geocaching

Our first find of the day! A glass bottle hidden in a tree.

Hannah signing the roster.

Trading treasures in and out of the cache.

A tiny geocache with a tiny roster to sign.

I had read about geocaching before in Family Fun magazine and thought it sounded like a fun thing to do with the kids, but I wasn't quite sure how it all worked. Lucky for us, I have a super-duper sister-in-law who invited us and showed us the ropes. Thanks Kerstin!

Basically, it's like going on a treasure hunt. You can find local caches by visiting this site, which gives you clues and coordinates. I was surprised how many caches there were just within a 2 mile radius of my house! The kids really get into it, and they can bring along little treasures to swap in and out of the caches, which are hidden and sealed containers. See, if you find a cache, they are typically filled with small trinkets and toys, and the rule is that if you take something out, you put something back in. Also, you can sign your team's code name on the roster, if there is one. For example, we are "Team T" {sweet, I know, the kids came up with it!}, and Kerstin's family is the "Fab 6."

Some of the geocaches are no bigger than the tip of my pinky finger...Ben found one of these "nanocaches" hanging in the middle of a giant pine tree! Obviously, that one didn't have any treasures inside, but a tiny scroll of paper was rolled inside for us to sign and date. Kerstin said that there are bigger ones up in the mountains filled with frisbees and bigger toys. How fun, huh?

Ben can't wait until we go again, he's completely obsessed.