Why Geocaching?

As a child, my favorite thing to do was solve puzzles. Any kind of puzzle was fine. I could sit hours at the beach working on logic problems or crosswords. Give my a jigsaw puzzle, and I wouldn't get up from the table until it was finished. Scavenger hunts were also a blast. My best friend and I would make up clues to solve and take turns pretending we were Nancy Drew. And even though I have little free time these days as a mom and teacher, I still love puzzles. (In fact, I keep a Suduko book in my nightstand for when I get the itch.) So when I came across an article in the newspaper a few months back in a magazine, I was immediately fascinated. The more I read, the more I knew integrating GPS technology with hands-on scavenger hunts would eventually be part of my curriculum. What a wonderful way for children to hold the world in their hands.

I am currently in the process of writing a grant to one of my school's accrediting agencies, FCIS, to purchase 10 hand-held GPS units and other needed supplies to integrate this technology into my classroom next year. If I don't get the grant, I'll figure out some other way to make it happen. In the mean time, I will try to learn as much as I can about the benefits and best practices of using geocaching in my curriculum.