Take Your Family on an Adventure!

Looking for a great outdoor activity for your family? Try letterboxing or geocaching! Two very similar activities, these family friendly adventures are accessible all over the country, in both urban and rural areas.

According to Wikipedia:
"Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes usually contain a logbook and a rubber stamp. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp on their personal logbook, and leave an impression of their personal stamp on the letterbox's logbook—as proof of having found the box. Many letterboxers keep careful track of their "find count"."

For great information on how to get started letterboxing, click here!

According to Geocaching.com:
"Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache."

For more information about Geocaching and how to get started, click here.

Our family has tried both, with each trip producing varied results, and although we prefer geocaching, both are great fun and the benefits are almost limitless! Some ideas:

• Education: Teach your child about maps, plants, rocks, animals, navigation, etc.
• Fitness & Nutrition: Choose a route that challenges you all to break a sweat and pack appropriate healthy snacks- remember to stay hydrated!
• Family bonding: Tell family anecdotes, sing songs, or make up chants, as you walk.
• Make your own art: Pack your camera and/or coloring pencils, paint or other mediums along with paper/canvas. Pick a spot and snap, paint or draw your own art!