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Going Outdoor Camping Without Parents For 4 Days And Nights

Discussion in 'Schoolgoers & Teens' started by gamma50g, Nov 24, 2024.

  1. gamma50g

    gamma50g Finest Post Winner

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    My daughter is 11 and on her 12th birthday, she has a 4 day (and night) camp organized by her school. The camp is coed and there would be chaperones.

    She has never been camping ever in her life before this and insists on going to this camp by herself.

    I am reluctant to let her go to a camp that's 4 days long because most important reason is my mother's gut says no. Secondary reasons are that I feel that she has not reached the level of maturity and experience needed to go on overnight trips alone. Also even though there are chaperones, I doubt they would truly keep an eye on the kids all the time.

    Any advice for me?
     
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  2. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    Do you know the parents who will be supervising on the trip?
     
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  3. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    About 95% of the students from the grade will attend the camp, and it is all they talk about in the weeks leading to the camp. After returning, they talk about it till the school year ends. Teachers also bring up camp related talk in class before and after camp week -- like they warn students that shower time is limited to two minutes, and other fun stuff such as choosing "camp names" for themselves, and they call each other only by those names.

    During camp week, non-attending students have to go to school; they are accommodated in other classrooms, though close to zero learning happens for them in that week. Staying at home is not an option.

    The students leaving for camp is a huge event in the school. All parents gather to say goodbye, students board the buses, it is like an expedition leaving to go discover unknown islands.

    It is often called camp and Outdoor camp, but most likely they stay in cabins with bunk beds that have a twin mattress, they don't stay in camping tents.

    This camp is a rite of passage for 5th or 6th graders, and I wouldn’t deprive my child of the experience. Above all, I wouldn’t want her to feel left out, listening to others talk about something she wasn’t allowed to do.

    The school holds an information session for parents (or at least used to). Many parents have concerns, and it is the first time sleeping away from home for many kids. The teachers and the camp staff know how to prepare both kids and parents, with practices like the buddy system and other measures to ensure safety.

    Honestly, my biggest worry would be having to wash all the stuff they bring back, and by wash I mean not just clothes. Each and every item needs to be washed. Or thrown. : )
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2024
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  4. gamma50g

    gamma50g Finest Post Winner

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    No. I don't. As in, the chaperone list etc is still to be drawn up. The camp itself is in the latter part of January but the hype.....
     
  5. gamma50g

    gamma50g Finest Post Winner

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    Thanks @Rihana . You are right. Right now, all my daughter can talk about is the camp and it's a big deal for her.

    I hope they hold such a information session before the camp. That would allay my concerns because I have no clue what it entails or what to expect
     
  6. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Parents of campers are usually not allowed. Chaperones are the teachers and maybe school parents whose kids are not in the camp grade. And at the camp, there is fulltime staff to do the main tasks. Each cabin has a "cabin leader" who is usually a high school kid or college student.

    @gamma50g if the camp's name happens to be something "West", you can look up their website.

    I searched my inbox just now for fun and found so much email from my kids' teachers: "medicines, communicating with child during camp week, two shoes (in case one gets wet), no flashlight : ) only long pants for hikes, ok to bring a stuffed animal : ) , students have to carry their own luggage between bus and cabin, and are responsible for re-packing their own items on the last day of camp. Please make your child part of the original packing process. : ) : )"

    LOL... my question for the teacher, which I asked in person not email, was, what if menarche happens in camp week. : ) : )
     
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  7. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Main Hoon Na! :grinning: Ask away!

    I found parents of slightly older students from the same school to be a good source. Preferably Chinese or other parents, not Indian. :sunglasses:
     
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  8. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Don't chaperone. The kids essentially do not shower in camp. You don't want to be on the bus on the return journey. And chaperones are required to be on the bus.

    OK tata and GN. : )
     
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  9. gamma50g

    gamma50g Finest Post Winner

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    Thank you for all the info. This is all so new to me. I have never camped in my life

    This last bit deserves a :roflmao::worship2:
     

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