Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic as children lead an ever increasing sedentary life of sitting online socializing or playing video games in front of a TV (sometimes both at the same time!). Meanwhile government health officials sit around scratching their heads on how to get today’s youth interested and active in the outdoors. Thanks to Mike Theune, a ranger with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a modified version of geocaching may soon be coming to National Park Service managed lands near you. The Santa Monica park recently started its own version of geocaching, called ParkCaching, where like the traditional game, it has hidden six boxes (caches) around the park and challenged park visitors to find them. Since its inception, children of all ages have enjoyed getting out and finding treasure in hidden geocaches across the country. ParkCaching is a great approach to expose children to our national parks, learn a little history and a get some sorely needed exercise at the same time. The program is being observed by National Park Service rule makers in Washington, D.C. If successful, it maybe expand it to other parks in the National Park system. With ParkCaching hopefully coming to more national park managed lands, adventurous RVing families will have one more physical activity to enjoy during their park visits. Even if your children have flown the coop, us empty nester RV enthusiasts could always use a little more exercise too!
Geocaching makes for healthy happy kids.
Follow Dave’s RV adventures as he travels the West in search of forgotten and unique places. For Dave, home is where you park it, the more remote the better!
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