Is my child too young to go on a residential trip?

[feelgoodvibes]

My son is in year three and due to go on a 2 night trip with his school in two weeks. I agreed to this a couple of months back and paid for it - around £250. Me and his dad were not on talking terms back then so I told him about the trip and that DS would be going and he said he thought DS was too young and wasn't happy with it- we had no contact after that so I decided to proceed with trip as I think DS would enjoy and benefit from this trip. They will be doing adventure activities such as rafting and climbing, will have four teachers supervising.

I spoke to a friend who is also a father and he said he thought year 3 was too young also and that's made me question it, as I originally thought his dad said no out of spite and because he didn't want to pay towards the trip - he's managed to get out of paying maintenance for the last year.

DS is excited about the trip and having fun with some of his friends.

What's your verdict? Would you allow your 8 year old on a residential?

4-night residentials start in Yr3 at our school, plus at least one overnight in school too.

I take 7 year old on Beaver camps for a couple of nights. They almost always have a great time. Now and then we need to get a parent to pick up early and as long as you are ok to do that if needed then there’s no problem.

Our daughter did one night with the rainbows age 4 and our son did a couple of nights at Disneyland Paris age 7 or 8. No issues with either.

DD is 7 and only didn’t go on the school residential this year as she still wets the bed and wears pull-ups at night.

Most of her friends went and had a great time. She felt a bit left out.

Then I noticed a post which said that a teacher on a year FIVE residential had to run back to school from the coach because she had “forgotten the pull-ups”, meaning DD probably wouldn’t have been alone if she had gone!

If you think DS is ready, he probably is.

on our residential, we often have someone who is in pull-ups, and I don't mean the 6 year olds, it might be a 8, 9, 10 year old.

I also usually have 2 or 3 whose parents warn me about bed wetting, and we quietly put them on a bottom bunk for ease of sheet changes. I have very rarely had to actually change sheets, but wouldn't matter if we did.

Mine went in year 3 and she's generally quite reserved. Absolutely loved it

More children than you think wear pull ups or still wet the bed at residential. It shouldn’t prevent a child going. Our school are really good at being discreet about it and making sure they’re changed.

If your ds is happy and excited and looking forward to it mthen he’s not too young.

I'm a supply teacher, so I know a lot of schools.

A lot of schools go away for a single night in Year 2, and then the "big" residential in Year 6.
2 nights in Year 3 is perfectly reasonable. Plus a lot of kids will have done nights away with Beavers/Brownies etc by that age.

Mine do a 2 night at age 8 in their school. Had a great time.

This - especially if he wants to go.

I've run (one) 3 night camp for 8 year olds and you don't get much sleep as a leader (8 hours over 3 nights which meant future camps were shorter!) - because they can't sleep/have woken up/are uncomfortable/homesick but that was across a pack of 30 or so and all in those big old fashioned tents and with no easily accessible toilet - if staying in bunk rooms with a loo attached or nearby I think they'd have found it much easier.

Yes if they wanted to go. Mine went to beavers camp from when they joined just before they were six so we’re well seasoned by the time school residentials came around.