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

[Cindy B]

My kids have both done this in 6th grade. Up to about the late 1990's, the 6th grade was the last year of elementary school. To celebrate this accomplishment, all 6th graders went to a week long residential camp in the Pine Barrens.

The tradition still continues even though the 6th grade branched out to the first year of middle school.

The camping tradition has been going on for 40 years in the district.. and this year is the last year it is 5 days. Starting next year, a cheaper 4 day alternative will be used for all the 6th graders.

My kids (son and daughter) went. My son hated it, but my daughter loved it.

 

[Cindy B]

I forgot to say what they did:

The studied ecology in the Pine Barrens, studied soil and water samples and different types of pine trees/pinecones. They also had classes in orienteering as well as a high and low ropes team building courses. They also took a bus ride to Island Beach State Park in NJ where they planted sea grass, conducted water and soil samples and fished. In the evenings they had dances, a reptile guy assembly, instrumental music (different types of instruments), movie night, Jersey Devil storytelling and a hayride.

They also had free time where they could play football, soccer, tetherball, board games and just hanging out.

 

[debf]

My DD went in the 6th grade to Nature's Classroom out on Cape Cod.She loved it and would go again if given the chance.I was a bit nervous about her going so I talked Dh into going as a chaperone for the boys.He and two of his friends that had sons in the same class went along with the two 6th grade teachers.They had a great time also.It's been two years and they still laugh about funny things that happened on the trip.

 

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

Another one who did Nature's Classroom!

I'm from Massachusetts, and every year for years now the 5th graders in my district and most of the surrounding districts do natures classroom. I remember loving it. We stayed in cabins, learned camp songs, you got to choose each day what activity you wanted to do (I remember choosing ultimate frisbee one day, fishing the next, "haunted hike" another day....) We played games, but our favorite was the free time they gave us to just hang out. It made us feel very adult for a bunch of 5th graders.

I remember all the staff being very friendly and attentive. My cabin advisor was Frankie.



The one thing I remember REALLY well though, was participating in a simulation of the underground railroad and the struggles of slaves.

It was so intense that you had to have a parent sign for you to be able to participate. Then all of the 5th grade camp goers played the slaves and the camp advisors played the slave owners/sellers/white people helping slaves escape. We had to line up and they would scream in our faces, we had to kneel inside a giant barn for about 20 minutes while they yelled at us to simulate sitting in a boat for two months(your knees KILL at the end!). And then you go through the whole process of escaping from your owner and traveling with a group across the "country" (actually the campsite) and escaping to the north to freedom. But along the way we had to hide in different cabins while our white owners came and hunted us down!


It doesn't sound fun, but I remember everyone thinking it was intense and incredible. It's scary and it was EXTREMELY educational. It was the thing everyone talked about at the end of the trip.

 

[tasha99]

Here it's 6th grade where they have a one week "outdoor school."

 

[WDWMom]

We did this when I was in 6th grade and it was Monday - Friday. Stayed in cabins at some camp. That was when 6th grade was still part of elementary school. Can't remember all we did but mostly outdoor stuff.

My 3 kids have all gone to 5th grade camp at school. They leave Wed. and come home Fri. Again they stay in cabins, lots of teachers go not just the fifth grade teachers. Lots of outdoor games, zip line canoeing. They all looked forward to it and love it.

 

[SeaSpray]

Another one who did Nature's Classroom!

I'm from Massachusetts, and every year for years now the 5th graders in my district and most of the surrounding districts do natures classroom. I remember loving it. We stayed in cabins, learned camp songs, you got to choose each day what activity you wanted to do (I remember choosing ultimate frisbee one day, fishing the next, "haunted hike" another day....) We played games, but our favorite was the free time they gave us to just hang out. It made us feel very adult for a bunch of 5th graders.

I remember all the staff being very friendly and attentive. My cabin advisor was Frankie.



The one thing I remember REALLY well though, was participating in a simulation of the underground railroad and the struggles of slaves.
It was so intense that you had to have a parent sign for you to be able to participate. Then all of the 5th grade camp goers played the slaves and the camp advisors played the slave owners/sellers/white people helping slaves escape. We had to line up and they would scream in our faces, we had to kneel inside a giant barn for about 20 minutes while they yelled at us to simulate sitting in a boat for two months(your knees KILL at the end!). And then you go through the whole process of escaping from your owner and traveling with a group across the "country" (actually the campsite) and escaping to the north to freedom. But along the way we had to hide in different cabins while our white owners came and hunted us down!


It doesn't sound fun, but I remember everyone thinking it was intense and incredible. It's scary and it was EXTREMELY educational. It was the thing everyone talked about at the end of the trip.

This is what my DSs remember the most, too. They did it at night in the dark... quite the experience for young people, but it really added that extra dimension to their classroom lessons about the Underground Railroad.

 

[Buckalew11]

They do it here in 5th grade. It used to be mandatory. Lots of compliants about that so I think it got changed.

They go to Tremont in the GSMNP and have cabins to sleep in and spend 3-5 days there. It is a great experience!

 

[debster812]

Sounds like all the MA kids do a similar program.

DS still talks about the Underground Railroad stuff. One of his cabin chaperones is also the dad of a pal of his, retired Army Ranger, and current police officer. He gave the boys LOTS of tips on their 'escape' strategy, and was one of the 'abolitionists' who helped them out. He even had some camo face paint, and he did the boys up with dark head coverings, etc. The message REALLY struck DS, which was the point.

