Organization of the trip
The trip is organized by a foundation run by the parents of the children at Refstad skole. We do it in close cooperation with the school administration, but all the tasks for planning and executing the trip are done on a voluntary basis, which means that we are dependent on the support and contribution from a large number of parents. The reason we arrange this trip is to give our children some learning and experiences they will not get from their regular days at school, but also to bring us closer together in our neighborhood by getting to know each other better – kids as well as grown-ups.

The island of Hudøy
The island of Hudøy is a small paradise that has been used for summer camps by Oslo municipality for many years. The island has 11 ‘colonies’/houses and we use all of them during our trip. Each house has a kitchen, dining room, dormitory and showers, and is surrounded by nice areas for playing, swimming, etc..

Life at the ‘colonies’/houses
Each colony/house will be filled up with kids and grown-ups from 1st – 7th grades, and there is an appointed house manager responsible for organizing the group of grown-ups at each house. The house manager will contact all the parents before the trip, and if you prefer to get information in English, please let your house manager know about this. You will also meet the house managers at the information meeting in May.

The adults will ensure that the children will have a safe, fun, and (relatively) clean stay, and eat simple but nourishing meals. All children will have an adult contact person («Hudøy mom/dad») who will be responsible for them during their stay. They will help with everything practical, and follow up on any particular needs the children have. All adults at Hudøy will of course do everything they can to make sure the children have a fantastic experience, but some responsibility also lies with you as a parent. The information you provide us is very important! If your child has additional medical/allergic/food-related needs other than what you informed us about during registration, we need to know. This could for instance be an extra follow-up in case of «accidents» at night (change of bed sheets), sleepwalkers (they will not get the top bunk), what makes your child sleepy at night, carsickness or other things we can be of assistance with. Notify your house manager as soon as possible, and this will be communicated to the responsible «Hudøy mom/dad».

Information about how to contact the colony/house will be given by your house manager.

Travel: We will travel by bus from Refstad skole (where you usually meet up for the buses to Bredtvedt), and the departure times will be communicated to you 2-3 days before the day of departure. Please be at the meeting place 15 minutes before departure. Once there, make sure that all luggage (including sleeping bag) is labeled with a tape specific for your house (as provided by someone in a yellow vest). This ensures that the transport group knows where to deliver the luggage. 

Packing:
All participants need to bring the following:

A small backpack (for hand luggage), containing:

• Rainwear
• Lunch and something to drink for the bus trip on Saturday. Use a drinking bottle that can be reused for the rest of the trip
• Life vest (mandatory for all children in 1st – 4th grade)
• Candy for about 50 kroner (will be collected on the bus and shared by the kids at the colony at Hudøy) – If you bring halal candy, make sure this is properly marked, to prevent mixing it with other candy

A bigger bag/rucksack, containing:

• Bed sheet, pillowcase and duvet cover (if you choose to bring a sleeping bag you should still bring pillowcase and bed sheet. Duvets and pillows are available at Hudøy)
• Rubber boots
• Water/beach shoes (to avoid cuts when swimming/walking in the ocean). Do not use flip-flops or crocs for swimming, as these will fall off easily
• Enough change of clothes for 5 days (but not too much…). Remember some warm clothes for the evenings (for instance fleece jumper, long trousers, etc.)
• Toiletries, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and towel
• Sunscreen and bug spray
• Letter to house manager in case of medical/medicine needs
• Swimwear and towel
• A teddy bear, doll or maybe a book?
• The children are also allowed to bring water guns as long as they fit into the bag. But remember that an empty and clean ketchup bottle also works perfectly well for the purpose.

Please do NOT pack in a suitcase, but use a bag or backpack instead, since this is much easier to handle for the transportation group.

And please remember to label all your clothes and belongings.

We have a lot of toys, so there is no need to bring your own. And remember: The children are NOT allowed to bring electronic gadgets, such as tablets, smart phones, gameboy, etc.

Remember that Hudøy is a completely nut-free zone because of potential allergy! 
(This also applies to any food on the bus).

Information during the stay at Hudøy
You can keep yourself updated on our website www.aldrietaruten.org and on our Facebook page. There is also a private Facebook group for the trip each year, where you can become a member of.  

Newspapers (in pdf-format) and updates are posted daily on the website.

If you do not hear from us, it’s because we’re out in the sun, swimming, playing football, having a water fight, participating in the Oliaden Games, dozing in the shadows, or winning a song contest.

PS – please check for head lice BEFORE Hudøy, so we don’t come home with unwanted souvenirs…