Walk to School

	Warren County Guide to Physical Activity

Use "Walk to School Day" to get on the right path

Start a Walking School Bus

Many communities who want to make walking to school safer have started walking school buses. In a walking school bus, a small group of children walk to school together under the supervision of one or more adults. In Chicago, more than 175 schools participate in a walking school bus program created by the city and the Chicago Police Department.

Get Kids Moving

Walking or bicycling to school is a great way to get kids moving again. Even schools not located within walking or bicycling distance have found ways to get their students active.

Ideas To Encourage Physical Activity:

• Walking Wednesdays - Establish at least one day a month for everyone to walk to school or schedule a weekly walk at or around the school.
• Pedometers - Use pedometers (devices that count steps) to track the distances students walk. Plot mileage on a map of the United States. See how long it takes the school to walk across the nation.

Teach Safe Walking

Walking skills will not only make children become better pedestrians but they'll learn to become better motorists when the time comes.

Ways to Relay the Safety Message:

Obstacle Course - Walk to School organizers in Ocala, Florida, built a pedestrian obstacle course and asked children to demonstrate the safest response to each hazard.
• Safety Zone - Houston, Texas, used Walk to School Day to kick off the Children's Safety Zone in a Spanish-speaking, urban district that will receive intense pedestrian safety education for two years.

Measure Your Neighborhood's "Walkability"

Using a simple five-question walkability checklist (available at www.walktoschool.org), adults and children can examine their neighborhoods and measure how friendly their streets are for walkers. The checklist helps users identify specific walking problems, such as a lack of sidewalks or dangerous street crossings and offers solutions. Results can be shared with community leaders to prompt change.

Figuring Out What to Fix:

• Checklists - Oakland, California translated walkability checklists into several languages and used the results to get sidewalks fixed and hire more crossing guards.
• Video Footage - The county public works department in Clarkston, Georgia, repositioned a light and re-striped crosswalks after receiving a videotape from the walk highlighting hazards.

Change Driver Behavior

Traffic congestion and speeding cars can make the area around schools a dangerous place for kids on foot or on bike. Many communities have used Walk to School Day to encourage drivers to slow down and to reduce traffic in front of schools.

Drop Off Zones - In Langley, British Columbia, Walk to School Day coordinators encouraged the use of drop off zones located one block from school. Traffic in front of school was reduced from 90 to 19 cars per day.
• Speed Enforcement - The Madison, Wisconsin, Area SAFE KIDS Coalition worked with local traffic officers to get speed boards posted around schools. During the week of the event, officers ticketed school zone speeders.

Promote the Health Benefits

• Rewards - Recognize kids who've walked the farthest or classes with the greatest participation.
• Learn Health - Read about the benefits of daily exercise: resting and exercise heart rates, strength, and endurance.
• Challenge the Family - Have students catalogue family health changes: miles walked, weight lost, dietary habits, fitness improvements.
• Mile-Walk Challenge - At the beginning of the school year, time a one-mile walk. Repeat after nine-months of walking to school, and recognize the biggest improvements.
• Walking Curriculum - Draw maps, calculate miles, observe nature and history, or write poetry. Walking can be a part of every class!

Resources on the web

Walk To School Day

USA: www.walktoschool.org

KidsWalk-to-School Guide

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk

Safe Routes to School

National Summary: www.transact.org/Reports/sr2002

Walking School Bus

www.walkingschoolbus.org

Local Resources

Operation P.R.I.D.E. (270) 745-0090 Greenways Commission (270) 842-1953