which you can expand to the surrounding community so parents and kids can enjoy the hunt together. Answers to clues could also be derived from books from a recommended reading list. You could even offer a prize or actual treasure that can be collected after all the clues have been solved.

Geocaching provides engaging opportunities for learning about history, math, science—the possibilities are limited only by the imagination. Unleash your inner explorer and get caching!

All of the links provided in this article can be accessed at techchicktips.net/slj/07Aug.