Walk To School Challenge (& Giveaway!)

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

walk to school By Lori Popkewitz Alper, Founder and Editor of Groovy Green Livin

When I was in elementary school we walked to school. There was really no other option except for an occasional ride from a parent. Not only did we walk, but we walked by ourselves (my sister was usually far in front of me, making sure no one saw us together). No adult supervision-just us kids, traffic, and LOTS of strangers. And we survived.

As much as I would like them to, it’s not logistically possible for my own children to walk to school. We live too far and there aren’t sidewalks on a few segments of the route. As a result, their “morning walk” consists of taking 15 steps to the bus stop and waiting for that big yellow bus to pull up so they can sit down and ride to school.

Just because walking might not be as convenient as it was when I was in school doesn’t mean walking is any less important. It’s probably more important now given the increase in childhood obesity rates- approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and teens aged 2—19 years are obese.

As a way to promote and encourage communities to create walkable and bikable environments, Healthy Child Healthy World and Every Body Walk have partnered together to promote National Walk to School Day on October 5th.

On October 5th, kids and families from around the globe will be putting on their sneakers and walking or biking to school.

Why walk or bike?

Promotes physical activity.
It’s free.
It’s easy.
It’s healthy and green.
Helps prevent obesity.
Improves air quality – less cars on the road emitting toxic chemicals into the environment.
Promotes awareness within a community for safe routes for biking and walking.

What if it’s too far or logistically impossible to walk?

In our community the sidewalks are sporadic. There aren’t enough to get us from our home to school safely. So rather than walking the entire distance to the school we have a designated meeting area within walking distance of the school that allows families to park and walk together.

How to organize a walk or bike to school

Check with Walktoschool.org to see if an event has already been planned in your area. Register your own event with Walktoschool.org. Go to the site for ideas, suggestions and other information on how to make your event a success.

Need a little more encouragement?

Check out these students doing the Ped Safety Dance-

Hopefully your walking and biking to school won’t start and end on October 5th. Try to incorporate it into your weekly or monthly schedule.

Are you ready to walk or bike on October 5th? Do you regularly walk or bike to school or work? Does your community celebrate National Walk to School Day?

Ready for more ideas for National Walk to School Day? Check out these other great submissions from our Blogger Network!

Michelle of Simplify, Live, Love shares ideas for how homeschoolers can participate.
Andrea of Tales of Goodness details her family's experience committing to walking to school once a week. Her family lost 15 minutes of sleep, but gained 30 minutes of quality time together.
Brenna of Almost All The Truth discusses some history of walking to school. One shocking fact: in 1969 nearly 50 percent of students in grades K through eight walked or bicycled to school and by 2009 it was less than 13 percent!
Betsy of Eco-Novice discusses the conundrum of choosing schools.
Micaela of Mindful Momma shares how two dedicated parents organized a neighborhood-wide "walking school bus."
Whitney of 510Families shares details of local events to participate in, as well as how you can plan your own event.

Great submissions everyone! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and advice! Interested in being a part of this program? Sign-up here!

GIVEAWAY! Will you take the walk to school challenge? [CLOSED]

Congratulations Ashley, Cathy, and Courtney! You are our randomly selected winners! Ashley's comment was "I have 2 children in 2 different schools. I walk the youngest "schooler" everyday rain or shine. It was special this day because it was beautiful in Michigan! I explained to him what the day was for. My oldest couldn't walk to school but after school I parked far away and we walked as much as we could. My youngest loved telling his big brother about his walk and enjoyed sharing it with his big brother now!" Cathy said "It was nice to talk about the day on the way home...for longer than it takes to drive!" And Courtney shared "I love walking with my kiddos to school. As the weather turns it's a great chance to learn about the seasons and connect with each other & nature. There is no replacement for this time together and a car ride cannot compete." Thanks everyone for participating! We're so glad to see so many of you have taken up the challenge and found more quality time with your children.

Join parents around the globe on October 5th for International Walk to School Day for a chance to win one of these prize packages:

Revolution Foods Lunchbox Simplicity Kit including a Revolution Foods t-shirt; paper "Lunchbox" filled with tattoos, stickers and coupons for mom; 24 Revolution Foods Mashups(TM) organic squeezable fruit pouches; 25 Revolution Foods organic Jammy Sammys(TM) snack size sandwich bars; and samples from Revolution Foods full organic snack line including Yo' Drops(TM) and Grammy Sammys(TM). Total Value: $80

HAPPYFAMILY prize package including 1 mixed case of HAPPYMUNCHIES, 1 case of HAPPYMELTS snack packs, and 1 mix case of HAPPYMORNING/HAPPYSQUEEZE smoothies in pouches. Total Value: $80

CleanWell Back to School Hand Hygiene Pack including 2 foaming hand soaps, 2 canisters wipes (1 of each scent), 1 foaming hand sanitizer, and 2 (1-oz) hand sanitizer sprays (1 of each scent). Total Value: $30

Take the challenge and leave a comment about your experience by October 8, 2011 at 11:59pm PST to enter the giveaway. For an extra chance to win, sign up for our newsletter and leave a comment saying you did so! We will pick three random winners and announce it here on Monday, October 10, 2011.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Eligibility Statement: Contest open to U.S. residents. Employees of Revolution Foods, CleanWell, HAPPYFAMILY, and Healthy Child Healthy World and their families are not eligible. Entry into the contest is premised on the leaving of a comment and eligibility is not conditioned on the payment of consideration.

