Triangle Adventure Ideas

Who am I?Mom in Chapel Hill

www.mominchapelhillnc.com

Triangle Moms on Mainwww.trianglemomsonmain.com

Vend Raleighwww.vendraleigh.com

I have 3 boys.

I love to be outside.

Why Get Out?•It’s good for everyone

•Little explorers need to explore

•Be a good role model

•Family bonding

•Family memories

• Regular exercise in nature is proven to improve children’s physical and mental health. Outdoor activity helps kids maintain a healthy weight, boosts their immunity and bone health and lowers stress. Let’s Move Outside, administered by the Department of Interior, was created to get kids and families to take advantage of America’s great outdoors-which abound in every city, town and community. And together, these agencies oversee more than one-fifth of the nation’s land – including millions of acres of National forests, parks and trails.

• Kids need at least 60 minutes of active and vigorous play each day to stay healthy, and one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to meet this goal is by playing outside. By linking parents to nearby parks, trails and waters – and providing tips and ideas – Let’s Move Outside can help families develop a more active lifestyle.

• Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. If we don't solve this problem, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma.

From letsmove.gov :

Ways to get going

1.Geocaching2.Letterboxing

3.Scavenger Hunts

GeocachingWhat is it?

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

GeocachingWhat Do I Need?

Internet access- GPS device

- Trinkets to trade- A good name- Good shoes

- Sense of adventure

GPS device:

A handheld GPS devicehttp://www.geocaching.com/about/buying.aspx

GPS-enabled Cell Phonehttp://www.geocaching.com/live/default.aspx

GeocachingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.geocaching.com. Create account (free!).

GeocachingWhat is it?

www.geocaching.com

Create account.

GeocachingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.geocaching.com. Create account (free!).2. Search for a cache.

My zipcode + 25 miles

Map this location

GeocachingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.geocaching.com. Create account (free!).2. Search for a cache.3. Pick your cache and get information.

Name of cache

Coordinates

Information

Hint & code

GeocachingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.geocaching.com. Create account (free!).2. Search for a cache.3. Pick your cache and get information.4. Load coordinates in to your GPS and go find your

cache.

GeocachingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.geocaching.com. Create account (free!).2. Search for a cache.3. Pick your cache and get information.4. Load coordinates in to your GPS and go find your

cache.5. Log your cache.

GeocachingTips & Tricks

•Last Found Date

•Look at Icons

•Read logged hunts & comments

•Codes to know – TFTH, TNLN

•Apps

GeocachingOther Fun Things

•Microcaches

•Virtual caches

•Ghost caches

•Minicaches

•Log in!

GeocachingConsider Planting a Cache

•Fun to track

•Be prepared for maintenance

LetterboxingWhat Is It?

Letterboxing is an intriguing “treasure hunt” style outdoor activity. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and post clues to finding the box online on one of several Web sites. However, clues to finding some of the most highly-sought boxes are passed around by word of mouth. There are about 20,000 letterboxes hidden in North America alone. Individual letterboxes usually contain a log book, an often hand-carved rubber stamp and may contain an ink pad. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp on their personal log book, and leave an imprint of their personal stamp on the letterbox's logbook .

Letterboxing is said to have started in England in 1854 when a Dartmoor National Park guide, James Perrott of Chagford, left a bottle by Cranmere Pool with his calling card in it an an invitation to those who found the bottle to add theirs. Eventually, visitors began leaving a self-addressed post card or note in the jar, hoping for them to be returned by mail by the next visitor (thus the origin of the term “letterboxing;” “letterbox” is a British term for a mailbox). This practice ended in time, however, and the current custom of using rubber stamps and visitor’s log books came into use. It caught on in the US in 1998 after an article in Smithsonian magazine.

LetterboxingHow Do I Do It?

What you need:- Internet access- Rubber Stamp

- Ink Pad- Sketch Book- A good name- Good shoes

- Sense of adventure

LetterboxingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.atlasquest.com. (No account needed.)

Letterboxing

www.letterboxing.org

www.atlasquest.com

LetterboxingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.atlasquest.com. (No account needed.)2. Search for a letterbox.

Chapel Hill, NC + 30 miles

LetterboxingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.atlasquest.com. (No account needed.)2. Search for a letterbox.3. Pick your box and get the clue.

Name

Location

Clue

Comments

Take the red trail at Wilson park. The trail meanders up and down, and can be muddy at times.When the red and green trails intersect, go green and you will see a rail fence. Follow green trail to creek. Cross creek here and keep straight passing playground on left. At 2nd Bolin Forest II HOA sign there is a foot bridge. Cross the foot bridge and turn left. Before raised manhole #4 you will see a post on you right. With your back to the post with #12 on it. Walk straight down the path 140 steps. Always keeping the water on your left. When you reach 140 steps STOP. Turn Right and about 10 steps off trail is a spiky tree root. Chatham is tucked under left side under rock.

This stamp was carved just to honor my youngest son's great imagination. Hope you enjoy.

Letterboxing: Clues

LetterboxingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.atlasquest.com. (No account needed.)2. Search for a letterbox.3. Pick your box and get the clue.4. Go find your letterbox.

LetterboxingHow Do I Do It?

1. Log on to www.atlasquest.com. (No account needed.)2. Search for a letterbox.3. Pick your box and get the clue.4. Go find your letterbox.5. Stamp away. Consider logging your find.

LetterboxingYou Might Want To Know…The Icons

Rules for Letterboxing & Geocaching•Cache in/Trash Out

•Leave it as you found it, if not better

•Don’t let “muggles” see

•Respect the game (“spoilers”, planting a find)

•You’re going to win some and lose some

•Share the information

The Scavenger Hunt

How to Nest for Less- http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com/camping/kids/scavengerhunt.htm

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/nature-hunt-project/a/1341/

I am Momma Hear Me Roar-

Pinterest

DIY

Consider the Age

What can you expect your children to do?

What do they enjoy?

Try it all out before committing too much.

The Nitty-Gritty

1. Know Before You Go

2. Disasters

3. Things to Take

Know Before You Go•Plot your hike

•Know how to get there

•Know where to park

•Know the hours

•Know the weather

•Know when the sun goes down

•Have a Plan B

•Strollers/ Carriers

Disasters

•Bathrooms

•Fatigue

•The right clothes

•Don’t get lost!

Things To Take•Water

•Snacks or picnic

•Information for your hike

•Sunscreen & Bug Spray

•Hats

•Diaper bag?

•A Camera

Literature & ResourcesYour local parks & rec website Apex http://www.apexnc.org/services/parks-recreation-cultural-resources/park-facilities Cary http://www.townofcary.org/departments/parks__recreation___cultural_resources.htm Raleigh http://www.raleighnc.gov/arts/content/PRecParks/Articles/ParksFacilities.html Chapel Hill http://www.townofchapelhill.org Carrboro http://www.carrbororec.org/parks.htm Pittsboro http://www.chathamnc.org Morrisville http://www.ci.morrisville.nc.us/ Jordan Lake http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/jord/main.php

www.mominchapelhillnc.com

Have Fun!

Send me your feedback!Allison at info@mominchapelhillnc.com(also on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+)