Lockdown is going on for a long time. I know we shouldn’t complain as we are safe at home but it can be tiring walking the same paths every day. A few weeks into lockdown we tried geocaching again. This is something we have dipped into over the last 10 years and have always enjoyed.

Ideas for making walks with kids fun

There are a number of different things we’ve tried to keep our kids entertained on walks. Our children love being outside but the idea of just going for a walk doesn’t excite them. There are a few different things we’ve tried and have been successful with an 8 and 10 year old.

Over the last few weeks we’ve tried identifying trees and flowers using the free app British Trees from the Woodland Trust. This helps you identify trees using features such as shape of leaf, colour of bark, fruit or flowers. We aren’t always successful but my 8 year old enjoys using it. When you’ve identified a tree you can take a photo and add the location to the app, which is handy if it’s a walk you do often.

We’ve played Pokemon Go! A lot. I wasn’t a huge fan of my children using my phone whilst we’re out, but if it stops them being bored on a walk then anything goes. My daughter loves Pokemon but it took her a while to get into using Pokemon Go. She managed to connect with a few of her friends online and enjoys using this free app.

Geocaching with kids (and a puppy)

One thing both the children enjoy is geocaching. Anyone can download the free Geoaching app from the App Store and get started. It’s a simple treasure hunt using GPS. The geocache is using a physical container which vary from small film cannisters to larger boxes.

When you’ve found the geocache you can sign the little log book and perhaps pick up a trackable. A trackable usually has a goal and the geocaching community helps Trackables reach them by moving them from cache to cache. We’ve placed a few Trackables over the last few weeks, as well as placing our first geocache.

We’ve paid for premium membership, which means we can do more of the geocaches via the official app, although the basic level is perfectly fun and adequate. Looking for geocaches is a really fun way to get the whole family out for a walk, and they are often placed close enough to each other that you can do a few on a decent walk. We make sure we always carry a few stickers to leave in the log book and a few treats to leave in the larger containers (such as badges or Lego cards).

Have you tried geocaching before?