You've just said exactly what I was thinking. There's an old saying " When in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." A cellphone lets them scream. Being lost is frightening enough for 6' of mean. How much more frightened do you think a 5th grader is going to be? Look at it as a chance to teach them how to use a cellphone in responsible fashion. If I was leading that group, I wouldn't turn down a Sat-Phone either.