Why do they need to do this??!!!

mommy3b2c

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:32 pm

My kids are still on a trip with day camp. I am panicking already. They are little kids!!! Why do they have to go on a trip till 12:00 at night??!!!!

mommy3b2c

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:41 pm

amother wrote:

They dont inform / update the parents? via email / twitter / text

They do. Once at 9:30 to say they are leaving at12:00. Once at 11:15 to say they will be back at 12:00. I'm still panicking!!!

Who says my kids are even on the bus??? There's no way to be sure until they actually get home.

momX4

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:43 pm

What age are your kids?

My 10 year old's latest trip so far will end at 10pm. When my kids are really young I send them to a place that specifically doesnt go off grounds for trips.

Rachel Shira

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:44 pm

I'm sorry, that's crazy. Is this just a regular day trip? Does this happen regularly?
You should definitely be able to speak to a staff member on the bus and make sure your kid is on it! That's insane!

momX4

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:45 pm

mommy3b2c wrote:

you chose to send your dc to a camp that you hopefully researched. Usually camps tend to redo trips from year to year, different places but same concept, coming home late. They are experienced and have figured out a system that works for them.

mommy3b2c

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:53 pm

momX4 wrote:

What age are your kids?

My 10 year old's latest trip so far will end at 10pm. When my kids are really young I send them to a place that specifically doesnt go off grounds for trips.

They are 8 and 10.

mommy3b2c

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:53 pm

momX4 wrote:

I'm in a bungalow colony. I send to their day camp. And I don't find these systems to be impressive. I think all the kids coming home safely is more luck then anything else. Which is why I'm nervous.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:55 pm

Night hikes are a rite of passage at camp. They get to turn off their flashlights, listen to the forest sounds, and try to identify the animals. They see the stars, experience real darkness, get scared, come out alive, deny that they were ever scared, and feel very brave the next day.

It's a priceless experience!

ra_mom

Wed, Jul 12 2017, 11:59 pm

Growing up we never had this.
The 2 oldest bunks had a late night once a summer which involved staying late in the day camp building, having a late swim, pizza dinner, movie, and be driven home at a normal hour.

mommy3b2c

Thu, Jul 13 2017, 12:02 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

A night hike in a water park. That's a first!

amother

Forestgreen

Thu, Jul 13 2017, 12:20 am

mommy3b2c wrote:

Bh, my precious babies are safe in bed!

I HATE THESE TRIPS!!!!!!!

Thanks for updating us. I would also hate that! Why do such young kids need to be out so late - makes no sense to me. Maybe you can start a new movement on your bungalow colony - to get kids home at a reasonable hour on trip day!

gp2.0

Thu, Jul 13 2017, 1:24 am

Not sure how it works in your bungalow colony, but in my camp days the waterpark trip was a late one because they bought out the park for after hours when no one else would be there.

Ema of 5

Thu, Jul 13 2017, 7:00 am

My 10 year old is in a camp where they go on trips every week. Late night trips. There is also one overnight per session. I knew about this ahead of time. There was one trip that we chose not to send him on, for whatever reason. I don't know how often your kids go on trips, but if you don't like it, you don't have to send them.

animeme

Thu, Jul 13 2017, 7:53 am

Agreed that these late trips almost always involve water parks. Renting them out for exclusive use in the summer can involve starting at something like 10pm, when they close. I don't know bungalow colony camps, but I imagine yours gave you advance notice that this was a late one, and you could keep them home.

On a practical level: If you're genuinely worried the camp can't keep track of its kids, and don't trust your kids to stay with the pack and be where they need to, don't send on trips. If you are the worried type (there are many out there!), or you have a kid who you think is prone to separating themselves, I'd connect with a staff member and ask them to text you when your kids are sitting safely on the bus ready to leave.