Camp field trip to beach/lake/pool for 2-4 year-olds. Would you go with your dc? - Page 2

[Terabith]

I don't understand what kind of camp would take a bunch of 2-4 year olds on a trip to a large body of water for a field trip??? I mean, it's one thing for a preschool to walk down to the YMCA where they take swimming lessons or something, or a water play day where they play in a wading pool or something, but a free for all, not terribly organized field trip for little kids to water deeper than about a foot and a half, just seems really dumb to me. Not to mention dangerous. No, I would not let my daugher go. I won't even take them swimming anywhere other than wading pools without a one child to one adult ratio.

[Hazelnut]

I'm not sure why you think it wasn't organized or that it was a "free for all." Walking three blocks to a lake where they played in knee-deep water is really the same as walking to the Y to play in three-feet water. I didn't indicate that they weren't careful. Nor do I really need some sort of comment that I'm sending my kids to an (implied) irresponsible daycamp that people wouldn't even send their child to. I simply asked if you would feel comfortable not accompanying them. Frankly I'm not surprised that this pre-K camp is OK with it, b/c obviously 99% of the parents are. Just not me. It did make me think twice about their decision, but I was welcome to go and there are no other field trips. I don't let my child swim or attend field trips yet without me present. I was just surprised that I'm the only one among these parents that feels that way.

[kblackstone444]

Camp field trip to beach/lake/pool for 2-4 year-olds. Would you go with your dc?

I'm a preschool teacher of three year olds and I'd have to say, WHAT, IS YOU'RE CHILD'S SCHOOL CRAZY?!?!?!?!?! Most preschools have a ratio of a minimum of 6 or 7 children per teacher, MAYBE 5 children per teacher, in a really good daycare. Would YOU feel safe watching 5 (or even TWO!) children that age near water? I can tell you as a teacher, even on a "safer" field trip, say to the zoo, it's a constent struggle to keep every child in sight and every child "in control" the entire time. There's always the fear of losing sight of one of the children or one of them wandering off. even with the best teachers. No way should any children that age be on ANY field trip or swimming lessons involving swimming and water without a 1 child per 1 adult ratio!

[Hazelnut]

Okaaayy...

[Nicole77]

There is no way I would let my kids go. Water makes me a bit paranoid and I could not assume that the staff would keep the eagle eye on my kids that I feel they should, particularly since camps are usually staffed by young people who don't have kids yet. But then I also have very few friends and only one set of grandparents who I would feel truly comfortable with them taking more than one child to a swimming place.

My husband's younger brother (28) just asked us if he and his girlfriend could take our dd (5) and his gf's niece (7) to a nearby Six Flags water park for the day. Both dh and I immediately thought "not a chance." All it would take is one minute of flirty giggling or play while not looking right at the kids for one of them to go under and drown, or for someone to scoop them up and walk away. I am pretty serious about swimming supervision and feel eyes on the kids who cannot swim means that you are literally watching them every moment. Enough so that I will not even take my own three to the pool by myself since I don't think I can adequately supervise a baby, a toddler, and a 5 year old who can only doggie paddle. Maximum of two non-swimmers per adult is my rule of thumb and non-swimmers=anyone who is not a very strong swimmer.

All that said I do not think a camp/school for kids under 10 should even be planning this outing. Too many kids to too few adults. It is an accident waiting to happen and I assume most parents would not have a choice to decline the trip without keeping them out of camp for the day which would be pretty complicated for a working parent.

[Nicole77]

Originally Posted by hazelnut

Walking three blocks to a lake where they played in knee-deep water is really the same as walking to the Y to play in three-feet water.

Well okay, assuming that we are talking about knee deep standing water (not ocean waves obviously) I would be okay with my 4-5 year old going on that trip. Not a 2-3 year old because they can still be pretty head heavy but older than that sure. Although I would realistically be going along anyway because so far my kids don't go on field trips without me.

[choli]

I wouldn't feel the need to go on the trip. If I didn't trust the supervision at the camp I wouldn't send my kid to that camp to begin with.

[lotusdebi]

I'd go with my DS1 (5 this month), but that may be because of the kind of kid he is. He doesn't properly process verbal instructions, he's impulsive, he's fast, and he thinks he can swim. I had DH take off of work last year to go to the zoo with DS1's preschool camp because I thought that DS1 needed his very own adult supervising him in that situation as well. But, I'm willing to accept that not all kids are like mine, and many do much better with following safety and other instructions in those situations.

[newmommy]

DH and I are completely adamant on this one-

DS doesn't go near water (beach, lake, or pool) without either one of us.

[Hazelnut]

That's pretty how much how I feel newmommy. I trust them and I think they are careful, but the swimming thing gets me really worried anyway.

This is just a morning camp from 9-12 so I'm assuming most parents aren't off to work for three hours, though there could be other reasons that make going difficult I guess. I'd keep him home if I couldn't go.

[ElliesMomma]

another vote with the consensus. frankly, i get nervous for even the big kids i see out with field trip groups "loose" in the city for crowded festivals, etc. (on dry land!) toddlers near water: no way!

[cycle]

Originally Posted by AbigailsMomSarah

Not in a hudred million years.

I'll be very honest and say I DO feel judment towards parents that didn't go.

I agree - I would not let ds go without me.....

[Nicole77]

Originally Posted by choli

I wouldn't feel the need to go on the trip. If I didn't trust the supervision at the camp I wouldn't send my kid to that camp to begin with.

See to me there is a big difference between trusting teenaged camp counselors to supervise small children playing on dry land, running and jumping around together, while the counselors chat nearby and are on the lookout for any problems and trusting that same group of teens to keep their constant, one hundred percent, undivided attention on a group of small children in the water.

[Hazelnut]

Me too. These are actually adults- regular preschool teachers. My son did another camp (no field trips and only slip n slide ) where there were teen counselors and sadly I wouldn't trust them with much, based on what I observed.

The adult/child ratio was only part of it for me though. Really I wouldn't want trust a lot of people to take my kid swimming. That's a big deal and I would just want to be there.

[limabean]

Since I'm home anyway, I plan to attend pretty much every field trip with DS's class, especially those that will take place near water! I'm looking forward to being involved in his school activities.

I realize there are parents who don't have that option, although, as the OP said, since the class is just 3 hours in the morning, it's unlikely that all those parents are at work during that time. But some of them may have scheduled another obligation, like a doctor appointment or other professional meeting, during that time.

I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't free during the field trip and didn't have the option of having my DS stay at the preschool center instead of going swimming.

[Dragonfly]

Originally Posted by boatbaby

For me... at that age... there is NO WAY I would let him go unless I was there.
In my opinion when you're around water there needs to be a grown up on every kid until they are very competent swimmers. Kids go down fast and quiet.

I so completely agree with that. Ds is 6.5, just starting to swim (though definitely not what I'd consider competent) and I was a nervous wreck when we went to the beach last week. He was diving into the waves and every fiber of my being was focused on making sure he didn't get further than arm's reach away from me and that I could see his body at every second. There is no way that I would have been able to focus on anyone else.

I honestly can't see why anyone would think a field trip like that is a good idea. Maybe the zero entry pool with the safeguards that lilyka described, but I'm hedging even on that because drownings can happen so quickly and it's so easy to lose sight of a little one. Especially when it's not your own.

[Terabith]

The reason I said about swim lessons is that I do know of some preschools that do lessons, where the children are divided into groups of four or five and go to a pool with an instructor and a lifeguard on duty, and have lessons, in the same way that other swim lessons are done. (Kids sit on edge and wait for turn, etc).

[loraxc]

No. I trust DD's preschool teachers, but I wouldn't be comfortable with this.