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Lesson 2: Get Geocaching!

Lesson in Brief

In this lesson, students get out there and get geocaching! This requires a bit of forward planning, but it’s worth the effort.

Things you will need • GPS devices with pre-loaded relevant geocaches*, or

GPS activated Smart phones – one for each group • Pencils • Small trinkets for swapping (optional) • Computers with internet connection • Sufficient adult supervision • Excursion permission slips • ‘Find Someone Who Knows’ sheet from previous

lesson • Pre-arranged meeting point

* For instructions on how to do this, check the information that comes with your GPS unit.

Lesson Description

Discussion

Challenge question from previous lesson: How did Geocaching begin? (Read the ‘Teacher Information’ section below.)

Health and Physical Education

Being healthy, safe and active.

English

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts (ACELY1717).

Geography

Pose geographical questions that range in complexity and guide deep inquiry, then speculate on their answers.

Present findings, choosing an appropriate communication method for more than one audience, using appropriate geographical tools and skills and geographical vocabulary.

Science

Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105).

Did anyone try geocaching after school yesterday? What did you discover?

Go through some of the key points learned from the previous lesson, especially the rules of geocaching, what you need and how to play.

Activity 1

Planning

Explain to the students what a Global Positioning System is and how it works (see the ‘Teacher Information’ section below). Divide the students in pairs or small groups. Hand out the GPS units to

Main Curriculum Links

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the students and give them a set time to try to see how they work. After a few minutes check for understanding, making sure students know how to use their GPS units properly.

Activity 2

Walk to meeting point

Everyone know the rules? Check.

Everyone have a pencil? Check.

Every group have an adult? Check.

Everyone have a GPS and downloaded caches? Check.

Every group have a watch? Check.

! Navigate the geocaching website to create a membership and find geocache locations.

! Use a GPS device to find geocaches.

! Write a story of their experiences and upload on to the geocaching website.

Let’s go! Walk to the meeting point.

NOTE: The organisation of this part of the lesson will depend on the availability of adult supervisors. Modify the lesson accordingly, for example by keeping the group together, if you don’t have enough adults for one per group.

Discussion

Reminder of safety issues and rules of geocaching. Organise a time to meet back at the point.

Activity 3

Get started!

Discussion

How’d you go? What did you learn? Any problems? Want to go again?

If there is time, go out again. (Teacher judgement is needed here. Going by the feel of the group, decide if you should go out again or get back to school.)

Activity 4

What’s your story?

In their journal, students write about their experiences. A one-sentence summary of the journal entry can be logged on the geocaching website over the next couple of days as computers become available.

Conclusion

Tell students that the next challenge will be to create a whole school letterboxing trail!

Learning Objectives

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Teacher Information

History of Geocaching

Up until the year 2000, accurate use of GPS signals were restricted to the military. This was known as selective availability (SA). Since the end of SA in the year 2000, the use of GPS technology has become very common. A science enthusiast, Dave Ulmer, was eager to test the accuracy of the new GPS technology. He placed a black bucket in the woods near his home and posted the coordinates on the internet, inviting people to “take some stuff, leave some stuff”. Within days, other GPS adventurers, had discovered the stash (that contained videos, books, software and other bits and pieces). Other people began to hide their own stashes and share the coordinates. Mike Teague was the first person to find the stash. He joined up with a web developer, Jeremy Irish, and so began geocaching.com!

Global Positioning System (GPS) and GPS units.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. According to a book called Geocaching

for Schools and Communities, by Taylor,Kremer, Pebworth and Werner, there are more than thirty GPS satellites that circle the earth in a similar manner to how the moon circles the earth.

Most GPS units can determine your approximate latitude, longitude and altitude to within two to six metres. Accuracy can be affected by tree cover, power lines, tall buildings and even cloud cover. The clearer the space, the better.

Some GPS units include a cable so that you can connect it to your computer, making it easy to load relevant caches. Waypoints, or selected points of interest such as a museum, a cache or airport, can easily be downloaded and stored on your GPS unit. A waypoint is basically the latitude and longitude of an object.

Read more about GPS units in the book Geocaching for Schools and Communities, by Taylor,Kremer, Pebworth and Werner, 2010, available from Amazon.

Letterboxing

For obvious reasons, geocaches cannot be placed in schools. So if you want to take your students geocaching, you will be venturing outside the gates of the school. This isn’t always possible but there is a more low-tech alternative to geocaching, letterboxing, which is a great way for kids to get started in school.

Letterboxing is an outdoor activity that combines parts of orienteering and puzzle solving. Just like geocachers, letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in public places, like parks. They then distribute clues in catalogues, on websites, or by word of mouth. Letterboxes contain a notebook

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and a unique rubber stamp. When a participant discovers the letterbox, they stamp their own notebook with the stamp from their box, then put their own stamp in the letterbox’s notebook. Hints and clues for finding the next letterbox can also be contained in each one.

If you are unable to take your class outside of the school grounds, or if you don’t yet have access to GPS units, letterboxing is a great alternative that your kids will really enjoy.