Walking To School Is In

   By drodriguez  Aug 04, 2008
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Schools across the country are finding clever ways to do their part in promoting good health and reducing pollution. A recent article in USA Today describes how some schools are encouraging children to walk or ride bikes to school rather than getting a ride from parents.

For some students, however, walking is not an option since they live too far from their schools. These children are encouraged to form car pools and walk for at least part of the way. Schools are beginning to realize that students can receive great health benefits from walking or biking as well as reduce traffic around schools and auto emissions.

One 8-year-old student enjoys the incentives her Boulder, Colorado school offers. Megan says, “You get treats too ? usually some kind of food.” And she adds, “Since I like animals, I want to save the environment.” The prizes being offered go beyond treats too. Some schools offer digital cameras, bike bells, and bottles of water. The national Safe Routes to School program (administered by the Federal Highway Administration) has funded 40 states to promote walking and biking to school.

Though many parents were apprehensive about the safety of their children walking to school, it was not long until they began recognizing all of the benefits. Katy Jones, manager of the Safe Routes to School program in North Carolina, says children have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than getting hit by a car.

Walking provides exercise and the opportunity to socialize before school. Walking can also reduce a child’s risk of developing obesity or diabetes later in life. It is also believed that exercise in the morning can make a child more responsive in class.

What do you think of school’s offering incentives to students who walk or ride bikes to school?

Would you allow your child to walk or ride a bike to school where you live?

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gondecktalley by gondecktalley | NORMAN, OK
Aug 15, 2008

In my state, some cities have raised the distance to 2 miles. Meaning if you live more than 2 miles from the school, you are not eligible to ride the bus and must find your own way to school. In my opinion, that's a little far for elementary school aged children to be walking. Especially when it's due to gas prices and not for the children's health.

datagal36 by datagal36 | MURRAY, UT
Aug 15, 2008

My daughter walks to school also. Easy enough since we live across a street from the high school. It is safe because she uses a bridge to cross. She is a senior this year and asked if she could drive her car there, I scoffed at the idea. There is no reason to pay a parking permit when it will only take her 5 minutes to walk. If she needs the car, she can come home for it.

angelsrmine3 by angelsrmine3 | new bedford, MA
Aug 14, 2008

I am a mother of three children ages 16 14 and 11. I am an advocate on children and health, however, my two daughters (16 & 14) do walk to school on good days as long as their is more than the two of them walking. Because one of my daughtes is an extreme asthmatic, she does frequently have the need for a ride. My son, however, is still too young to walk on his own. I feel it is a great incentive for children to walk/bike to school as long as it is safe for them to do so....In todays society it is not always safe for children to be walking at a young age. This leads to too many situations where their lives are at risk or the potential desire to skip or leave school without the parent's knowledge or to get into fights, etc.

smartmom by smartmom | HOLLYWOOD, FL
Aug 14, 2008

That's great news. I used to ride my bike to school, when I was a child....about 2 miles, but I would not let my son do it, as we are in a very urban area. We are about 1.5 miles from the school, and his father will drop him up at 8 a.m., and he will either walk or ride his bike home with his younger brother and me.

msfriendly by msfriendly | MONROE, WI
Aug 14, 2008

Everyone, adults and children alike, needs to be more health and environmentally aware. As adults we need to set good examples for our children; that includes walking to work, the post office, etc. I think our children will follow suit if we don't cart them around in the car everyplace they need to go. My husband walks 2 miles to work most days!

Gregamy by Gregamy | Plymouth Meeting, PA
Aug 14, 2008

Wouldn't it be great if every town and neighborhood had sidewalks and safe walking areas for Everyone to Walk? I would love to take my 3 year old on a walk to the store that is literally a 15 minute walk away, but our street has no sidewalk and neither does the street around the corner. We have to Drive to a park in order for me to take a safe walk with him. It's a shame that our culture is so dependent on cars and that our local, state and federal governments do little in the way of a walking infrastructure for it's citizens.

familygirl2008 by familygirl2008 | MT HOLLY SPGS, PA
Aug 13, 2008

This is a great program! I walked to school from 5th-12th grade it was only a few blocks, but every little bit of exercise counts. I'm a little confused on why the school is offering treats as an incentive to an exercise program? I guess it depends on whether the treats are healthful. If we lived closer to the school I would definitely encourage my child to walk but we are about 6 miles away.

ScorpioMum by ScorpioMum | CANTON, GA
Aug 13, 2008

When I was a kid we walked to school. Our local school is only 2 miles away. I would love for the kids to walk but there are no sidewalks!

Flenkerbelle by Flenkerbelle | COUNCIL BLFS, IA
Aug 13, 2008

I think it is great to encourage children to walk and be healthy!! I wish it was that easy though. We live 1.8 miles from my childrens elementary school and do not qualify for the bus because we have to be at least two miles away. My children are very healthy and we do exercise (we live next to a park with a playground, soccer field, and baseball diamonds.) With a 2, 4, and 6 year old it is just not feasible for them to walk especially since their are not sidewalks the whole way there. Walking part way is not a bad idea though and I think if our school did have certain days that they encouraged everyone to walk we would definitely take part, especially if there were other parents for me to walk back with!!

chochie1 by chochie1 | Warren, PA
Aug 13, 2008

I think this is a great idea to get children out and getting some healthy exercise. Kids have so many things these days to do other than get out and be fit and this is a great way to encourage that. I live in a more rural area and walking to school would be safe and easy so I would encourage kids to take advantage of this.

tgolden by tgolden | Lockport, IL
Aug 12, 2008

I think walking to school is a great way to promote physical activity for our children. However, I don't think I would allow my child too walk to school because of the area where I live. The main road has a lot of trees by the sidewalk and it is a busy street. I would worry too much about safety and strangers.

chiromom by chiromom | Benson, MN
Aug 12, 2008

I love the idea, but living 13 miles from the school is not an option for my kids to walk....But they also do not drive in, they ride the bus....I think that our school needs to keep physical education in the system for all grades...Alot of the juniors and seniors are very overweight...

mr44 by mr44 | Newark, DE
Aug 12, 2008

Walking or biking to school is what all kids should do, if they are able. When I was growing up we walked to school everyday. Offering incentives to the kids though I'm torn about. In a way it's good if it's encouraging kids to walk. But on the other hand kids should do it without having to be rewarded.

cshafer08 by cshafer08 | BEAUMONT, TX
Aug 11, 2008

While my children are too young (3 yrs, and 9 months), given the proper training for handling strangers, and the right neighborhood, I would let them walk once they are old enough. I think for the first school year I'd walk with them, I could use the exercise! I do think that with issues such as childhood obesity, pollution, and other problems being such a big factor in our society today, I feel this is a wonderful program and I wish we could get the other 10 states involved!

binhach by binhach | Teaneck, NJ
Aug 11, 2008

I wish that would start similar programs for adults as well. If people had incentives, that would encourage people not drive so much.