Educators in Elk River will be bringing new lesson plans focused on safe walking, biking, and rolling into their classrooms with the help of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) and their Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum this week. Area educators recently participated in an on-bike curriculum training, helping them to teach children ages five to 13 how to be safe pedestrians and bicyclists through age-specific classroom lessons and activities, and on-the-bike skills practice. The goal of this curriculum, which BikeMN created in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, is to build the students’ confidence in walking and biking and to help them to stay safe, active and healthy.
Youth use the streets for walking and bicycling every day. Yet roads can be hazardous and children are not formally educated to skillfully maneuver on the streets, either on foot or rolling. With lessons from this curriculum, teachers will have what they need to teach students traffic rules and regulations, potential hazards, and skills needed to walk and bike safely through their community. The extensive road, and specifically on-the-bicycle lessons offered by this program are designed to increase bike ridership, physical activity, and safe and predictable riding among youth. Educators also encourage their students to practice safe walking strategies, including hazard identification, which can help increase their independence in moving throughout their community.
Learn more about the Walk! Bike! Fun! training for Educators, and how you can help kids in your community become safe, independent, and lifelong bike riders and pedestrians.