Walk to School Day and Week:
Each year, a week is designated as Walk to School Week and a day as Walk to School Day by the Partnership for a Walkable America organization, supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and the US Deparment of Transportation. The date for 2011 is Wednesday, Oct. 5. Parents and teachers plan activities to promote walking to school.
Walk to School Ideas and Resources:
Download materials on how to start now to bring together your school, your neighbors, and the community to organize a safe walk-to-school program. Walk to School Resources
A Killer Stalks Your Kids - Obesity:
Inactivity kills more people each year than AIDS, terrorist acts, or street crime. By not getting any exercise, 250,000 people die young each year in the USA alone. Childhood obesity is skyrocketing, primarily due to lack of exercise, such as walking to school. Only 12% of schoolchildren of get the minimum requirement of 20 minutes of exercise three times a week. Save your kids' lives - get them moving. Walking or biking to school can make the difference.
Make it Safe:
The purpose of the Walk to School Day is to raise public awareness of the problems that young walkers face on a daily basis. It is hoped that this will lead to safer streets for everyone. The Safe Routes to School program works to assess the safety of school travel routes, make changes such as building crosswalks or adding crossing guards, and educate students and drivers about safe travel and encourage walking and biking to school.
Make it Fun:
The program guidebooks describe how to organize a kick-off, special events, and to make walking to school fun with games, journals and projects. Gear up your kids so they will look forward to walking to school in all weather, with the right shoes, packs, and outerwear. Get them a pedometer and see if they can log 10,000 steps per day.
