New Guy

[zlathim]

Hi all. I've been lurking here for awhile (my boss turned me onto this site) and I think this is a great forum. I'm looking for a good spring/summer hobby to do with my son Zach, and MDing may be just what the Dr. ordered.

My neighbor has a couple of detectors and he has agreed to take me out to see if I like it, but after reading through all of the posts here, I think I will.

I just hope that it is something Zach will enjoy. He is almost 4 years old, so I hope that he isn't too young. He does enjoy a good adventure, so I'm hoping for the best!

As you can see on my avatar, Zach and I spend a lot of time on the ski slopes, but that is almost over now. Any advice for keeping a little one interested in this hobby?

 

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[Ranger Paul]

Welcome new guy.
I'm a new person here too. I think it's very cool that you would want to do this with your son. If I had a son, I'm sure I would have introduced it to him also. Age 4 seems a bit young, but if you make it interesting and fun for him, I'm sure he'd follow your lead. Who knows, maybe it will be something he will be interested in long down the road. Archeology and history are a great way to use MD'ing as a learning tool also. Heck, at age 4, 5 years ago is ancient history!
Most of all, have fun.
Ranger Paul

 

[W6PEA]

I'm new here also us new guy's gotta stick together. 4 might be a little young so don't get upset with him at that age it takes a lot of time and patience, but the finished product usually turns out good,

Have a good time we all need each other.

 

[Hoosier Kingfisher]

Welcome Happy hunting,Ron

 

[TonyinCT]

Welcome. I suggest that if you want to keep his interest first get him looking at your local history. Take him to places that have historical significance. As far as detecting goes , get a decent starter unit and let him hunt with you. If you find the goodies and show him how to spend the clad wisely and maybe start a savings account or add to one , he'll stay interested. Get a Yoemans Red Book on coins and when you find an old one you can look it up together. You could also start a wheat penny collection withhim to get him into coin collecting. Good Luck. 8)

 

[ModernMiner]

Welcome. I think it's a great idea to get your son started MDing with you. You might try finding a used Garrett Ace100 (it's an older model). I had started with one of those some years ago. They work very well, and are super easy to use.
You could even try planting a few finds in the sand and wood chips at playgrounds to give him some excitement (and to get him hooked).
Tony had a great idea with starting him a savings account for his $ finds. I still remember my parents opening me one up as a small lad. I loved going to the bank and making my BIG deposits.
Good luck to you both.
-MM-

 

[zlathim]

Thanks for the responses! All ideas sound great to me. I understand that the biggest challenge will be keeping his attention. Maybe some planted coins will work well for a starter. At least that way I know we will dig up some change and hopefully get him hooked in the process.

Again, thanks for the responses! HH

 

[W6PEA]

I went out today with a group and the man that I went to meet had a set of ear phones and he plugged me in to his machine. But he had a splitter for the headphones so we both could listen. And then everytime the machine found something I could hear it also. Maybe if you get a good starter detector get a pair of headphones and make and adaptor so both you and your son can listen at the same time that could keep his interest. Just a thought.

Happy hunting.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

My daughters went with me from the start....We hunted together,hiked,went on adventures with me carrying them in a backpack. Now they get bored easily if we are hunting parks or a fairground, because they want to be out in the woods or digging cellar holes and bottle dumps.

When they were little ,I did seed things like arrowheads,coins etc to keep them interested . But then they started finding things well enough on their own,
Now that they are older ,they will bring books,art supplies etc to do if they do get tired or if its too cold to stay out as long as I do.
I think the biggest thing that you can do is show them the value of finding a piece of history and not just the monetary value of something. I have the girls plan the next adventure ,research the sites,plot the maps. We display their finds...even if they arent the greatest, we deposit the money into their accounts,they help clean the stuff we find and fill in their journals. We try to make our trips more than just hunting,but about being out in nature,camping hiking etc. My 9 yr old has a keen interest in paleontology....so her bone collection has grown tremendously over the years along,leaves,fauna and fossil collections.
My 11 yr old loves history and just did a fantastic presentation on the War of 1812 for her school,complete with 1812 musket balls and other relics sent by Tnet members for her to use. She did such a great job that she was invited to give her presentation to the entire school district.

I think that the steps you take along with your child when they are young will allow them to choose the right paths in life when they are on their own.
the paths in life they take when older.

 

[CaptainMorgan]

Welcome Zlathim. Like you I was lurking around the board for a few weeks in the cold of winter. Now that I have my MD, practiced on the driveway for a few days, I can't wait for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw.
I have a 5 year old boy that I bring to the park almost everyday in the summer so I'm hoping he's going to be my little helper.
My MD collapses down to 2 feet so I'll be able to let him try it out before investing in his own model. As much as I would rather make him honorary hole digger, I suppose I'll be a benevolent leader and let him run the show here and there . Definitely will get a splitter for the unit so he can listen in and learn the tone recognition Seriously I'm going to try and make this an experience that will keep him interested in so hopefully it becomes a lifelong hobby for him.
Happy Hunting