Overnight grade school for a whole week? 5th graders.

[Papa Deuce]

I just found out than when my kids get to 5th grade, they can OPTIONALLY take a 5 day overnight school "camp" during the year.

It sounds like a neat idea. It is also something that I have NEVER heard of.

Have you? If your kids did it, did they like it?

 

[DebbieB]

Where do they go and what do they do?

 

[clarabelle]

My kids have a two night "field trip" to a camp of some sort usually.
They have done a zoo sleepover, ropes course, sea kayaking etc...

When they are Jrs. in High School it will be a college visiting trip.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Where do they go and what do they do?

I don't know yet. I am sure they teach. The only reason I know it exists is because my wife mentioned that the girl next door told her about it. Apparently she did it last year.

My kids have 2 years to go... they are just starting 3rd grade in the fall.

I am just curious if this is being done anywhere else.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I went on that when I was in fifth grade, and that was very long time ago, lol. All the girls stayed in one room with bunkbeds, and the boys in another. We did nature stuff all week and had a great time!

 

[bellebuzzntink]

DD11 did this in February with her school. It was an environmental education camp where the kids slept in cabins, canoed, cooked their own dinner, hiked, and had outdoor classes. She had a great time and came back with so much information to share. Her school has been doing this for a number of years, so many, in fact, that DH went to the same camp back when HE was in 5th grade.

 

[squirrlygirl]

In this area it's the beginning of 6th grade. My brother and I both did it as children, and DS did it, too (different school district than I attended). It was an absolute blast.

 

[Papa Deuce]

DD11 did this in February with her school. It was an environmental education camp where the kids slept in cabins, canoed, cooked their own dinner, hiked, and had outdoor classes. She had a great time and came back with so much information to share. Her school has been doing this for a number of years, so many, in fact, that DH went to the same camp back when HE was in 5th grade.

Sound exactly right. It is called "Outdoor Education Week".

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Science Camp is a long-standing tradition in my area. I went when I was in 6th grade. Back then, it was 4 nights - Monday through Friday. We stayed in cabins with high school students as the counselors. The camp had resident teachers who led us on hikes and had us do a few classroom activities like looking at fossils, plants, etc. We had campfires, songs, skits, etc.

Now, since 6th grade is part of middle school, the kids go in 5th grade. My oldest went almost 3 years ago. My youngest will be going this November. They no longer have high school students as cabin counselors - now they use parents (at least in our district). I went with my oldest son since he has Asperger's and needed extra support during the trip. Either my husband or I will be going in November with our youngest, too. Also, they only go for 3 nights now - Tuesday through Friday. The cost is $300 per child and each child starts fundraising as early as kindergarten! Part of the money you make at Walk-a-Thons, Scrip purchases, etc. goes directly to your child's Science Camp account. The 4th graders also do a big fundraising push with extra bake sales, etc.

 

[Lachesis00]

Kids in Alaska (Juneau anyways) do a 5th grade week-long trip to Skagway... My parents/family/best friend are in Skagway so I we took time off work and went as chaperones and then extended it as a family, because after that trip, school was over for the year. Out of 150+ kids, I'd say there were 50 parents/chaperones.

 

[java]

Well my daughter went on a 2 night Camp trip- team building kind of stuff vs. actual learning taking place(a touch of science I suppose)
My ds had gone on it when he was in 6th grade. And I have 2 more coming up that will be able to do it- but I think we'll pass.

The supervision wasn't great. And I think overnights with boys and girls at that age are just not a great idea- My daughter and her roommates were accused of hiding boys in their closet! *which really is ridiculous and they didn't apologize when there was no boy in the closet. Thanks for that vote of confidence in the girls. Their room was the one without a chaperone in the room(2 mom's wanted to sleep together to talk so they left their room without a chaperone. )

So in my opinion- not worth it but ours sounds different in what they do. This was a YMCA based camp.

It was canceled for 2 years because of something that happened on the trip- a parent went nuts and slapped one of the kids
Then they brought it back. I wish it went away.

