What is "kitafahrten"

Kitafahrten is an annual multi-day camping trip (fahrten means "trip" or "wanderings") for German kindergarten children designed to increase responsibility for self and others by placing them in nature and away from their parents. A teacher supervises the children during the cramping trip, and contact with parents is only allowed in emergencies. The concept and the word itself were created by Friedrich Fröbel in the 19th century. He also created the concept of kindergarten. It is popular in Berlin but not throughout all of Germany.