To take the children camping this weekend?

[Neverendingsummer]

DH away and would not camp in Sept anyway. He feels DD (10, yr 6) should be focusing on homework during term time and we should never go away apart from school holidays. We will be back mid afternoon Sunday so I figure plenty of time for homework.

DD has already reduced her after school activities this year so she has time to complete her homework (she does labour over it somewhat) and we have recently gone from doing it all on a Sunday to spreading it over the week.

Thanks for the tips re camp site drainage

Learning to spread out homework and not leave it all till Sunday is a very good thing in preparation for secondary. 'Time management' skills enable kids to do their work and have fun too.

I guess if a kid had something like 11+ in the very near future then it mightn't be such a good idea, more because of sleep than anything else.

I'm going camping this weekend, seriously, forecast looks just fine for south.

it's a site we have been to quite a few times anywhere nice?

Of course YANBU! Go and have fun

No 11+. Just normal yr 6 howework.

Def go camping while you can, I live september camping, especially on site that allows fires for the evenings

I wouldn't go camping if you paid me!

But if you and DC want to go, then go!! Your DD's education is really not going to suffer.

It is actually possible to sit in a tent and do a bit of homework.

Take his homework with you...
Go for it!

Thanks for all your positive responses. We are definitely going and I will face the wrath next week. She can most definitely do some hw while there. I'll make it a trade off for crepes :-)

Sounds like you're giving your DCs valuable lessons in achieving a good work-life balance - maybe something your DH needs a refresher course in?

Andif his attitude is somewhat because deep down he rather resents you all having a good time (doing something he doesn't like anyway) while he's away working - well, that's just being a dog in the manger. Hope that's not the case.

Of course you should go camping if you want!
DS is in his final GCSE year. He plays a highly competitive sport that usually includes two matches at the weekend with a lot of travel plus training 4 times in the week. Homework and revision is the priority. However he is passionate about his sport so we allow him to compete.
It's all about balance. If he was behind and struggling it would be a different story though!

Camping this weekend? Just checked our weather, looking good[ish], what a good idea! Thanks for suggesting it.
Sounds like you have the homework situation under control, go for it and leave the Grinch at home.

Off topic, but can you offer any advice about air beds / sleeping mats? I enjoy camping, but never get a decent night's sleep. Within reason I'd be willing to spend £ on good equipment, if I thought it would help.

justmyview, I'm not the OP but have spent years trying different sleep alternatives. Personally, I prefer an airbed but many are rubbish. People swear by the aerobed ones which are pricey but worth a look if you are happy to spend. We have settled for one like this from Decathlon: www.decathlon.co.uk/arpenaz-air-comfort-inflatable-camping-sleeping-bed-140-cm-id_8331814.html which we have found more supportive than some of the really cheap ones. I don't know if it is the horizontal reeds in it, but you seem to be less affected by other people moving on it than with others I have used.

Worth bearing in mind that if you use an airbed, you need insulation (a blanket or sleeping bag) between you and the bed or the bed and the ground as otherwise the air in the bed will get cold very quickly and that is going to keep you awake and cold.

For that and other reasons, many people recommend SIMs (self inflating mattresses) as the way to go. The prince amongst these is a Thermarest, but the Dozer from Alpkit also has lots of fans. Outwell and Vango also sell fairly deep SIMs (7.5cm or 10cm) but you have to bear in mind that think SIMS are pretty big to transport and an airbed will generally pack down a lot smaller.

Finally there is the camping bed. I have never had one but you could think about it.

Also, take a look at the MN Camping section - there are loads and loads of threads on different sleeping options as getting a comfortable night's sleep is one of the main issues with camping.

We have a Vango 7cm SIM (bought 5 years ago) and it's brilliant. I think these days there are 10cm ones around too. It cost us £70 and was worth every penny.

On another note, weather forecast for SE looking pretty dire

Thanks Frozen and never - very helpful

Does your DH never switch off from work or is it just his DC he thinks should be working all weekend as well as all week?

However I hate camping so YWBU to suggest I do other than let the scouts deal with my dd's camping requirements.

I would have no issue at all with going away for the weekend with a Y6 child it even with a secondary school age child.
There is no way that they are going to spend the whole weekend doing homework. And in Y6, an hour will be PLENTY, aka it can be done on a Friday or on a Monday (at our school homework is due in Tuesdays).

It would be a real shame for your dd to miss out on something that is actually just as important than homework tbh.

Making memories is important - I am going to stick my neck out and say perhaps more important than homework at that age. Yanbu.

It has to be said I'm a camping freak and DH not so much. I'm going anyway. Kids love it. I love it. And yes, making memories very important. I'm not surprised at his reaction tbh, but that will not stop us from having a really good time at a very familiar place. Going to try and go minimal (difficult for me) so that setting up and packing away is easier. Looks like we might be pitching in rain though so kids have promised to help

Can I come? I've not been camping for 3 weeks!
Ds ended up camping in the snow when he was 2.

I can recommend the Vango sleeping mats as a cheap alternative to thermarest. I got some for the DCs, and my fussy back didn't register any difference.