If you haven’t signed up for the second annual Walk and Bike to School Challenge Month (May), it’s not too late! Just go to www.walknbike2school.org and register your child’s school today. (Click here to see if your school is already signed up.)
The challenge, sponsored by Oregon Walk and Bike to School and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), starts this Friday and lasts until the end of May. Last year over 30 schools participated, with kids logging over 12,000 nonmotorized trips. More than 4,000 students, in preschool through college, pedaled, walked or skateboarded their way to school last May.
This year the organizers expanded the challenge to include not just schools from the metro area, but those from the entire state, meaning thousands of additional kids can join in the fun!
Tally sheets are available from the BTA. Kids keep track of the number of nonmotorized trips they take; at the end of the month, representatives from each school turn in the tally sheets and the winning schools are announced. This year there will be a celebration at PGE Park, with the overall winner throwing out the first pitch at the Beavers game that evening.
While it may seem silly to make such a big deal about walking and biking, we all know that too many kids are overweight and at risk of becoming obese. Engaging in more physical activity is one key to solving this increasing problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 1969, 42 percent of all kids in the U.S. walked or rode their bikes to school; in 2001, only 16 percent walked or biked.
It’s time to reverse that trend. You can do your part by going to www.walknbike2school.org and joining the challenge.

April 29th, 2009 | Category: Metro Parent