Whole school walking and riding ideas

Whole school walking and riding ideas

Here's some ideas to get everyone involved in walking or riding to or from school:

School Walk/Ride Challenge

Main idea	Have a class or grade based challenge to increase the number of students walking and riding to school.
Details	Select a specific day and promote to parents through newsletter inserts, take home fliers or displays in the school foyer. On the day ask each class to record how many students walked or rode to school that morning using a tally sheet. Select some older students to help collect and interpret the data. Give the winning class or grade (with the highest percentage of students that walked or rode) a reward such as a free dress day, extra play-time, or bonus house points.
Tips	Evandale Primary School introduced a "Walk on Wednesdays" challenge did a survey to find out the baseline number of children walking (or riding) all or part of the way to school, then aimed to increase and increase, to 100% (yes!) used prizes/raffles and a fantastic crossing guard "fairy" to motivate children and families used photos in the weekly newsletter to keep parents informed and engaged. Miandetta Primary School introduced the Golden Foot trophy awarded to the class that has the most members walk, ride or scoot to school each month sports leaders are involved in collating the information and presenting the trophy at school assembly.

Main idea

Have a class or grade based challenge to increase the number of students walking and riding to school.

Details

Select a specific day and promote to parents through newsletter inserts, take
home fliers or displays in the school foyer.
On the day ask each class to record how many students walked or rode to school
that morning using a tally sheet.
Select some older students to help collect and interpret the data.
Give the winning class or grade (with the highest percentage of students that
walked or rode) a reward such as a free dress day, extra play-time, or bonus
house points.

Tips

Evandale Primary School

introduced a "Walk on Wednesdays" challenge
did a survey to find out the baseline number of children walking (or riding) all or part of the way to school, then aimed to increase and increase, to 100% (yes!)
used prizes/raffles and a fantastic crossing guard "fairy" to motivate children and families
used photos in the weekly newsletter to keep parents informed and engaged.

Miandetta Primary School

introduced the Golden Foot trophy awarded to the class that has the most members walk, ride or scoot to school each month
sports leaders are involved in collating the information and presenting the trophy at school assembly.

Clear the Car Park Challenge

Main idea	Challenge families to leave the school car park empty by walking all of the way to school or at least parking as far away from school as possible so they walk at least part of the way to school.
Details	Identify quiet streets or car parks within walking distance from the school to suggest to parents for a parking option. Select a specific day and promote the Clear the Car Park Challenge to families through newsletter inserts, take home fliers or displays in the school foyer. Consider providing a lucky prize (that promotes activity such as a sports shop voucher or bike hire pass) to a family that participates. Some teachers and students could volunteer to take the names of families as they arrive at the school. The winner could be drawn at the next school assembly. This activity may also suit links with sustainability as a way of discussing the impact of cars on the environment.

Main idea

Challenge families to leave the school car park empty by walking all of the
way to school or at least parking as far away from school as possible so they
walk at least part of the way to school.

Details

Identify quiet streets or car parks within walking distance from the school to
suggest to parents for a parking option.
Select a specific day and promote the Clear the Car Park Challenge to families
through newsletter inserts, take home fliers or displays in the school foyer.
Consider providing a lucky prize (that promotes activity such as a sports
shop voucher or bike hire pass) to a family that participates. Some teachers and
students could volunteer to take the names of families as they arrive at the
school. The winner could be drawn at the next school assembly.
This activity may also suit links with sustainability as a way of discussing the impact of cars on the environment.

Walkathon

Main idea	Organise a walkathon around your local community.
Details	Consider using local walking trails, dual-use paths, a close beach or just the schools local neighbourhood as places for the walkathon. Narrow the list down to a few options and get the students to vote on which they would prefer. Select a date for the walkathon and promote the walkathon to families and the wider school community through newsletters, fliers or displays in the school foyer. Inform students and families of sponsoring details and ask students to start collecting a couple of weeks prior to the Walkathon. On the day ask students to bring their collections to school and drop them at the office before the Walkathon. Funds raised could be used for sports equipment, improving your playground, a bike rack etc. (Activities adapted from Get Walking Tasmania 2010)

Main idea

Organise a walkathon around your local community.

Details

Consider using local walking trails, dual-use paths, a close beach or just the
schools local neighbourhood as places for the walkathon. Narrow the list down to
a few options and get the students to vote on which they would prefer.
Select a date for the walkathon and promote the walkathon to families and the
wider school community through newsletters, fliers or displays in the school
foyer.
Inform students and families of sponsoring details and ask students to start
collecting a couple of weeks prior to the Walkathon.
On the day ask students to bring their collections to school and drop them at the
office before the Walkathon.
Funds raised could be used for sports equipment, improving your playground, a
bike rack etc.

(Activities adapted from Get Walking Tasmania 2010)

Fancy Feet Day

Main idea	Organise a Fancy Feet day where students participate in a walk around the local community and then have the chance to decorate their shoes.
Details	Select a date for Fancy Feet Day and confirm where it will be held/the route. Promote to students and their families through newsletters, fliers and displays in the school foyer. Ask students to collect a range of materials that could be used to decorate shoes and/or have some available for them to use e.g. ribbons, mini pom poms, stickers, sticky tape, beads, pipe cleaners, goggle eyes etc. Plan to have Fancy Feet decorating at the end of the school/community walk. This will ensure that walking is the main focus of the event which will help you better achieve the "Stride and Ride" criterion. Set up an area at the end of the walk where students can spend some time decorating their shoes. Select a few teachers and parents to be judges and set up a catwalk area for students to parade their shoes. Prizes could be allocated to the best shoes and the overall winner could be also given a pair of canvas shoes to re-create their shoe design for display. (Activity adapted from Fancy Feet event, Feet First New Zealand 2010).

Main idea

Organise a Fancy Feet day where students participate in a walk around the
local community and then have the chance to decorate their shoes.

Details

Select a date for Fancy Feet Day and confirm where it will be held/the route.
Promote to students and their families through newsletters, fliers and displays in
the school foyer.
Ask students to collect a range of materials that could be used to decorate shoes
and/or have some available for them to use e.g. ribbons, mini pom poms,
stickers, sticky tape, beads, pipe cleaners, goggle eyes etc.
Plan to have Fancy Feet decorating at the end of the school/community walk.
This will ensure that walking is the main focus of the event which will help you
better achieve the "Stride and Ride" criterion.
Set up an area at the end of the walk where students can spend some time
decorating their shoes.
Select a few teachers and parents to be judges and set up a catwalk area for
students to parade their shoes.
Prizes could be allocated to the best shoes and the overall winner could be also
given a pair of canvas shoes to re-create their shoe design for display.

(Activity adapted from Fancy Feet event, Feet First New Zealand 2010).

Organise a Walking School Bus

Main idea	Parents and children walk together to school along a set route, collecting "passengers" at set bus stops.
Tips	Illawarra Primary School
	surveyed families to see how children travelled to school, then established a working committee and identified two key routes in the local area. had the route were checked by the local Council for safety. One of the parents made wooden "bus stops" which the Council installed at key meeting points. a team of parent volunteers got training information from Sustainable Living Tasmania. they purchased high vision vests with the help of the school association and bum bags for first aid supplies. only run the bus on Friday mornings, and not in the winter months and had a whole school celebration and "opening" with the mayor on Walk to School Day.