Educational holiday instead of the Yr 6 residential

[NicolaandLawrie]

My DD really doesn’t want to go on the Yr 6 residential. It’s 5 days, 4 nights at an outward bound centre, kayaking, canoeing, abseiling - that kind of thing. Teachers have applied a bit of pressure saying she’ll regret it if she doesn’t go. Personally I don’t think she will. She is confident, self-assured, knows her own mind and is clear that she wouldn’t really enjoy the activities and therefore doesn’t want to go.

I see no reason to pressure her into going, it’s £450 I could spend on something better for her. Which brings me to my question. The alternative provision for non attendees is to join a Yr 5 class for the week. I think that would be a waste of her time and therefore I am planning to take her out and go away.

I would like to go somewhere she can learn/experience something which will make it a great use of the time out of school, she loves art, animals, wildlife, is pretty good at speaking French and also enjoys walking, swimming and being out in nature.

Any suggestions of where we could go please? It will be during mid July, just before they break up for the summer. Thanks 😊

It's crazy to pay for soemthing they positively won't enjoy.

At secondary you wouldn't pay 100s for a skiing trip unless they wanted to go for example. I think there is no point sending a child who positively won't enjoy it.

Having a different experience instead I think is lovely!

Of course, and it might well have been if the OP's dd had been willing to give it a chance.

My dd was definitely not the sporty, outdoorsy type when she went on her Year 6 residential. She is possibly dyspraxic and very cautious by nature, so I thought she would be quite fearful of a lot of the activities. However, she has been brought up with the mindset that it's good to at least give things a go without pre-judging them, and to always push a bit beyond her comfort zone, so she went along anyway and actually found that she had a fantastic time.

The experiences that she had during that week gave her the confidence and open-mindedness to try various other activities after that, that she might not have otherwise been brave enough to try. Personally, I don't want her to put limits on herself by making assumptions that she won't like things that she has never even tried... that's no way to live in my view.

Ultimately, of course, all parents are free to make their own decisions about what's right for their children, but there is no harm in hearing different points of view.

It’s not meant to be an endurance event - either mentally or physically.
Theres a difference between going out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself a bit and knowingly doing something you know you will hate just to “build character”
OP knows her child - for one of mine these type of holidays are the best thing ever, for my other child they are absolutely awful

I did many things as a child that were "outside my comfort zone" in that they were challenging, nerve wracking , pushing my abilities to the limit, physically uncomfortable, difficult, boring, etc, but they were fulfilling, exhilarating and promoted growth because they were self-driven activities and I was participating in them in pursuit of a goal that I had set for myself. My parents never forced me to do something I would hate simply to demonstrate how it feels to suffer and be obedient, and I'm pretty glad about that!

I don't think kids learn very much from being forced or pushed in extracurricular activities. Encouraged and supported to follow their own interests and set their own goals, yes.

This isn't an essential part of school. It's a holiday that is offered as a learning opportunity.

Italy? Go see Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius? Could stay in Sorreento.
Greek island - www.contexttravel.com/blog/articles/best-greek-islands

I agree take her somewhere else, why waste money knowing she'll be miserable

If you live near an airport or a Eurostar terminal, you could see where they can deliver you to, then have her help look up what there is to do in each place. You could end up choosing somewhere you'd never have thought of.