#36 Use A Metal Detector

A great way to spend time with your kids is to use a metal detector together

Use A Metal Detector Together:

This date is similar to geocaching, yet also very different. I love hearing stories about what people have found. There may even be things waiting to be discovered in your backyard! Something is thrilling about going to various places and seeing what you can find. Think about how much history has gone before us and how much remains around unbeknownst to us. I’ve thought about doing this since I was a boy, but have never taken the opportunity to do. After researching this, I plan on making it a part of our list for the upcoming year.

Once you’ve purchased your metal detector, there are many places you can have so much fun with it. You can start with your yard, increasing to the area within walking distance around your home. That’ll allow for several hours of adventure. Beyond that, you can look in places you think maybe great areas for history around your town. Throughout history, just day-to-day living leaves behind traces such as coins, jewelry, and other personal items. And then, of course, there are places where historical events happened.

You can also take the detector with you on out-of-town trips. The beach or desert would be a lot of fun, as would parks of all kinds. This could become a hobby for you and your family as you visit new places. If you have never thought about this adventure, look at some of the resources listed below to see how much fun this date can be.

WMTDS (What Makes This Date Special):

This date allows you to have an adventure together, which always makes a date special. We are made for experiences, and although there may not be any danger, adventure is still definitely involved. With every Chalkboard Date in this book, the quality time spent between you and your child is great for your relationship. But when you’re able to add another element such as travel, helping others, or adventure, it compounds the influence of that time together, making it more special and unique.

Teachable Moments:

Conversations about history based on what you find and where you are looking

Research

Patience

The main topic you have an opportunity to talk to your kids about as you do this is history. That may be a broad topic as a teachable moment, but I’ve found that history is the subject of a lot of conversations in raising your children. You may search for a while and not find anything, which can be frustrating, but even that experience allows you to talk to your kids about patience. The younger your child is on this date, the better that teachable moment can be.

Variations:

If you begin doing this with your child and become more interested, consider doing more research on the subject. There’s a vast amount of research material out there alongside general resources if you want to look further into history and archaeology. Another possible alternative for this date is making a part-time business from it by selling or consigning the items that you find. Many people have even turned this activity into a full-time business.

Expense:

For this date, there is the initial expense of purchasing the metal detector. The date itself may seem expensive for buying the metal detector, but if you purchase one and use it countless times over their childhood, it will be well worth the small investment you made for the initial date. Amazon offers a really good metal detector for under $100.

A great way to spend time with your kids is to use a metal detector together

Planning:

The only preparation you need before your date is buying the metal detector. Even with that, you can make going to purchase one part of your time, if you want to buy one at a local store. Beyond that, the only planning to consider is if you’d like to research an area to go and have your first use of the detector. You can start in your backyard, but you may also want to see if your town has an area for your first exploration.