We have recently discovered a great new way to spend time as a family. A family doctor, whose own child has ADHD, had recommended Geocaching, which we have come to understand as a little-discussed adventure/sport/game/hobby. I’m really not sure which of those fits best!
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt in which the participants use a GPS, or a global positioning system receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers called geocaches or caches, anywhere in the world. Typically, the cache is a small waterproof container holding a logbook and some small trinkets as the treasure. This game became popular after the GPS satellite systems were upgraded to become more accurate, around 10 years ago. Currently, there are over 814,000 active caches hidden around the world.
The concept originated about 150 years ago as “Letterboxing”. In Letterboxing, the clues were based upon the tools of the day such as compasses, verbal clues and paces in specific directions from different landmarks. While this is still active, it does not seem to be as active as Geocaching.
So why do these games seem well suited for the ADHDr’s of the world? It is suitable for the young to the old. Some caches are considered “park and grabs”, meaning that you can practically pull your car right up to the site. Others are more challenging, requiring a hike into deep woods or mountains. They often get us out into the therapeutic, green outdoors. And lastly, the novelty of each adventure seems to keep the attention of the ADHDr’s, with our curiosity getting the best of us.
For those who would like more information, I would suggest these sites:
Happy hunting!
- Chris
