not to let my 6.5 year old go on a school trip which involves an overnight stay?

[laughingduck]

Title says it all really. dh and I don't want him to go on the trip as he has never stayed away from home without one of us before. He is in a mixed YR1/YR2 class and the trip is a last minute cancellation that the school have got and so details have yet to be finalised. Are we just totally out of touch - is it the norm for infant school aged children to go on this kind of trip? Most people we have asked so far have said they wouldn't either but I thought I'd get the opinion of MN too (plus can't resist starting a thread in this topic ).

Laughingduck, if you see gloom and doom in everything, do remember that in this day and age any such trip has to be fully risk assessed, all the staff have to be trained, and ALL eventualities will have been thought of, even things that you can't envisage.

Don't hold him back if he wants to go. You won't be doing him any favours, and it's the sort of thing he'll remind you about when he's 25 and wanting to get at you about his up-bringing

DS is Y2 and they're going on a music trip in June (he'll be nrly 7) - involves 2 nights away.

He is very excited about it. Part of me has reservations because it's natural to worry and want to have control to protect him, but then i want him to have opportunities to become independent.

Beavers' policy clearly varies by District. Sleepouts start with Cubs/Brownies in SE London.
If he wants to go I'd let him laughingduck but I hope the school have a contingency if the younger ones in the year become distressed on their first night there.
I am really looking forward to ds doing camp-outs at Cubs and his first school trip in Yr 4 next Autumn - but that is because he's clearly keen and finally old enough and sensible enough to organise his belongings, not to mention emotionally ready. I honestly don't think he or many six year olds I know were ready for this in Yr 1.

No, I wouldn't - too young imo.

mine woudl lOVE it
no issue at all

OMG-haven't even read the thread,just the title!
NO,NO,NO and a DEFINATE NO would be my answer.

No way. Much too young. where is it?? Why stay overnight??

Definately not, he really wouldnt want to anyway - but I guess if he was the sort of child who wanted to they I would have to think about it.

It would depend on your ds, some his age are absolutely fine others would hate it.

My DS1 would have loved it at that age.
DS2 definitely wouldn't.
Just go with your instincts.

DS (6 .2) would hate the thought of being away from us as has only been without us for 1 night since his birth - he hates being left with anybody else tbh....would consider him going but only if I was there as a parent helper....

but i guess it depends on the child......

Mine have only stayed with family/close friends and I always look forward to it, but when I wake up the middle of the night and they arent there - Ohhh its horrible the house feels so empty.

Another vote for definitely not.

I went camping wtih a brownies type group when i was 5, had a great time. It was for 4 days, 3 nights and there was a family friend there but no-one else I knew.
If he's with familiar teachers and kids then sure he will enjoy it. If not, well it's only for 1 night isn't it?

I would not let my ds go and he is nearly 8, I would even dither about it if you feel uncomfortable about it don't let him go

I certainly would if my child was confident and wanted to go. My 5 year old dd loves having sleep overs at friends' houses. I certainly don't think that 6.5 is too young. It's a great opportunity you're passing up there.

My DD went on an overnight trip last year with school. She was just 6 and she absolutely loved it.

Does he want to go? My DD had her first impromptu sleepover at 6.5. No problems. But if he's concerned about it I probably wouldn't. It depends on the child.

I am ASTOUNDED by the number of definate No answers on here.

I know 6 is still quite little, but actually I'm a bit worried about the lack of freedom - excitement, adventure - that todays kids have.

Robert Winston was on the radio a while ago saying that in the last 50 years an 8 year-olds child's circle of distance to play has declined from 1 and a half miles, to less than 100 yards (thats how far away from home they go to play with friends etc).

Now I know we have more traffic etc than 50 years ago, but if we don't compensate by letting them out on supervised adventures like this, are we in danger of creating scardy cats/couch potatoes?

I think laughingduck is concerned with the fact that the details of the trip are a bit sketchy and that her child hasnt been away before. Also, as a parent you want to be on hand in case there is a problem.

I was 5 when I had my first overnighter with Brownies. I still remember it and how much fun I had. We really do wrap our kids in cotton wool these days and I worry about how they will turn out when they get older. And I am the same, DD is only allowed up the road and back and nowhere near the main road. She'll be 8 this year and I wish I could let her out into the woods near our house without having a panic attack, but I won't. I doubt I'll let her on the bus into town until she's 16. Honestly, if your LO wants to go then let him, he'll have an amazing time. My DD had to make her own bed and shared a dorm with the only other girls allowed on the trip (4 of them in total). She didn't stop talking about it for weeks.

However, clumsymum i completely agree with where youre coming from. It is sad that we feel our children arent as safe as they used to be.

HEE HEE I can just see you as a brownie GM

I wasn't very good, I didn't get many badges!