SOL # 2 out of 31
Geocaching for the classroom?
Still on the excited, adventure-fueled high from seeking and finding geocaches with my family recently, ideas for incorporating geocaching into the classroom ignite in my brain.
Several of my students even convinced their parents to take them geocaching over the weekend after hearing about my geocaching tales. It was thrilling to hear their personal geocache adventures when they returned to school. I wanted to capitalize on this motivation and engagement that this ‘treasure hunt” created in my students. So I started thinking of ideas.......
We could hide our own geocache somewhere in our town. Maybe by the lake, in the park, downtown by the old schoolhouse. Can you imaging how many visitors we’d have? Then we could monitor and see all the people who found our cache as they “log” their “finds” online. Cool!
or
We could even hide a cache that has a “mission”. They actually have little trackable devices that you can put inside your cache. When people locate your cache, they help the cache on its mission by taking it to another location. Each trackable is etched with a code that can be used to log its movements on Geocahing.com as it travels in the real world. So not only would we be able to see the people who log their find of our cache but we could follow the location and movement of or cache online! Possible missions might be to travel coast to coast, or travel to as many counties in Missouri as possible (wouldn’t that have been fun when we studied MO in 4th grade?) or why not try to reach all 48 contiguous states? (That would have been some real-time learning that we could track as we were learning the states and capitals this year in 5th grade)
Cute book & starter set that could support the geocaching classroom!
Wouldn’t they love that!?! It might be too late for me to try it this year, but maybe I will give it a go next year.
Would you do this with your class?
Can you see the benefits?
Do you have other ideas?
This is a wonderful idea. Now I am intrigued so I will read your first post that got you started with the March slicing. Thanks for the title of the book. I must admit I never heard of geocaching before. Let's continue connecting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and you've got to try it! There are geocaches hidden all around you, I promise! It is fun for all ages!
ReplyDeleteI am giving you a Wonderopolis link to read about geocaching. http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-geocaching Have you tried out Wonderopolis? It is a fabulous site for parents and educators.
ReplyDeleteWhoo Hoo! Thank you! That is very comprehensive. I can't wait to explore and use that site! Thanks
DeleteI think your students would enjoy having a geocache to monitor. Good idea! That would teach them many lessons!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Students in the upper grades could create a geocache for the younger students. Thank you for sharing the book, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, Cyndi! Your students would love this adventure. Maybe they can be mentors to young geocachers at the Primary!
ReplyDelete