Safe Routes To School

October is International Walk to School Month!

Walk to School Day, October 3rd, brings parents, teachers, children and community leaders together to focus on the importance of physical activity, safety and walkable communities. The resources below are to help plan, advertise, and implement successful Walk to School Day activities.

Coordinator's Toolkit: Outlines key safety skills; Tips to make Walk to School Month last all year; Activity and Incentive examples; Creating a walk to school map; Organizing a walking school bus.

Lesson Plans:
Kindergarten Activities
Grades 1-2
Grades 3-4
Grades 5-6
Grades 7-8 Activities: Crossword Puzzle, Coloring Page, Word Find

Willie Whistle Crossing the street safely video

Get to School Safely Gameboard

Click here to register your 2011 event! For marketing tips, draft press releases, and logo's, go to: http://www.walktoschool.org/resources/index.cfm

Please contact Kenneth Withrow for help advertising your Wake County Walk to School event and to get in touch with your municipality contact.

The Child Pedestrian Safety Curriculum, developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teaches and encourages pedestrian safety for students grades Kindergarten through 5th Grade. It is organized into five lessons where each lesson builds upon previous set of skills learned:

• walking near traffic
• crossing streets
• crossing intersections
• parking lot safety
• school bus safety

In addition to the safety curriculum, there are several stand alone activities and materials available to teach pedestrian safety effectively and easily:

• Safer Journey
  Students follow John on his journey from his house to a soccer field across town. This is an interactive video, requiring hands-on student interaction.
• Walkability Checklist
• Secret Code Activity
• Crossing the Street (Coloring Sheet)
• Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheet

The Bicycle Safety Activity Kit, developed by the NHTSA, to provide parents, caregivers, teachers, and community leaders with the tools to learn the basics about bicycle safety.

Cycling Skills Clinic: A step-by-step approach to planning and initiating a bicycle safety skills event, including instructions and resources for setting up a course and conducting it to meet the needs of all the children participating.

Bikeability Checklist Student, Parent & Teacher survey for evaluating bikeability in and around your school.

Fitting a Bicycle Helmet: Correct helmet fit for all ages

Helmet Demonstration (Kindergarten-3rd Grade)
Helmet Demonstration (Grades 3-8)
Helmet Demonstration (Grades 7-12)

ABC Quick Check Bicycle maintenance tips

Bicycle Adventures is a hands-on series available through the National 4-H Curriculum

Ride Smart: It's Time to Start: Video uses humor, real-life examples, computer graphics, and a peer-to-peer approach to teach children and youth to correctly fit a helmet, briefly discusses the rules of the road, and features a diverse group of teens and preteens modeling the newest, coolest looks in helmets.

League of American Bicyclists Safe Routes program focuses on bringing training to middle school students inside and outside the classroom.