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Previous Issues > October 2006 > Come Out & Play > Walking
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 Come Out &Play
Walking
 Last month we learned about hiking, and this month were talking more about walking. Why? Because 2006 marks the first opportunity to participate in International Walk to School Month or Walk to School Day. In the U.S., International Walk to School Day is expected to include 5,000 schools from all 50 states. On October 4, 2006, kids from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world to participate in Walk to School Day. Some will even walk to school all month, and many walk to school all the time!
Why walk to school? Walking or biking to school protects the environment and your health. When children lace up their sneakers to walk or strap on their bike helmets to pedal to school instead of riding in a car, they reduce the amount of air pollutants emitted by automobiles, and they do something good for their bodies! If you live too far away to walk to school, ride part of the way in your car and then walk the last half mile or so. You and your parent will get some exercise and avoid the hassle of the drop-off and pick-up traffic!
Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of increasing physical activity among children; pedestrian safety; traffic congestion; concern for the environment; and building connections between families, schools and the community. The Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago in 1997, modeled after the United Kingdoms walk-to-school events.
In May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to walk and bike to school safely. The National Center for Safe Routes to School serves as the national coordinating agency for Walk to School activities in the USA. For more information on Walk to School events in your area, visit www.walktoschool.org or www.saferoutesinfo.org.
Reasons to Walk
Physical activity
Safety
Community awareness
Environmental concern
Reducing traffic congestion, pollution and speed near schools
Reclaiming neighborhoods
Sharing time with community leaders, parents and children
Photo Caption: Teachers, parents and students at Wakefield Elementary in North Carolina took to the sidewalks and crosswalks for International Walk to School Day last year. The event was organized by Wake County SAFE KIDS Coalition.
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