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How to Geocache with Your Kids This Summer

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found a geocache
My family loves the outdoors. We’re always visiting one playground or another, and we’re blessed with a wide variety of parks to explore in our area. One thing that always makes the walk or hike more exciting is looking for a geocache! It’s like treasure hunting, except you don’t get rich from it—but you will get a sense of achievement and a story to tell. Plus, you can find ways to blend this summer activity with a review of skills like logic, map-reading, math, and deductive reasoning.

What Is a Geocache?

It could be anything, really. It’s an object that someone hides on purpose, recording its presence and coordinates so others can find it. Sometimes the geocache is a film canister or an empty pill bottle; other times it may be a plastic container or an ammo box. Inside, you’ll always find a log listing the names of all the other geocachers who have discovered that particular cache. You may also find some small items that people have left behind!

How to Start

Ask your older children to use their computer skills to look up Geocaching.com or Opencaching.us. Create an account and view maps of geocaches near you. Together, plan an outing to find one. You can ask your kids to record the coordinates and use a GPS to locate the geocache, or you can download the geocaching app to your phone.

The Hunt for the Geocache

Finding the “treasure” isn’t always easy. You’ll notice that caches have different ratings, depending on how difficult they are to find. Be sure that you begin with caches that are rated easy to locate, so your kids can have the experience of discovering one. You may want to have your oldest carry the phone with the geocaching app. Other kids can take turns reading the clues. Sometimes the clues or hints come in the form of puzzles to solve! As you walk, explain the concept of coordinates and how they can help a person find a specific point on the globe.

hidden geocacheDiscovery . . . or Not

The first time our family hunted for a geocache, we found a delightful one nestled in a birdhouse in the forest. Our most recent trip was disappointing; we never did locate the ammo box with the log in it. If you have small kids who might become discouraged by this, it may help to bring along a small reward for their efforts, or have another fun activity planned after your treasure hunt.

Take One, Leave One

In many cases, the only thing inside the geocache will be the log. Have your children practice their handwriting skills by neatly signing the paper, right below the name of the last discoverer. Sometimes, there are also small items in the cache. The rule of geocaching is that you may take one item if you leave an item in its place. We have found or left coins, bracelets, and tiny plastic toys.

Geocaching is an excellent way to get outdoors together as a family. If some of your kids are reluctant to hike or walk in nature, the idea of a treasure hunt may inspire a different attitude. Check out some geocaches this summer, and use the experience to hone your kids’ skills in map-reading, observation, puzzle-solving, and reading. Ready, set, treasure hunt!

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Picnics with Friends at the Park

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food for picnics
Need an idea for a good summer activity with other homeschool families? Plan a picnic! Picnics are fun, inexpensive, simple to organize, and provide a great opportunity to fellowship with other homeschool families. Whether it’s just two families getting together or several, you can make a picnic as structured or laid back as you want. And what better place to have it than at a local park? With play areas and plenty of green space, it’s the perfect spot to let kids burn off energy while parents get a chance to chat.

First Things First

Now for the planning part, which is the most important in order to have a successful picnic. After you and the other families decide where and when to meet, make a list of possible activities that everyone can enjoy. For example, older children can participate in a scavenger hunt. Ask some of the parents to think of different objects to hide around the park, and then either write down clues or draw a map for the kids to follow. Younger children can play games such as kickball, freeze tag, blind man’s bluff, dodgeball, and so on. They could also have a three-legged race or a water balloon toss. If the adults want, they can bring cornhole, croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes, or other simple games. Some familes can volunteer to bring the necessary items for these different activities.

Getting the Word Out

Social media, email, and texts are great ways to communicate and coordinate more efficiently. There should be at least one “point person” the group can contact with information and questions. This will help avoid confusion and ensure that all the details are taken care of. Whichever method you use to communicate, send out a simple list of what each family is bringing.

Chow Time

Of course, there’s another very important part of the picnic—the food! It may be easiest to have each family bring their own food and drinks; but if people choose to, they can sign up to bring their favorite dishes to share with everyone else. Again, send out a list of what each family is contributing. And remind families to bring their own plates, cups, plasticware, and napkins.

Go with the Flow

Now all that’s left is to come and enjoy a good time with other families at your well-planned summer picnic! Be willing to be flexible; you may find that some of the children would rather stay on the playground than join in organized activities, or that the adults prefer to eat and talk instead of playing games. That’s OK; remember, the goal is to fellowship and have fun with local homeschoolers, and having a picnic is one of the best ways to do just that.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Educational Summer Activities Your Kids Will Love

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educational summer activities
It’s finally summer break! Your kids are thrilled, but you may already be looking for ways to keep them occupied once the novelty of their freedom wears off. Plus, you’re eager to engage them in learning so they keep their minds fresh for the upcoming school year. Fight the summer slump by planning educational summer activities your kids will love!

Visit a Children’s Museum

Across the country, children’s museums offer kids space to learn, explore, and play. Exhibits often educate children about basic physics or biology concepts as well as other topics including architecture, geology, health, and recycling. From climbing walls to demonstrations, children’s museums are the perfect spot to spend a hot summer day. You may have one in your city; if not, there’s probably one within easy driving distance.

Take a Hike

Nature walks or hikes provide you with plenty of opportunities to reinforce what your children learned throughout the homeschool year. They can bring along notebooks to record what they see and small bags to collect specimens and interesting finds. Your little artists can sketch objects in nature or take photos, while your analytical children may enjoy measuring leaves or weighing rocks. In addition to the beneficial exercise, the kids can practice writing, math and measurement, making observations, and drawing conclusions.

