KOTA Territory NewsSheridan schools promote GPS, compass skills

Sheridan schools promote GPS, compass skills

Geocaching is becoming more and more popular around the world.

It's basically a high-tech treasure hunt.

Now students from a KOTA Territory high school teach young kids how to use GPS devices so they can join in.

"We just started. We've done a couple around town, and she has really enjoyed it," said Tammy Mansfield.

She and her daughter Katharine are fairly new to geocaching.

But for them, it's not just about enjoyment.

"It gets them out of the house, gets them walking and moving and noticing what's around them," said Mansfield.

Now two Sheridan schools are combining curricula to promote GPS skills.

"Today they're basically doing kind of what amounts to some geocaching, and then just some basic skills using a compass," said P.E. teacher Darin Gilbertson, one of the organizers of the collaboration.

His Fort Mackenzie High School students taught Meadowlark Elementary fourth-graders how to use the devices, then set up a course for them the next day in South Park.

"It's kind of like a high-tech hide and seek," Gilbertson said of the activity.

Everyone's was looking for pictures of classmates scattered around the park. There were 23 in all -- 12 for GPS and 11 for compass.

But the search wasn't just a walk in the park for the kids.

"It's essential," said Chris Poniatowski, a fourth grade teacher at Meadowlark, "it's important to know how to know directions, know how to use a compass, understand GPSs, how they work."

And understanding GPSs is the first step toward geocaching.

"[Geocaching is] kind of fun. It's more fun than I would've expected," Mansfield said, laughing. "And sometimes things are hard to find, but it's kind of a fun hobby."

For Katharine, the fun is just beginning.

"She loves to do geocaching," Mansfield said of her daughter, "and we're thinking about getting her a GPS at some point."

Anybody can get involved in geocaching, regardless of age.

If you want to get in on it, check out this Web site for coordinates of a nearby cache.

All you need are a GPS and a sense of adventure.