Using Geocaching to Teach Environmental Awareness to Youth
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 16, Issue 1 - June 2023
Editor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Abstract
Increasingly, youth are raised in urban settings with limited natural environments. Natural resource-centered training becomes challenging for educators vying with electronic technologies, team sports, and limited parental involvement. Geocaching, an outdoor game using GPS technology to guide players to pre-determined locations, can be used to create educational opportunities focusing on natural resources topics. Educators can utilize the game in a variety of ways to lead students along an educational experience. Starting in July 2019, 52 Geocaching: Fun with Forests Around Us have been held across Mississippi. Nearly 1,400 youth have cycled through these trainings. Pre- and post-training assessments indicated that knowledge scores increased, participant satisfaction was positive, and multiple students had started geocaching by the end of training.
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