How old was your child when they first slept over at a Scout / Guides type camp

[MonChoufleur123]

DS who is 7.5 has been invited to go for a camping weekend during school summer holidays with his Scouts group. He's in Beavers but there will be Scouts up to the top age group there (18). It's 10am Saturday to 4pm Sunday.
He's been going for about 9 months and knows two others in the Beavers group well from school. I'm worried he'll find it overwhelming and feel uneasy about it being such a large age range. We'd be about 45 mins drive away if he wanted to come home early. Or I'm wondering if I could ask if he could just go for one of the days.
How old were your children when they first did something like this? Would you let your 7 yr old go? Not sure how to approach concerns with the group leader.
Thanks x

DD went to PGL with brownies just after turning 7 and loved it!

6 with beavers. Had a whale of a time!

On a separate note I'm also a Beaver leader and we're more than happy to explain how anything will work in practical terms like tents, whether they'll all be mixing etc. Our last camp we only ended up mixing the beavers with everybody at campfire as we were all doing different activities all day. Do ask them - there's no silly questions!

Just turned 6 camping 50 miles away with a mixed camp for beavers, cubs and scouts. She loved it and has gone on to do all the DofEs and be very confident.

Cubs - aged 8, for 2 nights.
First time he had stayed overnight with anyone outside of parents/grandparents/aunts. He had a brilliant time, and it helped when the time came for a school res trip.

Edit: Camp was the full range of Scouts, and to be honest they were separated into different fields, only really ‘joining’ for campfire assembly things. Groups were rotated between the range of activities.

Mine all went from when they joined beavers so 5 3/4. Despite two having SEN they enjoyed it, never had to pick them up early from camp.

If you’re worried you could volunteer as a helper and go along , that is what we did for our son’s first overnight when he was 7.

Ours go on a school residential for 5 days (4 nights) every year from age 8. From age 6, a lot go to summer sports camps for a similar length of time. At age 6 they sleep overnight at kindergarten (just 1 night,).

Youngest started beavers on Friday. He turns 6 next week. They have group camp in July. He'll go as his brother is in cubs and he knows lots of their friends. He would be annoyed if he wasn't allowed. Eldest was 7.5 at beavers due to COVID.

DS was 7 at Beavers for his first overnight camp. In Cubs he now does the 2-night camps and when he moves to Scouts later this year I believe they do 7-day camps as well as shorter ones. He’s loved it so far.

Rainbows sleepover age 5. I volunteered to go too.

I find these responses so interesting. There's a lot of talk recently aboutparents not allowing (and how dangerous) sleepovers can be, in terms of SA - yet it seems so many will allow a trip with a club, with strangers, in a place I'm sure many parents haven't even visited themselves.

Six but I offered to be a parent helper (more for me than them!) and they had a blast and would have done without me.

Offer to help?

7y3m with Beavers to a camp with definitely cubs also there, can't remember if scouts were there too. He's only just left scouting age 18!

All the adults will have had DBS checks

All leaders/parents attending must have a DBS check, and leaders will have first aid training and nights away training. The camps are run to strict guidelines, in a way that sleepovers are not.

Leaders, if parents take the time pop in and chat at meetings, are hopefully not complete strangers - after all, parents allow their kids to attend meetings with the leaders for a couple of hours every week, and also perhaps on day trips etc. Parents probably have a reasonable feel for whether they trust the leaders or not.

I appreciate that this doesn't eliminate all risk, but children miss out on a lot of great adventures if they are not allowed to go on these camping trips.

Beavers, age 6. Two nights away with Beavers/Cubs/Scouts.

Absolutely loved it and just had another one night sleepover at just turned 7.

Both of mine were 7. Both excited and wanted to go and had no issues. Kept very much to their own group, no mixing with elder groups.

I trusted the Beaver leaders more then I trusted my IL's with DS. She new him a lot better then our IL's as also ran our local toddler group and DD had been to Beavers first. She was also far more able to deal with his asthma as well.

There is no way I would have let him go on a friends sleepover at the same age due to his medical needs. But beavers where fantastic did help I already knew all the leaders from DD going.

DD went with brownies when she was 8. She was absolutely fine. It was only about 30 mins drive away so felt like we could have gone to get her if she was unhappy. If your DS wants to go let him.

10 with guides they loved it. They let the kids stay up late and are really busy so often nod right off

Also relevant to add - it’s beaver scout etc policy not to be alone with children as an additional safeguarding measure for children (and to protect leaders from allegations). Ie If a beaver has a toileting accident etc then two leaders will help them rather than one.

Any tips to prepare? Mine has his first overnight with Beavers at the end of July. SEND and never stayed away from us overnight before 😱

Scout are only up to age 14.

Explorer are 14 - 18.

Ds went on his first camp age 10 months. There were Explorers on it.

He has grown up with it and knows no different. Some of the kids who were on their first camp back then are now adult leaders. They are always 'hes HOW BIG now?!'

As a rule if there's different sections at a camp they won't mix for activities even if on the same site. It just leads to issues. They'll just see the bigger kids around.

And yes, there's strict rules on being alone with kids and sleeping arrangements.

Go with.

Or have a full debrief with the leader.
Make sure your child knows you will come and get them if they get upset.

And don't take it as an opportunity to go and get pissed.... (Yeah. Don't be that parent. The leaders won't thank you)

6 or 7, with Beavers.