Tom Jones Katherine Jones AKA : tomkat87

Fox news…video

High tech form of hide & seek

Grown out of the use of personal GPSr’s(receivers)

And public access to satellite usage (22 active)

www.geocaching.com Catalogs over 740,000 caches

worldwide by almost 65,000 active cachers

5124 active caches in Missouri 5789 in Oklahoma 6985 in Arkansas 6313 in Kansas

Four simple rules to Geocaching

1. Take something (if you like)2. Leave something, if you take

something3. Log your visit in the logbook

(inside the cache)4. Log your visit online at

geocaching.com

Register for a free membership. Click "Hide & Seek a Cache." Enter your postal code and click "search." Choose any geocache from the list and click on its

name. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your

GPS Device. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the

hidden geocache. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its

original location. Share your geocaching stories and photos online.

 Greyed out links are only available to Premium Members.

N 37° 05.092 W 094° 28.874  [Other Conversions]UTM: 15S E 368348 N 4105313  SW*11.5 mi from your home coordinates In Missouri, United States [View Map]

 Size:        (Micro)

     

Difficulty: 

     Terrain: (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)

A walk in the park A  cache by SpiritGuide Hidden:2/4/2009

GC1MCQV

Sample Cache

Additional Hints ( Encrypt )  “NOT... I said I wanted it to be more

difficult than usual.” Inventory Logged Visits and spoilers Map Visit the gallery (images)

Traditional Multi-stage Puzzle cache Letterbox (hybrid) Whereigo Geocaching event or MEGA event Cache in trash out (CITO)

(these are types of caches out there still to seek, but not available to place new ones)

Earthcache

Virtual cache

Webcam cache

Traditional Ammo Case Tupperware Hide a key 35 mm film canister Thermos Nano Bison tube

PVC pipes Wooden logs Light plate switch cover Bolts Pine cone Grass blades…(that’s just

mean)

At least 500’ from existing cache Get permission See rules for placing caches at

geocaching.com Get creative Caches cannot be placed at schools For school you probably won’t use the web

site Place/create caches on campus locally for

your students only

Integrate fun and intrigue of caching as a hook to teach a concept

Localize your caches instead of using the website

There are a number of established caches that can be used to teach

Use what you know and add caching/gpsr to the mix

Ideas: Coordinates can be at different types of

trees on campus. Groups use the gpsr to locate and identify the tree at each location

Coordinates can be used in math N 37* 05.0B1 W 094* 28.A7C (solve ABC) (A

= 874-871) (A=3) etc… Practice adding and subtracting 3 digit

numbers to come up with GPS coordinates to travel from one cache or location to another.

Buy a travel bug, class sets the goal and track it using email and geocaching.com (It could be months before activity is recorded after initial trek)

The following web site has tons of ideas for using your gpsr in the classroom:

http://edublog.sedck12.org/media/blogs/GPS/Geocaching_Classroom_Ideas.pdf

data collection, discovery learning, self-guided tours, travel bugs, earth caches, area/perimeter calculation

historical tours, story creation, calculate slope, team building, puzzle solving, map creation...

Create a multi-cache, and require students to do different math functions or problems to come up with the correct numbers for the next location.

• Weather. "In our fifth grade caches, we will have a log book, thermometer/ hygrometer, cloud chart, and directions. We will ask people to log the date and time, as well as a general description of the weather conditions, a comment on clouds overhead (if any), and the temperature and humidity.**" The cache finders will log this information and collect the data for you!

• Send your students to a coordinateand have students write a descriptionof the object they find there or adescription of what they see therefacing a certain direction.

Adventure Quests Pocket Decoders Coins and other products Thanks to Jim Berk for prizes

Thecachingplace.com

Any questions?

Tom Jones tjones@jasper.k12.mo.us

I hope you get excited about geocaching and use gps receivers in your classroom