Active maths: sport and the outdoors · Maths CAS idea
Hide and design geocaches with puzzles
ActivityCreativity
Take up geocaching on foot or by bike, then design your own caches with coordinate puzzles, following the platform's rules.
Where the maths comes in
Coordinates, bearings, distances and puzzle design.
Which CAS strand it fits
- Activity: Physical exertion that contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
- Creativity: The arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
Your CAS coordinator decides how an experience counts at your school. Strand summaries are provisional (our words, being checked).
How to run it
- Go geocaching regularly with friends or family.
- Learn the platform's rules for hiding caches.
- Design and place a puzzle cache with permission from the landowner.
- Maintain it and read finders' logs.
How to evidence it
- Log of outings and distances
- Cache design and permission
- Finders' comments
Date everything and keep it in your school's CAS portfolio as you go. More on what counts as evidence.
Reflection prompts
Questions to think about, not answers to copy. Write your reflections in your own words, in whatever form your school accepts.
- How did getting outdoors regularly affect you?
- What did designing a cache teach you about puzzles?
- What did you consider about the place you chose?
Learning outcomes this often gives a chance to show
- Challenge and new skills. What could you not do at the start that you can do now? Which moment felt most uncomfortable, and what did you do next?
- Ethics. What choice in this experience had a right and a wrong way to do it? Whose interests did you have to protect (privacy, safety, fairness), and how?
- Commitment and perseverance. When did you feel like stopping, and what kept you going? What does your record of sessions or meetings show about how regularly you took part?
Whether you meet an outcome depends on what you actually do and reflect on, not on the idea. Outcome labels are our short summaries, being checked.
Safety and ethics
- Go with others; respect land access rules and get permission before placing a cache.
- Never hide caches in sensitive or dangerous places.
Agree every plan with your CAS coordinator first. Safety and ethics for maths CAS.
Rates, averages and graphs of your data: try the online grapher.
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