letterboxing
Thursday, June 4, 2009 
I first heard about letterboxing a couple of years back and have been patiently waiting for my kids to be old enough to give it a try. I'm not sure if 3 and 4 years of age is old enough but I think my patience has run dry. We're going for it.
If you haven't heard of letterboxing before - it may be worth a look. Here's what I have gleaned so far without having actual partaking of an outing yet. Letterboxing is a combination of navigating and rubber stamp artistry brought together through a sort of treasure-hunt style adventure. The quests vary in difficulty to suit a wide array of ages & ability.
Here's the description from letterboxing.org:
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"Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, in England.
Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.
Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry at least a pencil, his personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks."
I love the idea of doing this throughout the years with our children. It seems like such a great excursion to break up the monotony of road-trips or even to further explore our own hometown. You can look for letterboxes in your area here and here along with information on how to carve a stamp or anything else you might need to begin.
Have any of you ever done this? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
{images: parenting activity plus, Julie's Journal}
Reader Comments (8)
I've never done this, but I too have heard of it and been intrigued! I KNOW my boys would go crazy for this, especially my nine year old. I must get my act together and letterbox. Thanks for the timely reminder and the "kick" in the rear! This sounds like such a great all around adventure.
Give us an update if you take the plunge, won't you Emily!
I have friends that do this - sounds like fun
We do this with our boys, age 11 and 7, every summer. My 7 year-old begrudingly comes along, but my 11 year old LOVES it. There is nothing like the trill of finding a hidden box in a public place, and you're the only one who knows, especially if there are other people around. The look on their faces is priceless! He's a big Harry Potter fan, and we like to say that we have special powers because we know a secret, and everyone else is a Letterboxing "Muggle." Enjoy!
truly, wouldn't this be great with kids? my husband has a dream of getting a trackable travel bug to Boston, then going to visit it.
yay for letterboxing! my husband has been doing it for years and occasionally i go with him. if you can find the boxes it's really exciting... if not, a little bit of a letdown. but the hike is almost always worth it!
i've never heard of this but it sounds like such a fun concept. who doesn't love a mystery box!
I love this! I found your post from b dunlap, and I recently blogged about letterboxing, but have yet to try it. It seems so involved...
Anyway, glad to meet your blog, and here's a little virtual wave!
I stumbled upon your blog after doing some research into letterboxing/geocaching....amazed me bc of Christina's World...a painting within which I place myself and my work on many levels as a paraprofessional teacher with disabled children. My new hubby and I are excited to get started in letterboxing...what a wonderful hobby to share with a family! God's blessings to you!