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Go Out & Play! Geocaching and Other Great Outdoor Ideas for Gifted Kids Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Out & Play! Geocaching and Other Great Outdoor Ideas for Gifted Kids Carolyn Kottmeyer

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Go Out & Play! Geocaching and Other Great Outdoor Ideas for Gifted Kids

Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Outside! Benefits…

• Resurrecting Free Play in Young Children: Looking Beyond Fitness and Fatness to Attention, Affiliation and Affect

• Health benefits from outdoor play are only one aspect…

• Cognitive benefits from play in nature, including creativity, problem-solving, focus and self-discipline.

• Social benefits include cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness.

• Emotional benefits include stress reduction, reduced aggression and increased happiness

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Outside! Critical for development…

• Nature and Childhood Development

• Play in nature, particularly during the critical period of middle childhood, appears to be an especially important time for developing the capacities for creativity, problem-solving, and emotional and intellectual development

• Direct experiences with nature [are becoming] less and less available to children

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Outside! Better Test Scores…

• Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California

• Focused on at-risk youth, 56% of whom reported never having spent time in a natural setting, compared impact on students who experienced the outdoor education program versus those who had not. Major findings:

• 27% increase in measured mastery of science concepts;

• enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills;

• gains in self-esteem;

• gains in positive environmental behavior; and

• gains in problem-solving, motivation to learn, and classroom behavior@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Outside! Reduce ADHD…

• Could exposure to everyday green spaces help treat ADHD? Evidence from children's play settings

• Children who regularly play in green settings (Big Trees & Grass and Open Grass) have milder ADHD symptoms than children who play in built outdoor and indoor settings

• Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park

• Children concentrated better after walking in a park, and the effect of walking in a park on concentration helped close the gap between children with ADHD and those without; that the effect was similar to that of two common types of ADHD medication

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Outside! Buffer from Stress…

• Nearby Nature: A Buffer of Life Stress Among Rural Children

• Even a view of nature—green plants and vistas—helps reduce stress among highly stressed children

• The more plants, green views and access to natural play areas, the more positive the results!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Go Outside! Save the Earth!

• Learning to Love the Natural World Enough to Protect It

• Positive, direct experience in the out-of-doors and being taken outdoors by someone close to the child—a parent, grand parent, or other trusted guardian—are the two most significant contributing factors [to individuals choosing to take action to benefit the environment when they are adults]

• www.childrenandnature.org/research/volumes/C16/16/

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

How children lost the right to roam in four generations

• When George Thomas was eight he walked everywhere. It was 1926 and his parents were unable to afford the fare for a tram, let alone the cost of a bike and he regularly walked six miles to his favourite fishing haunt without adult supervision.

• Fast forward to 2007 and Mr. Thomas's eight-year-old great-grandson Edward enjoys none of that freedom. He is driven the few minutes to school, is taken by car to a safe place to ride his bike and can roam no more than 300 yards from home.

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

How children lost the right to roam in four generations

• The report's author, Dr William Bird, the health adviser to Natural England and the organiser of a conference on nature and health, believes children's long-term mental health is at risk. He has compiled evidence that people are healthier and better adjusted if they get out into the countryside, parks or gardens.

• "Studies have shown that people deprived of contact with nature were at greater risk of depression and anxiety. Children are getting less and less unsupervised time in the natural environment."

• Dailymail.co.uk/news/article-462091/How-children-lost-right-roam-generations.html

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

The problem: We need…

• An outdoor activity

• As mentally stimulating as a computer game

• Can be done anywhere, in any outdoor environment

• Kids can participate in alone or with parents or companions (and is interesting to all!)

• Can be done regularly

• Widens kids’ outdoor range

• Encourages time in and observation of nature

The Solution is… Geocaching!Get Out and Play!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Geocaching is…

• “A worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure“

• Something for all ages and physical abilities

• As easy or hard as you make it

• Wherever you are!

• Over 2.1 million geocaches and over 5 million geocachers worldwide as of August 2013!

• Geocaching starts where our families are—at home on the computer or tablet—and moves outdoors!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Geocaching is…

• Individual, family or group activity, and you can often bring the geo-dog!

• Outdoors in City, Suburbs, or Rural areas

• Parks, historical locations, geologic features, hidden secrets

• Map-reading skills, GPS tracking

• Search and observation skills

• Solve puzzle caches (at home or “site” puzzles)

• Meet others of all ages at Geocaching Events

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Inside “cave” with geocache, Wissahickon Park, Philadelphia (under the Indian Statue!)

Geocache view in South Hadley, Massachusetts, near Mount Holyoke College campus

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Visit Geocaching.com

• Sign up for free account (Premium account available)

• Watch “getting started” videos

• Locate caches on geocaching.com, then find outside!

