Time to Gear Up!!

And YES, the pun is intended!!

It is very hard to believe, but the school year is nearly upon us. Back to School Nights have been planned, PTA's are announcing their first meetings, and parents are working on their morning routine plans to make sure everyone gets where they need to be at the time they need to be there.

Let's make sure that everyone thinks about adding walking and biking to school as part of the regular routine!!

If your school had a weekly walk/bike day going last spring, get it going as soon as possible while the weather is good. If you would like more information on how to get a Walk 'n Roll program going at your school, please contact us - we'd love to help! jharris(at)activateomaha(dot)org.

Much more info to come here, so spread the word about our blog and we'll be in touch soon!

Bike to School Day is May 19!!!

It's been a crazy busy time at Activate Omaha. We owe you some fun updates on the bike blender parties that have been going on at Walk 'n Roll schools lately, among other things!

In the mean time, we hope that you will all join us May 17 - 21 in celebrating national Bike to Work Week! Of course, the kid equivalent of this is Bike to School Day, and we will be celebrating this on Wednesday, May 19.

We are keeping this low-key for a reason: It doesn't have to be complicated...ride with your kids and enjoy the morning together. Make sure you're wearing a helmet and that you lock up the bike when you get to school!

I would love to have a folder bursting with pictures of full bike racks like the one pictured here! Go for it!

Tour de Schools!

What a great day! The weather was a little crummy, but my spirits are soaring from a day of visiting several schools.

My day started out at Benson High School, presenting to a couple of magnet focus classes about the Activate Omaha mission of incorporating physical activity into every day life. It was so fun to be talking to older students for once - usually my audience is PTA parents or elementary aged kids. The students asked good questions - and somebody from both classes asked me if I had ridden MY bike to the school this morning! :) Unfortunately, family logistics dictated a car trip for me today, but I promised them that I would come back to watch their final presentations about how to fight childhood obesity in the Benson area and that I would arrive via bicycle. I can't wait to go back!

Let me also say, that I can't get this idea out of my head: Benson Bunnies on Bikes. There is one small bike rack at the school (that I saw, anyway), and it would be great if we could see it filling up in the mornings.

After a quick stop for coffee in the Benson district, I was off to Westbrook Elementary to begin the video shooting project for Safe Routes Nebraska. Teacher Leader Glen Jagels and PE Teacher Derek Keesling did a fantastic job talking about the great walking program they have going on at Westbrook.

Swanson Elementary was next. Principal Laura Croom showed us the very creative tally system for tracking the number of kids who walk and roll on Feet First Fridays. When the container is full of balls, the school will earn a bike blender party!! Swanson has a beautiful park/arboretum in its backyard - what a beautiful backdrop to any morning walk.

Last up was Saddlebrook where Principal Mark Suing and 4th grade teacher Robert Zook talked about the Bike and Hike program that the 4th graders are tracking. Check out this awesome display! Looks like those 4th graders had better watch out for the 2nd graders. Of course, we had to demo the bike blender for the video guy, too! :)

Special thanks to Kelly Morgan from Safe Routes Nebraska for coming to Omaha to visit these schools for the video. Dan Schneider, videographer/director/producer extraordinare, is a hoot and it was a fun day! (Here he is video taping little feet walking past him in the hallway! He's gonna love me for posting this one.)

Nebraska Walk to School Day!

Wednesday is Nebraska Walk to School Day! Many of our Walk 'n Roll schools will be participating, but you don't need a formal event to take advantage. Plan some extra time on Wednesday morning and enjoy the sights and sounds of spring.

Live too far to walk, you say? Drive part way and walk the rest!

Make the morning extra fun by starting a Walking School Bus from your neighborhood. Check the link at the top of the blog to download more info.

Yippy!

Check out Saturday's Omaha World Herald for a great article about the Saddlebrook project!!

Bikes, Brains and Blenders!

Have I ever mentioned that the 4th graders at Saddlebrook are rockstars?? Well, they are!!

The Green Wave presented their assembly, titled "Bikes, Brains and Blenders" the other night at the school science fair. The kids used the equipment purchased with the mini-grant funding to demonstrate various scientific principles, and to emphasise why wearing a bike helmet every time you ride is a MUST.

The "doctors" all did a great job with their demonstrations. We learned all about angular momentum and how bikes stay upright. We learned about how an egg is like our heads, which the yoke being the brain. We learned about what happens to a jello brain when you drop it on the floor inside of a bike helmet ... and then without a bike helmet! We learned how kinetic energy powers the bike blender as you pedal.


We also learned that the principal, Mr. Suing, is a good sport, always willing to be the proverbial guinea pig when needed, and that Mr. Zook has an affection for egg jokes. :) (The program was very eggciting, eggactly like we thought it would be!)


The doctors will be taking their show on the road on Friday to nearby Fullerton Elementary to present their program to the 3rd graders! Mr. Zook has been graciously collecting all of the materials, instructions and the script so that other schools can use this equipment in the future.

Check out the slideshow!

What A Week!

It has been a crazy (good crazy) week, and we have a lot to catch up on!

We did a mini walk audit at Columbian Elementary school this week during student arrival time. The school has a fantastic student safety patol, but that still does not prevent vehicle congestion and frustration. We're getting a walking distance map printed for the school and plan to pilot a couple of walking school busses on Walk to School Day!

We also had a fantastic meeting at Rohwer Elementary (Millard Public Schools) this week. The Rohwer Rockets are fortunate to have such an awesome Principal and active living advocate in Mrs. Brosamle. Walking school busses, walk to school day and bike to school day are just the beginning of what we can accomplish at this school.

Rohwer got my attention right away as I pulled up for the meeting - tons of bike parking, and even a dedicated scooter parking rack! It was the adult-sized bike that got my attention, though. It belongs to one of the teachers, which was music to my ears.