Plan a Day Trip to a Local Landmark

Do you live near the site of a battlefield from the Revolutionary, Civil, or Mexican-American War? Maybe the house of a famous author or the birthplace of a renowned inventor is somewhere near your home. Visits to sites of historical significance make fun, educational summer activities—and often admission is cheap or free! Many of these locations also feature small museums with artifacts, activities, or presentations to enjoy.

More Educational Summer Activities

Looking for additional enjoyable and educational summer activities? Bug-catching is a great way to help your kids brush up on their insect knowledge. A STEM activity like kite-making challenges your children to experiment with shapes and structures to figure out which designs fly best in the summer breeze, while growing flowers or vegetables helps children understand growth cycles and plant life more deeply.

Visit the library and let the kids stock up on DVDs, books, and music CDs. To keep last year’s learning fresh in their minds, assign a couple pages each day from BJU Press Vacation Stations review books. With these activities, plus plenty of time to amuse themselves, your children are sure to have an exciting and educational summer!

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Library Card: Your Passport to Summer Reading Adventure

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summer reading
If you’re like me, you’re getting ready to pack away the school books and enjoy a well-earned summer break. Family vacations, camp, swimming lessons, play dates, later bedtimes, vacation Bible school, and the Fourth of July are just a few of the activities we all have to look forward to.

Time for Summer Reading

One of our family’s favorite summer pastimes is participating in our local library’s reading program. What could be better than stretching out in the sun (or in a nice air-conditioned house) with a good book? Or a pile of good books for that matter? A summer reading program is an excellent opportunity for kids to develop reading habits and continue to learn new things. It also encourages them to set realistic goals by keeping track of how much they read. They can do this by logging their hours or books online or by filling a chart with stickers that the library provides.

I always enjoy watching my daughters’ excitement build as they add stickers and get closer to reaching their goals. And as kids complete so many hours or books, they earn a small prize; for example, a pencil for every five books or five hours spent reading, a medal for the next five, a coupon for a free food item for the next five, and so forth. If a child finishes the reading program in due time, they’ll receive a bigger prize. But for me, the best reward is seeing my girls grow in their love for reading and develop greater reading comprehension. The more they read, the more they learn; and the more they want to learn, the more they want to read. It’s a beautiful cycle!

Time for Fun

Besides the reading program, libraries also offer many fun educational events throughout the summer. Our family has experienced a petting zoo, seen a professional juggler, participated in a puppet show, and even met a real beaver belonging to one of our own “next-town” neighbors—all at our local library! Many of these shows have piqued our daughters’ interest in certain subjects and encouraged them to check out books related to them. This further stimulates their love of learning and reading.

Time for Outreach

Most importantly, these library events provide good opportunities to meet other families in the community for potential gospel outreach. Your family can be salt and light before your local librarians too. Conversations about reading, school, and your children may lead to spiritual topics. We should always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks the reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15).

So as you start filling out your summer calendar, remember to include a library reading program. Books are waiting to be read, imaginations are ready to be kindled, and souls may be prepared to hear the good news of salvation.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves being able to homeschool them. During her own twelve years of homeschooling, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Critical Thinking for Godly Living

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lighting up critical thinking
As home educators, we want our children to be able to think for themselves with the Bible as their foundation of thought. Hopefully, we are teaching our children how to use logic, deduction, and reasoning to solve problems in their schoolwork and in serving their neighbors. If we teach them only how to memorize facts and manufacture answers, we are not sufficiently preparing them for college and life as adults.

Biblical Worldview Thinking

But critical thinking must extend beyond our children’s education to their spiritual lives as well. If we teach our kids only how to memorize Bible facts and recite verses, we are not sufficiently preparing them for their lifelong relationship with the Lord. If we think that attending church and participating in programs will provide our children adequate spiritual training, we’re grievously mistaken. It can be a temptation for parents to drill critical thinking into their children’s schooling while doing very little to encourage it in their Christian walk. They miss crucial opportunities to discuss God’s Word and help their children understand and apply it to their lives. If we’re not careful, we can operate on spiritual autopilot and go through the motions of worshiping God without giving it much thought.

Training Them to Think

So how can we teach our children to think critically about spiritual matters? One way is to ask lots of “how” and “why” questions. For instance, let’s say your child is memorizing John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Ask questions such as, “Who is the Lamb of God? Why is He described as a lamb? How can He take away the sins of the world?” Sunday dinner is a great opportunity to talk about the Scriptures you heard in the sermon. Ask your children what they learned from the message (or the lesson they heard in Sunday school). What was the main point? How could they apply the message to their lives? Was there anything they didn’t understand? Family devotions is another great time to foster children’s ability to think through God’s Word. Take time to discuss and ask thought-provoking questions about the passage you read. Give them time to think it over, and try not to feed them the answers during an awkward silence. They may not get all the answers right, and that’s OK.

They may struggle to put their thoughts into words, and that’s OK too! You’re training them to meditate on God’s Word. Another time to teach critical thinking is when your child sees or hears something that contradicts God’s Word (in the news, on the playground, etc.). Instead of just telling your children, “That’s wrong, we don’t do that,” ask them why it’s wrong and how it dishonors God. See if they can quote a verse that backs up their reasons.

Training Them to Live

If we want to prepare our children for spiritual success, then we must use this crucial developmental phase to teach them critical thinking about His Word.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves being able to homeschool them. During her own twelve years of homeschooling, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.