by Karen Nichols
I've just returned from a Distance Learning Administration conference on Jekyll Island in Georgia. It's a small island that is part of the Golden Isles group and very green, ecofriendly and easily navigable on foot or bike. I discovered there were over a hundred "geocaches" just on that small island and many of them were environment, nature and/or ecology-themed. Until recently, I didn't know about geocaching even though it's been in existence since 2000.
What is Geocaching? Geocaching uses GPS-enabled devices to play an outdoor treasure hunting game. It's international in scope and easy to play. Basic membership is free. Here's a quick introductory video:
Jekyll Island is a sea turtle sanctuary and is home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center where the turtles are given medical treatment and the center offers educational exhibits and programming. A few of the geocaches had the sea turtle as the theme.
What a great way to get children excited about discovery and learning! In our Xavier zip code, 70125, there are over 900 geocaches so you can begin exploring today.