Thursday, April 7, 2011

Bike To School Day

Today was Bike To School Day in San Francisco. Like Walk To School Day, kids and families are encouraged to try a new way to get to school. It grows a little bit every year, and at Declan's school 25% of the kids arrived by bicycle or scooter. Most days it is closer to 3% and to be honest, many people drove their kids to the spots where groups were gathering to ride in to school together (the groups are called Bike Buses).

Charge Of The Light Brigade

Cameron and Úna do not really get the occasion. Like many of those who ride a bicycle to work everyday do not get involved in Bike To Work Day, the kids ride their bicycles all over the place already. Declan had to be convinced it would be fun to ride an extra four blocks so he could meet up with his friends to ride to school. Once he got there, he was thrilled to ride with everyone else, but he still doesn't get it.

Nevertheless, this is an opportunity to challenge parents to start thinking about other ways to do things. Maybe this is the excuse to start encouraging their kids to be more independent.

Encouragement

Perhaps Bike To School Day is an opportunity for the kids to take pride in their bicycles and that feeling of freedom that comes with them.

Comparisons


80 Yard Line

Year Of The Rabbit

For some, it was that first taste of what it is like to be a grown up. For us, a few moments to see it ourselves.

Future Chic

For some it was Scooter To School Day. I am good with that. They have two wheels, too.

Scooter Boy

Scooter Brigade Royalty

So, while every day in the O'Chan home is Bike To Blank Day, we welcome all of the new comers. We hope to see them all in the lane in the years to come.

9 comments:

  1. oh, that's something beautiful to see :)

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  2. Awesome.

    Tell me: how do the other parents see you the other days of the school year?

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  3. What do you mean? How do they think of me? We only get positive feedback from people and I know of several parents that have started trying to ride to work or school after seeing us do it all the time.

    Declan rides in the street with me for about half of the trip in the afternoons. At the beginning of the year, the drivers around the school were so nervous about it, but now... they wave and give us tons of room and say hi. It has been nothing but positive.

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  4. People get all For the Cause on a Special Day but many times they see an excuse for not riding. Just wondering if there are folks sincere about giving it a go on a regular basis.

    Glad to see the proselytizing by example works. Bit by bit.

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  5. "for not riding" should be "for not riding the other days of the school year".

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  6. Great post, good story with good pictures, works well.

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  7. 'Declan rides in the street with me for about half of the trip in the afternoons. At the beginning of the year, the drivers around the school were so nervous about it, but now... they wave and give us tons of room and say hi. It has been nothing but positive.'

    I salute you, Adrienne Johnson!!

    When I got married (I wonder if this would ever come about, though! :p :D ) and have children (yes, must get married before having children!! :D haahaa) I shall try to emulate you!

    You are doing much, much more towards a biking 'revolution' and the bike-dominated world we 'dream of' than those who only 'talk about' bicycles!
    Best regards.
    L

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  8. As much as I love seeing families biking to school during our bike to work week, it seems a little sad that kids biking to get some place is seen as such a hugen endeavor, filled with danger. Realistically, I understand that many kids live across town from their school and have to driven or bused in to school but what about the kids who don't? Why should your children have to view biking to school, to the ball field or the corner ice cream store as a big deal? I imagine they are learning a healthy level of independence and self-sufficiency that they would otherwise miss if they had to be chauffeured everywhere by car until old enough to drive.

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  9. The kids kick scooter is a great choice for getting kids into sports and exercising. Scooters for kids are becoming an outdoor craze nowadays.

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