Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever wanted to go on a trip with no particular destination in mind, just hopping from place to place, exploring new landscapes and cultures as you go? The Virginia Geocoin Adventure gives you the chance to take this kind of trip without having to pack! Your Trackable Geocoin will travel the state, the country, and maybe even the world as it circulates through “Geocaches” – small hidden landmarks located worldwide—and travels through the hands of Geocachers—people that hunt for Geocaches.
You will need to ensure that your geocoin is correctly placed into a geocache and “put into circulation.” You can then watch the coin’s movements as it moves from cache to cache. This document contains detailed instructions on how to do this. Enjoy your travels!
If you have access to a smartphone (of any variety!), the GeoCache App (more on that later!), and a geocoin, then you are ready for the Virginia Geocoin Adventure. Place a geocoin in a hidden cache, and then track the movements of the geocoin over time. If you do not have a geocoin, then you can navigate to a GeoCache nearby that does have a geocoin and ‘virtually grab the coin’. Then you merely place it back into a new GeoCache and watch it on its travels.
Learning lessons associated with this document have been developed to help explore landscapes and issues impacting our communities using the trackable geocoins as ‘a guide’. These lessons and other resources can be downloaded to support various learner groups, from Middle/ High School classrooms to 4-H clubs and scout troops.
If you don’t have a trackable GeoCoin, you can request one from VirginiaView jmcg@vt.edu (and place “GeoCoin Request” in the subject line. Note that requested geocoins can only be mailed within the continental U.S. (and supplies are limited). We will require the the following information with your email request:
- Your name.
- Your affiliation (School name, 4-H club locality, etc.).
- What you are using the geocoins for (just a couple of sentences, explaining how you are going to use the geocoins and how many participants will be involved with the activity)?
- Number of geocoins requested (numbers are limited, so we might not be able to fulfill the request).
- Your full and complete snail-mail address (geocoins are send via USPS).
Note: exercises can be completed with your own geocoin (or trackable item), or by following other geocoins that are already in circulation.
Enjoy the journey!