4th grade field trip angst

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP and PP, you sound a little psycho. These are 9/10yo kids - a long bus ride will be hell on wheels for the adult chaperones, but it will be a travelling party for the kiddos. Our school does long field trips in 4th grade as well - 7am departure for the most recent one - and the kids love them. There is an amazing teacher who pours her heart and soul into planning really interesting trips. Maybe the trips at your child's school aren't as fabulous but even if the activities are dull, the bus ride will be a chaotic thrill. I'm a pretty overprotective parent, but I don't really see why you're so horrified about a field trip. If your kids can't handle riding in a bus at 10yo, then you've got bigger problems than a field trip.

*IF* the field trip is well planned and interesting, then maybe the long ride is worth it. So in this case, what's in the Poconos to make the 7 hour round trip bus ride worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not an overprotective parent by any stretch of the imagination, but I wouldn't be sold on this trip. Why the Poconos? Seems like a long trip on a bus for reasons that are unknown (at least to those of us reading this).

+1

Sorry, I don't get this. Why the Poconos?

I might be inclined to skip it for a 4th grader also.

[Anonymous]

You guys aren't any fun! A field trip is great no matter where it goes for most kids. Only a very jaded & boring child would turn their nose up at field trip. Getting out of school, riding the big commercial bus, eating lunch some where other than the cafeteria.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys aren't any fun! A field trip is great no matter where it goes for most kids. Only a very jaded & boring child would turn their nose up at field trip. Getting out of school, riding the big commercial bus, eating lunch some where other than the cafeteria.....

You're kidding right? Getting up at 5am on a school day, having to ride a bus for hours, especially for a child who gets carsick, then being herded around to various "sights" at a breakneck speed without really getting a good look at anything, and finally boarding the bus for the long return trip home? My kids find it a lot more fun to sleep in on a school day, get up when they're ready, then do something fun, either at home, or out somewhere. Or even just reading a good book in bed all day, if they want to. They're not silly sheep, following the crowd just for the "adventure" of riding a bus all day.

[Anonymous]

PP you are obviously a PITA parent - your 10yo gets carsick, really? And kids who enjoy a field trip are "sheep"?

Look, I don't know what the value of the OP's particular trip might be, but I think parents who are outraged or terrified about a long-day field trip have some neurotic helicopter issues to resolve themselves. Let kids be kids. Field trips, even long pointless ones, are at worst harmless and at best lots of fun and a good learning experience.

[Anonymous]

I think it is okay to skip it. I am a little wary of buses actually...There are always so many crashes in the news of commercial buses. I think 7 hours is way too long on a bus. Not much bang for the buck. Take her on a field trip yourself that day to somewhere a lot closer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP you are obviously a PITA parent - your 10yo gets carsick, really? And kids who enjoy a field trip are "sheep"?

Look, I don't know what the value of the OP's particular trip might be, but I think parents who are outraged or terrified about a long-day field trip have some neurotic helicopter issues to resolve themselves. Let kids be kids. Field trips, even long pointless ones, are at worst harmless and at best lots of fun and a good learning experience.

I find it more than a little strange that you've never heard of 10 yr. olds who get carsick. Seriously? My husband, a grown man, gets very carsick if he's not driving and has had motion sickness all his life. We have lots of friends and family members of all ages with the same issue. It's not just little kids who are affected. I imagine you're one of those PITA parents who has no empathy for people who have motion sickness issues. Hey, if it doesn't affect you, why on earth should it bother others?

I'm not 'outraged or terrified' about a day-long field trip at all, especially a long day actually spent at the destination rather than on a bus for hours. How about this; you go along as a chaperone and enjoy that super-fun bus ride. I'll spend the day doing something fun with my kids.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are really concerned, what about driving her up by yourself in the morning and letting her join in with her group there, then spend the night?

[Anonymous]

What could possibly be the reason a school would allow a trip to the Pocanos for a bunch of 4th graders or any grade for that matter? What's next Club Med for Kindergarten? What educational slant are they putting on the trip? Is this public school or private?

[Anonymous]

OP defines the term helicopter parent. I seriously don't give a damn if my kid is mildly uncomfortable for a day. Its a freaking day, its school, so what. Be bored. Be unstimulated. To try to orchestrate your child's life in a way to ensure that he avoids any unpleasant experiences will only ensure that your kid will turn into a kid who Can Not Deal.

Not to mention that it might be awesome. Maybe his friend will squirt water through his nose laughing or all the kids will be shocked that their teacher entertains them with a mildly inappropriate but silly song. Maybe they will stop and watch a deer in the road or learn something cool about mountains. Maybe some kid will bring a giant bag of cola gummis and they'll all pretend to drink them or have contests to see who can suck on them the longest without giving in to the temptation to bite. And then they will talk about this stuff the next day and your kid will feel mildly left out and weird because he was home on the couch wrapped in cotton wool with mommy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP defines the term helicopter parent. I seriously don't give a damn if my kid is mildly uncomfortable for a day. Its a freaking day, its school, so what. Be bored. Be unstimulated. To try to orchestrate your child's life in a way to ensure that he avoids any unpleasant experiences will only ensure that your kid will turn into a kid who Can Not Deal.

Not to mention that it might be awesome. Maybe his friend will squirt water through his nose laughing or all the kids will be shocked that their teacher entertains them with a mildly inappropriate but silly song. Maybe they will stop and watch a deer in the road or learn something cool about mountains. Maybe some kid will bring a giant bag of cola gummis and they'll all pretend to drink them or have contests to see who can suck on them the longest without giving in to the temptation to bite. And then they will talk about this stuff the next day and your kid will feel mildly left out and weird because he was home on the couch wrapped in cotton wool with mommy.

Amen! Whether it blows or its awesome thats life. I do NOT have the time to analyze every school day & provide the perfect conditions. Thats cray cray!!

[Anonymous]

How is your child ever going to learn to be independent of you? It starts with small trips like this. They need to learn to cope, a little discomfort won't be the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

There's always going to be *that* kid whose mommy won't let them go or who isn't able to handle the situation as confidently as the other kids. Might as well be yours.

And 7 hrs of party bus (broken into 2 parts if the day) is hardly torture for a child. You seriously would never road trip as a family for that long without stopping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's always going to be *that* kid whose mommy won't let them go or who isn't able to handle the situation as confidently as the other kids. Might as well be yours.

And 7 hrs of party bus (broken into 2 parts if the day) is hardly torture for a child. You seriously would never road trip as a family for that long without stopping?

I wouldn't do it as a day trip to the Poconos, only to spend about 5-6 hours there. The ride should be shorter than the time spent at the location!

When we take a field trip with our girl scout troop (same age range) anything over 2 hours (one way) we do not do as a day trip. We spend the night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's always going to be *that* kid whose mommy won't let them go or who isn't able to handle the situation as confidently as the other kids. Might as well be yours.

And 7 hrs of party bus (broken into 2 parts if the day) is hardly torture for a child. You seriously would never road trip as a family for that long without stopping?

I wouldn't do it as a day trip to the Poconos, only to spend about 5-6 hours there. The ride should be shorter than the time spent at the location!

When we take a field trip with our girl scout troop (same age range) anything over 2 hours (one way) we do not do as a day trip. We spend the night.

Exactly. If the time on the bus exceeds the time at the destination, either spend the night or find somewhere closer to go.