 

[minniecarousel]

"Outdoor Ed" is very popular for 5th graders in our school district. The kids are usually very comfortable with it. It's the parents who aren't quite ready! My niece and nephews (triplets) were in 5th grade this past year and their high-school-age brother sooo enjoyed his week at home without them!

They interview HS students to go along as camp counselors. The fifth grade teachers go, and typically, no parents go along. I felt it was a worth-while thing for my kids to do.

 

[flying_babyb]

CAMP BIRD!!!! my fondest fifth grade memory. It was a way to meet the kids from the other area elementy schools that would all be going to one middle school. It was so much fun. We played games, went on nature hikes, swam, read and ate crappy food. I also remember shoving a teacher in the lake. I think it was the science teacher LOL. It was fun and SO worth it. Also I wasnt the only child who broght there teddy bear.

 

[Papa Deuce]

LOL... I thought "Outdoor Education" was when they brought the kids outside on the school lawns to teach... which they do all the time.

 

[eduk8r26]

In SoCal, in one district, all 5th graders go on a 2 or 3 night campout. Some go to a state beach, some to a camp in the mountains. They have rangers that take them on hikes and stuff and teach them ecology and science. The teachers go along too, as well as some parents.

 

[wowsmom]

I just found out than when my kids get to 5th grade, they can OPTIONALLY take a 5 day overnight school "camp" during the year.

It sounds like a neat idea. It is also something that I have NEVER heard of.

Have you? If your kids did it, did they like it?

When my son was in 5th grade, they did Outdoor Science School. It was optional, but only 1 kid in the 2 classes didn't attend.

They left on a Monday morning, went to a campground in the mountains (about 2 hours away) and got back home Friday afternoon. They had boys' cabins and girls' cabins...pretty decent food...parent and teacher chaperones...no cell phones (not even the chaperones) and they had a total blast! They did nature hikes and campfires in the evening and I think my son only showered once the whole time.

Also, we (the parents) were encouraged to write a letter or two to our kids, which we should mail the week before they went - so during the week, the kids would get letters from home.

We're in Southern California, but my nieces in Northern California also attended an outdoor science school in their area.

 

[clgwli]

In this area it's the beginning of 6th grade. My brother and I both did it as children, and DS did it, too (different school district than I attended). It was an absolute blast.

Same with our area. We have a great camp in 6th grade for everyone to go to. Most go to it as well. I loved going myself and hope they continue with this for the classes.

 

[debster812]

It's a rite of passage here in our little town. DS will be in 7th grade in the fall, and when he was in 5th grade, they went to a camp in NH (we're in SE Mass) on a program called Nature's Classroom. He STILL talks about it, so much so that DH and I looked into sending him on a Nature's Classroom summer program. Our school has been doing this for so long, that DS's former soccer coach when he was in 5th grade, and he just turned 20.

I think it's a great experience for them.

 

[SeaSpray]

It's a rite of passage here in our little town. DS will be in 7th grade in the fall, and when he was in 5th grade, they went to a camp in NH (we're in SE Mass) on a program called Nature's Classroom. He STILL talks about it, so much so that DH and I looked into sending him on a Nature's Classroom summer program. Our school has been doing this for so long, that DS's former soccer coach when he was in 5th grade, and he just turned 20.

I think it's a great experience for them.

I live near Debster (a town away) and our DSs also went to Nature's Classroom when they were in elementary school. They both had a very good experience there. They learned some very useful as well as interesting things, and had all sorts of classes during the week. Some that the kids could choose, some that everyone participated in together.

Our town first started doing this when DS21 was in 5th grade (or was it 6th grade??). His class was the "test class" to see how the students and teachers would respond to the experience. It went so well that year that they've done it every year since.

 

[Binnie]

We did a week of "Outdoor School" in 6th grade. It was great, and as others have described. Except it was mandatory for us... Of course that was longer ago than I care to think about. I seem to recall there being Milli Vanilli on the radio.

We had a great time. I would love for my DD to do it when she gets to that age. Not that I learned all that much, but it was cool to be that age and "free" from the family.