School class camping trips - how to go about setting one up?

[MaisieMolly]

I hear lots of friends and friends of friends going on camping trips with families from their child’s (primary) school class. Organised by the parents, not a school thing. I’d love to do this but not sure where to start… is it an open invite for everyone? What about people who don’t have equipment? What about different budgets? Do you all cook together or take your own food? How do you find a campsite that will accept a group? What about siblings?

any other things to keep in mind? I’m intrigued to hear how it works in schools.

We are a one form entry village school if that makes a difference.

Why don’t you ask one of the ‘lots of family and friends’ who tell you they do this?! I have not found this to be a thing outside of people who are into scouting.

They are going away with other families because they have become friends, So first you need to make some friends and find out if they want to go camping, no one is going away camping with people they don’t know.

This.

you need 3 or 4 families who know each other well enough that their kids, siblings & adults will get on. Then you plan the trip and invite as many others as you want to join you.
Food & intinery completely up to you.
We brought big BBQ and everyone contributed food for it.
Keep it simple - Friday arrive & set up, Saturday a group walk / swim / bbq & rounders etc. Sunday pack up & go home.

As for budgets, just keep out of it and let everyone sort themselves. People can bring a mega air tent, or a simple pop up. Steak or cheap sausages. Champagne or cans of cider.
Everyone books their own camp pitch. Sites will put you together as a group if you ask them.

Yes why don’t you ask them how it came about?

In my experience I would only organise a trip like that with people I am friendly with.

We go camping with friends but not school friends (yet) - there is one family I would probably feel comfortable enough to go on holiday with but not sure I would do it with those I don’t know so well.

It’s usually a friendship group thing. I did it a couple of times with families that we are good friends with through meeting at primary school but it died out as most of them decided they really don’t like camping! We also did it in a larger group in yr6, which ended up being a sort of venn diagram of friendship groups. Basically do you have a group of people who like each other enough to spend the weekend together in a field. If you do, plan from there.

We did a trip like that this year with families from our dc's class. It was heavily organised by one mum who is a real camping enthusiast - most of the rest of us had no or little experience camping. She put an open invite out on our class Whatsapp and made a separate group for those who expressed interest. It wasn't limited to a friendship group, I think we try to keep these things as inclusive as possible and not be too cliquey.

She chose the site and date, and booked the places (including use of a field kitchen and also glamping tents, because most of us didn't have equipment, some of us don't have cars). She made the group booking and we paid her back. It wouldn't have happened without her orchestrating it, which was a huge amount of work but she does enjoy organising things! There was no drama about the money as I suppose no one really struggles (it's a private school) and she takes charge of the teacher gift collection so we know she's reliable.

The dcs had a brilliant time and we'll probably repeat it next year.

Find a site you fancy going to, with lots of vacancies (or a Youth Hostel) if easier. Book yourself in and invite others to do the same if they fancy joining you. That way, you don't have to pick up the financial burden of flaky people.

Perhaps start with a local site for a weekend so that if you all decide you hate each other/snore too loudly/folks pull out at the last minute, then it's not too disappointing.

Good luck!

It’s either groups of friends or the mum who orchestrates class camping. We’ve done both. Always great fun. The class camping - if that’s the route you go down - is just a note on the whatsapp class group to gauge interest.

Sound fab, and easy to co-ordinate, and completely do-able, BUT I would just advise against being an organiser of a proper "event" in these times. It is a shame, but it is how it is. If it is "we are camping here, we will bring our BBQ and marquee, and you are all welcome to join us with your family" (subtext, sort your own booking out and yourselves) is a world away from "We are having a group camping event that I am organising, the cost is this, the arrangements are this...". The former, you are going camping and hoping some friends will join you, the latter you stray into all sorts of bother with organising a proper "event", DBS, insurance, suitable people joining on, finances, risk assessments etc. people bringing inappropriate kit, or people. I am realising that as I type this I sound like a complete misery, and I don't mean to be so, there is still lots of fun to be had, but as the "organiser" of any official event, it puts a lot of onus and risk on you. I'd have it like a family camp trip that other like-minded people can join on to...Just my thoughts x

Really common where we are and definitely just a general invite to anyone in the class rather than just groups of friends (although obviously this happens too). Tends to be a parent asks on the class WhatsApp and then sets up a separate WhatsApp for anyone that is interested. Then a poll for dates and then choose a campsite that’s not too far away, that has facilities that are suitable for non campers (bell tents, pizza night, bar). People then book their pitch/ hire a tent using the group name (we’ve always done this separately, so it’s not a big chore for one person, camp sites are very used to this and usually have advice on their websites for how to book as a group). Not sure where you are but Embers camping is very much a go to around here- has tents you can hire and good facilities. My only advice would be that you book early as the sites get booked out very early for weekends in the summer term. We aren’t natural campers but my DC have always loved it and I can just about cope as long as there is wine! Have fun!

Ours started as 3 people who knew each other and knew they went camping, just going together. Then it spread to other friends, friends of friends, to quite a big group, and including children from different years. Its families so siblings come.

Everyone responsible for their own booking, cooking, equipment. Though a few teamed up / brought food to share.

We always chose ‘pitch where you like’ campsites so we could pitch together and have a shared campfire.

Us parents are now still going together now all the kids are grown up, and some of the kids are travelling together during Uni and post Uni hols

PitchUp is great for finding sites.

I did it once with my two eldest and some families from the school. Some of us went to a weekly coffee morning at the school and it was organised amongst the people who went to that.

I look back on it fondly, and my kids loved it! But at the time it poured with rain and I hated most of it! Also we made the mistake of going for 3 nights and that seems a long time when it’s constantly pouring and everyone and everything is wet through!