National Earth Science Week - October 8-14

National Earth Science Week sponsored by the American Geologic Institute, kicks off in Washington, D.C. this October 8th with the celebration of International EarthCache Day. EarthCaching is an extension of the popular pastime of Geocaching. Geocaching is a mix of hiking, treasure hunting, and high tech. Cachers use a Global Positioning System (GPS) to find hidden caches at coordinates posted on www.geocaching.com. These photos show my family out caching this summer. Often caches are stored in old ammo boxes or "Tupperware" style containers. The cache includes a log book and trinkets to trade.


















This year's theme for Earth Science week is "Be a Citizen Scientist." The annual event was established to help encourage stewardship of the Earth. There are some wonderful classroom activities based on the National Science Education Standards found at http://www.earthsciweek.org/forteachers/classroomactivities.html. Learn more about the American Geological Institute at www.agiweb.org. Another great site to visit is www.earthscienceworld.org, check out their Virtual Oil Well Game.
Even the Girl Scouts are getting into Earth Science, EarthCaching, and Geocaching with their Hi Tech Hide & Seek Interest Patch for girls 11-17.