He also learned how to build a lean-to, start a fire, learned tai chi, did a short stand up routine, learned how to re-pack a week's worth of stuff ( ), and got along fine without mom and dad.

He's actually leaving in a week for overnight soccer camp, and told a friend of mine that it will be his 'vacation from mom and dad'

I think it's really a great experience for the kids, if they have the opportunity, and are willing to embrace it.

 

[Aristomommy]

Our school district partners with local park system to do an outdoor education with 6th graders. It used to be overnight for 4 days, but now it's only during the day time. There was concern over parent chaperones sleeping in the same rooms as children and any concerns that might come from that. I heard wonderful reports from parents whose children got to stay overnight, but DD will do the day version this fall.

 

[ctinct]

Another one who did Nature's Classroom!

I'm from Massachusetts, and every year for years now the 5th graders in my district and most of the surrounding districts do natures classroom. I remember loving it. We stayed in cabins, learned camp songs, you got to choose each day what activity you wanted to do (I remember choosing ultimate frisbee one day, fishing the next, "haunted hike" another day....) We played games, but our favorite was the free time they gave us to just hang out. It made us feel very adult for a bunch of 5th graders.

I remember all the staff being very friendly and attentive. My cabin advisor was Frankie.



The one thing I remember REALLY well though, was participating in a simulation of the underground railroad and the struggles of slaves.

It was so intense that you had to have a parent sign for you to be able to participate. Then all of the 5th grade camp goers played the slaves and the camp advisors played the slave owners/sellers/white people helping slaves escape. We had to line up and they would scream in our faces, we had to kneel inside a giant barn for about 20 minutes while they yelled at us to simulate sitting in a boat for two months(your knees KILL at the end!). And then you go through the whole process of escaping from your owner and traveling with a group across the "country" (actually the campsite) and escaping to the north to freedom. But along the way we had to hide in different cabins while our white owners came and hunted us down!


It doesn't sound fun, but I remember everyone thinking it was intense and incredible. It's scary and it was EXTREMELY educational. It was the thing everyone talked about at the end of the trip.

My daughter teaches in a charter school and their fifth grade does this also. She said the whole experience was worthwhile, but she did mention in particular the Underground Railroad portion. She did mention that some kids actually were moved to tears. Her school does sleepaways for every grade, I think. The middle school kids do a college road trip. I had never heard of anything like this, but from the sound of it, there are many places that do this. The things you learn on the DIS boards.

 

[NHdisneylover]

As other pps have said--totally normal in many area. It was a 6th grade trip in Colorado when I was a kid (but I hear they moved the trip to 5th grade when 6th moved up to the middle school a while back). It was a 5th grade trip in the districts we lived in in New Hampshire and Michigan. Here in Germany it seems just about every grade goes somewhere every year. DS10 went with the fourth and third graders to a camp in the black Forsest for 3 nights and DD12 and her 6th grade class went to a small town about 5 hours from here and did lots of team building stuff (high ropes course, GPS hike, etc).

 

[MerMom60_94]

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.

My DD went to the Natures Classroom program down on Cape Cod when she was in 5th grade. She wasn't one to sleep away from home so I was nervous for her the whole time (all the Mothers were nervous about letting go). As it happens, my DH was able to go along as a chaperone. Since he stayed with the boys he didn't actually get to spend much time with her, though. The thing is, when it was time to go home she was having so much fun she didn't want to leave!! Here I was thinking she'd be home sick.

Natures Classroom spent a lot of time on team work and respect and they had some really fun lessons. For example:

-she got to dissect a shark.
-they broke into teams and built a bridge that could hold their weight out of styrofoam blocks.
-they spent a day at one of the beaches (in November) studying the tidal pools.
-they went into the woods and reenacted the underground railroad.
-at the end of each meal they had to weigh all the leftover food and prepare and deliver an ort report. It helped raise awareness of how much food was being wasted and the goal was to reduce waste by a certain amount by the end of the week.

I forget what some of the other lessons were but I wish school could always be that fun. All of the kids got a lot out of going and I would highly recommend it. Unfortunately, our town discontinued doing this and her class was the last one to go. I think it's because there had to be teacher presence during the week and her teachers were young and had small children. One of them got pregnant at the end of the year so it was no longer practical for them on a personal level to go.

 

[emiliezola]

My two oldest children are in "Sixieme" and "CP2". We live in Paris and these are about equal to sixth and fifth grade. Both have taken required scheduled overnight trips with their classes. These are required because in theory they are supposed to take the place of the regular classroom curriculum and so are mandatory. In reality-- they were just for fun. My son went for 2 1/2 weeks to ski in the Alps at Mont Blanc. They did some side day trips like visiting a cheese farm, cave markings, etc. My daughter just returned from a week long trip to the theme park, Futuroscope, in Poitiers. It was scary letting both of them go for such a long time because the schools do not encourage close interaction between parents and school staff. Parents are kept at arm's length and it is understood that the children are to be the ones responsible for their own education and communicating school life to the parents at home. There is no such thing as PTA or homeroom parents or volunteering on campus. In fact, we are not allowed inside the school gates unless invited for a conference. So, all this to say-- my children have required trips and we just have to trust that all is well. Turned out that both trips were a great experience for our kids. For me and my husband, they were nervewrecking experiences!