Geocaching is a global game of high tech hide-'n-go-seek which can be played by anyone with a GPS receiver. Since most smart phones now have GPS in them, you can download an app and play it from your phone. And you can even make this hobby part of your Holiday traditions with an ornament for your tree. It also works well for a gift to your favorite cacher (yourself?)!
Edit Steps
Part 1: Sourcing and Preparing the Materials
- Collect small natural items such as acorns, twigs, small pinecones, pebbles, etc. Take care to choose items which are not likely to decay quickly.
- Check that any naturally sourced items are fully dried before using them; this will prevent the growth of mildew.
- Obtain 80mm clear ornament balls. These come in two styles. Both can work for this project, but the one with two halves that snap together is the easiest to use. The clear ones with only a small hole at the top will restrict you to only very small fill items.
- Purchase (or repurpose) a very small memo pad. The cheap thin ones with no lines can often be had 5-for-a-dollar or less.
- Cut the memo pad into a half inch/13mm by one inch/2.5cm rectangle, with the narrow edge on the spiral.
Part 2: Making the Geocaching Christmas Ornament
- Use a marker to write the words "Log Book" on the cover of your new, tiny log book.
- You can make fictitious log entries if you like. TFTC (thanks for the cache) and TN LN (took nothing, left nothing) or SL (signed log) can fit easily on the tiny pages, but your imagination is the only limiting factor here.
- Fill the ball 1/3 to 1/2 full of the tiny natural items, log book etc. Items which work well include: teeny white pom pom balls for "snow", twigs cut short, acorns, pine tips from old holiday sprays, silk holly leaves and berries, cut pine needles, small (preferably smooth) pebbles, etc.
- Close the ornament and see what you think of it. Adjust the contents as necessary. It may be helpful to include a small geocaching sticker on the outside of the ornament to help complete the illusion of a teeny geocache hanging on your tree.
- Seal the ornament once you are happy with the way the contents look. Use clear stickers or even clear stickers with natural items such as trees, flowers, etc printed on them to seal the seam shut.
- You can also use super glue to seal the halves together, but be aware that the glue can turn the plastic opaque and is not easily removed.
- Display on your tree. Hang it where it can be closely inspected by the curious. Or, gift wrap it for a friend who is a cacher!
Edit Tips
- Note: Resize the box to fit your ornament.
- If you want to, make your own tiny "ammo can" for a cache container to fit inside the ornament, just print out the jpeg onto card stock and cut, assemble and glue it. Be sure the glue is dry before you put it in the ornament.
Edit Things You'll Need
- Clear ornaments, preferably the type that come in two halves which snap together
- Small natural items such as pebbles, pine cones, acorns, pine needles, twigs, dried flowers, bark chips, seed pods, etc.
- Small pom poms (to simulate snowballs) optional
- Small trade items obtained while caching
- Small plastic animals
- Small clear stickers to hold the halves together; stickers printed with small natural items work very nicely
- Holiday sprays you can repurpose parts from for your "outdoor" look––cut plastic "needles" off of pine boughs, remove silk "leaves" etc., to be used as "natural detritus" in your geocaching ornament
- GI Joe Ammo Can to use as a teeny "cache container" (optional item)
- Small paper box, painted brown or green to use as a "cache container" (optional item)