Legal Disclaimer: These brands are Trusted Partners of Healthy Child Healthy World, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring a movement to protect children from harmful chemicals. Trusted Partners are companies that offer superior products that meet Healthy Child Healthy World's high Quality Standards, demonstrate a long-term commitment to their mission by joining their Trusted Partnership program, and contribute financially to the organization.

Photo courtesy D. Sharon Pruitt / CC BY 2.0

Posted by Liz Banse on 10/07/2011 at 12:36 PM

Okay, we didn’t quite walk to school…we RAN to school. Mom (me) was running late, so we all ran the 3 1/2 blocks to school. Even better. The kids were all fired up and laughing when we entered the school. Happy Run to School Day!

Posted by Ashley Baker on 10/06/2011 at 05:07 AM

signed up for the newsletter!!!

Posted by Ashley Baker on 10/06/2011 at 05:06 AM

I have 2 children in 2 different schools. I walk the youngest “schooler” everyday rain or shine. It was special this day because it was beautiful in Michigan! I explained to him what the day was for. My oldest couldn’t walk to school but after school I parked far away and we walked as much as we could. My youngest loved telling his big brother about his walk and enjoyed sharing it with his big brother now!

Posted by Sharicca on 10/05/2011 at 05:34 AM

It was a beautiful day for walking in Baltimore today. The kids at school #84 carried safety signs and were excited by the bracelets and stickers they received.

Posted by Jeannine m on 10/04/2011 at 04:23 PM

I am signed up for newsletter

Posted by Jeannine m on 10/04/2011 at 04:22 PM

We walked to school today and it was pretty good. I packed up toddler into the stroller and of we went. My son liked walking becuase he got to stop and see all the things on the ground

Posted by cathy on 10/04/2011 at 11:35 AM

It was nice to talk about the day on the way home…for longer than it takes to drive!

Posted by cathy on 10/04/2011 at 11:33 AM

I signed up for the newsletter

Posted by Kathy K on 10/03/2011 at 03:26 PM

Been a newsletter follower for a while now!!

Posted by Deanna Pottinger on 10/03/2011 at 11:01 AM

We walk to school everyday we enjoy the cool air calming us before we get inside school it helps us get exercise.

Posted by Stefanie on 10/02/2011 at 01:50 AM

Signed up for the newsletter.

Posted by Stefanie on 10/02/2011 at 01:49 AM

Walking is such a great way to start the day. My family walks together to drop the kids off at school and it gives us a chance to talk and get in some exercise. This walk day is a great excuse to get outdoors and a great way to plan some family time.

Posted by Courtney Ahrenholtz on 10/01/2011 at 05:46 AM

I subscribe to the newsletter as well.

Posted by Courtney Ahrenholtz on 10/01/2011 at 05:45 AM

I love walking with my kiddos to school. As the weather turns it’s a great chance to learn about the seasons and connect with each other & nature. There is no replacement for this time together and a car ride cannot compete

Posted by Jamie V on 09/30/2011 at 07:18 PM

I am all about walking to school. I walked all the time when I was a kid. Probably got lots more exercise than I would have, otherwise. You see so much more than you would sitting in a car or on a bus.

Posted by Emily on 09/30/2011 at 01:30 PM

I subscribe to your newsletter. Great content. Thank you.

Posted by Emily on 09/30/2011 at 01:29 PM

My daughter walks to school everyday. We are happy to live only three blocks from school so it makes it very convenient for us. Obviously, we will be participating in the Walk to School Day.

I would also say that the majority of students at her school also walk or bike to school. It’s a great neighborhood and I love this aspect of it.

Posted by Doreen Kish on 09/30/2011 at 12:39 PM

Walking is so important, helps remind drivers to be aware they are not alone on the roads.

Posted by Yvonne Day-Rodriguez on 09/30/2011 at 12:22 PM

I proud to say we’ve walked to school every day this year so far!

Posted by xine on 09/29/2011 at 07:26 AM

My eight-year-old walks to school (1/4 mile, all sidewalks) every day. The greatest danger is the staff and parents who drop their kids at school: racing up and down our street at 20+ over the speed limit, talking on their cell phones, trying to beat a school bus to an intersection, etc. The boy across the street still has his mom cross him, because otherwise, he’d probably get run over within six inches of his own driveway at least once a week.

Still, the kids are SO proud of themselves and so much more confident and independent, now that they are walking to school! They also are much more respectful of each other and all of the neighbors, since they are getting to know each other so well. It makes all of us grown-ups (even the ones without kids) so happy.

We need more grown-ups to take the lead in this. If the kids knew that their teacher walked or biked or bussed to school, rather than driving around the block and parking in the closest spot, it would make a big impression. If parents took the time to explain why their kids had to take the bus rather than “getting dropped off on the way to work,” the whole family could feel pride in what they are doing to help the environment.

Posted by Lori Whitefield on 09/28/2011 at 04:36 PM

We are participating in walk to school day and we homeschool. We have a walk to school kit we are sharing with a local Islamic school I taught first grade at last year….where the kids walk across a very busy street. We are giving all the kids at the school reflective armbands so they can be seen by cars and encouraging walking to school with stickers and informative papers. We think it is very important to reach out to the students who are not from this country since walking to school in America is way different than many foreign countries. It is especially important for the Islamic community as many of the women do not know how to drive or are scared to after they move to this country. I think starting with the youth, no matter what the issue is always the solution.“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Posted by Lori Whitefield on 09/28/2011 at 04:32 PM

I signed up for the newsletter! Thank you!

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