I thought this was a lovely addition to the camp list for year 5

[twentypence]

I will probably get jumped on with people who don't think a 9 year old boy needs one, but I thought this was nice.

After the usual towel, sleeping bag, pillow case, plastic bags for wet clothes was

teddy

It just gave me a warm feeling thinking about the boys I teach all tucked up with their teddy bears!

I didn't write the list by the way - I am a specialist teacher for one period a week.

At our school the children are all asked to bring a teddy too - I think it is so the children who really need theirs don't feel embarrassed. I agree, I think it is lovely.

Packing a teddy probably helps the parent as well - it's the first camp they go on.

When DS was in Cubs, everyone had to take a teddy, including the adults, when they went on camp.

LadyGP is right - to make everyone the same.

It's sweet

This is so nice that's it's a usual thing. Ds is only in year 2 so has 3 more years to choose which of the 3 teddies he sleeps with gets the nod.

On ds's beaver/cub/scout list for the summer camp there was

Favourite teddy - optional

on the list. For the beaver sleepover it just had

Favourite teddy

Ds said that meant he had to take one!

DS is 13 and teddy's still get to go to camp. He has an old raccoon puppet called rocky who goes to every camp and has his own sleeping bag.

Our juniors lists a teddy as compulsory on their 4 nights away Y5 thing. I also think it's a good idea.

I think it is pretty standard anywhere, if it is on the list they don't feel silly taking one.

We tell our Year 5 to bring a teddy each. Each room has to arrange their teddies into an imaginative tableaux. They get awards for best arrangements and so on at the end of the day/week.

Last year we had things like them all sitting around playng cards. Some of the teddies were doing bungee jumps and so on...

It's on our kit list for Brownie holidays too!