If you were to name a few things that you enjoy doing outside, would geocaching make the list? Geocaching is an outdoor GPS-based scavenger hunt where participants use coordinates to hide or seek containers called geocaches, which are located all over the world.
Last week, I had the opportunity to help 150 fifth graders learn about geocaching at the Scandia Woods Environmental Learning Lab (SWELL) near Morris. While I was their outdoor education teacher, I encouraged youth to experience a "no walls" classroom with me as we geocached for treasure.
Geocaching is an engaging outdoor activity that offers numerous benefits for youth development.
Benefits of being outside
Young people are less connected to nature than ever before. According to the Children Nature Network, “today’s kids spend up to 44 hours per week in front of a screen, and less than 10 minutes a day playing outdoors."
Spending time in nature significantly enhances children's emotional, social and physical wellbeing. Engaging with natural environments fosters positive moods, reduces stress and promotes healthy physical development.
Additionally, outdoor activities encourage social interactions, teamwork and a sense of responsibility. These experiences contribute to a holistic foundation for overall health and development.
Geocaching is more than treasure hunting
Youth participating in geocaching are encouraged to strive toward a goal (finding the geocache) and practice positive stewardship of the outdoors, all while treasure hunting.
Operating a GPS device for geocaching also teaches youth valuable skills such as curiosity, navigation, problem-solving and teamwork, which are applicable in various aspects of life. In addition, the activity encourages goal setting, outdoor exploration and positive environmental responsibility.
After my day at SWELL, I was very proud to have encouraged my community’s youth to enjoy being outside. They spent five hours of outdoor classroom time being creative, adventurous and active learners.
What they and their teachers learned along the way was that the greatest treasure in geocaching isn't a physical object — it's the experience itself. The real treasure was the lessons of comradery, investigation, orienteering and positive stewardship that these youth learned along the way.
If you did not list geocaching as something you enjoy doing outside, will you give it a try now?
How to get started with geocaching
Follow these steps to give geocaching a try:
- Create a free account at Geocaching.com or download the official Geocaching app.
- Search for nearby caches using the map or list view.
- Pick a cache that suits your experience level. To do this, look at the difficulty/terrain rating.
- Navigate to the coordinates using your phone/GPS.
- Search and find the hidden cache.
- Sign the logbook and log your find in the app or website.
- Leave the cache and area as you found it, or better!
Stevens County Historical Society. “Swell.” Stevens County Historical Society Museum. Accessed October 7, 2025. https://www.stevenshistorymuseum.com/swell.
Scandia Woods Association. “Scandia Woods.” Accessed October 7, 2025. http://scandiawoods.org/
Children & Nature Network. “Children and Nature.” Accessed October 7, 2025. https://www.childrenandnature.org/.
Geocaching. “Geocaching.” Accessed October 7, 2025. http://geocaching.com.