• Log your finds

• Track geocoins and travel bugs

• Log your trackables

• Place your own caches!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Cache types…

Traditional Cache Earth Cache

Multi Cache Letterbox Hybrid Cache

Mystery (Puzzle) Cache WhereIGo Cache

Event/ Mega Event Cache Webcam Cache

CITO Event Cache (Cache In, Trash Out)

Virtual Cache

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

What does a cache look like?

• Micro (and Nano)

• Small prescription bottle, film canister, magnetic key holder (MKH), Nano

• Small

• Sandwich-size Lock-n-Lock, plastic mayo, pickle or peanut butter jar

• Regular

• Ammo can, large Lock-n-Lock, wholesale-club-size plastic jar

• Large

• Construction job box, full-size barrel

• Unknown

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Raiders of the Lost Cache! Mt. Gretna Pennsylvania

December 22, 2012… We’re Still Here!

The Giant's Kettles of Bulls Bridge, Earthcache, Kent Connecticut

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Geocaching Tools

• Computer at home: Geocaching.com

• GPS or Smartphone to use outdoors

• Smartphone app Geocaching.com (iPhone or Android) or C:Geo (Android)

• Or use Google maps

• Pen to sign the log

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Optional Geocaching Tools

• Log removal tool (tweezers)

• Wet wipes / sunscreen / hat / bug repellent / orange vest

• Travel Bugs or Geocoins (Trackables)

• SWAG / Trade items

• Trash Bags for CITO

• Replacement log sheets

• Ready to place cache containers

• Camera!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

View near cache, St. Louis Missouri

Ammo can cache in Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania View from cache in

the old cell phone parking lot, PHL

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Trackables: Geocoins and Travel Bugs

• Coin or tag with unique number

• Trackable on Geocaching.com

• Move others’ trackables or start your own!

• Track progress on map…

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Spiky and his new friends, the Girlies!

Spiky caching in Arizona…

Spiky at Chincoteague Island, with his new friend Crabs…

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Hoagies’ Gifted: Geocaching 101

• Geocaching 101: How to find your first cache

• Signing up at Geocaching.com

• Selecting your first cache

• Find it & Log it

• Trackables

• Buying a GPS or Using your Smartphone

• Acronyms and Terms

• Geocaching 102: More fun with Geocaching!

• Geocaching 103: Using Premium Membership Features…

• HoagiesGifted.org/geocaching101.htm

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Where could it be?

• Attached to something metal: guardrail, lamp post

• (Most) Lamp post skirts lift up!

• Under a pile of sticks or stones

• In plain sight… camouflage!

• In a knot hole, stump or drilled into a fat twig

• Difficulty and Terrain matter (D/T on cache listing)

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

What’s inside a cache?

• The LOG!

• Pen/pencil (if you’re lucky, it writes)

• SWAG (take some, leave some if possible)

• Trackable items (don’t take one unless you’re going to move it along)

• Local information (park maps, historical info, etc.)

• Hints for other caches!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Geocaching… fun anywhere!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Puzzle Caches?

• Sudoku, Word Search, Simple substitution cipher

• Clues hidden in pictures, morphing photos, YouTube videos

• Cut and assemble 20-sided “die” for clues

• Clues hidden in a series of other caches

• Links or clues hidden in source code of ?cache web page

• Answers found in Wikipedia or Google

• Site puzzles – you must visit site to find clues!

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Other Outdoor Activities

• Letterboxing Letterboxing.org

• Follow clues from a starting point (no GPS or Smartphone)

• Exchange stamps

• Some overlap with Geocaching

• High-Pointing Highpointers.org

• Visit the highest point in each of the 50 states

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Other Outdoor Activities

• Benchmarking

• Visit National Geodetic Survey (NGS) locations

• Geocaching.com/mark

• Waymarking Waymarking.com

• Visit interesting locations around the globe

• Degree Confluence Project Confluence.org

• Visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location

Go Out & Play

Geocaching and Other Great Outdoor Ideas for Gifted Kids

Questions?

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Bring to presentation…

• GPS, smartphone

• Pen, flashlight

• Containers: Ammo can, Lock-n-lock, film canister, MKH, bison tube, nano, electrical plate, bolt, thermometer

• Replacement logs, SWAG, CITO bag

• Travel bugs and geocoins

• Load local geo-map, puzzle caches in browser

• (optional) Walking stick

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

@2013 Carolyn Kottmeyer

Puzzles Caches… (thanks to StampMyArt)

• Midnight Train – clues in picture www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC42T57

• Burning Down the House – clues in morphing video? Source code?www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC42FD8

• NBR Icosahedron – cut-and-construct Icosahedronwww.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC42Y4D

• Sudoku of Suburbia – solve Sudoku puzzlewww.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC3ACG5

• No Sugar Tonight in My Coffee – lengths of original song releaseswww.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC42KVB