When I was a boy, a new bike was the ultimate prize.
Every now and then somebody would ride up on a shiny, new bicycle and the rest of us would be secretly jealous as we pedaled around on our second-hand clunkers.
I never got a new bike myself, but three lucky kids at Algonquin Public School now know what it’s like to be the envy of the playground.
All three won their snazzy new rides in a school campaign to promote clean air and encourage active transportation (cycling, walking, skateboarding, etc).
The school organized a Walking School Bus initiative, which is a fun and interesting way to help our children understand the importance of an active lifestyle.
A Walking School Bus is a group of students walking together to school along with an adult supervisor. Kids get on the “bus” at designated stops along the way.
They were all entered in a draw for bikes and other sports equipment but the real reward was the healthy lifestyle choices these active children were making.
Children all across the country are using active transportation to get to school. Some are using the walking bus, some are roller--blading and others are riding their bikes in “cycle trains”.
These kids have the right idea and they will benefit in many ways. However most Canadian kids prefer to commute to class.
They just hop in the car with Mom or Dad on their way to work. Many more can be seen on those ubiquitous amber yellow school busses crowding the roadways and belching black smoke.
This is one of many reasons why Canadian children are getting fatter and less fit at an alarming rate. Active transportation has gone the way of the hula hoop.
Our kids spend far less time walking and more time being driven to school, to extracurricular activities, to the park or over to a friend’s house. They rely mostly on motorized transport.
Active Healthy Kids Canada just released the 2013 report card on physical activity for Canadian children and youth.
Their grade for this year has risen to a “D” minus. This unremarkable achievement is a step in the right direction but no reason to celebrate.
It’s better than the “F” they received for physical activity the previous six years but before you reward your school age children by biggie-sizing their happy meal, there’s something you should know.
There has been no actual improvement among five to17-year-olds. Only five per cent of this group meets the recommended activity guideline (60 minutes of vigorous activity daily).
The grade was skewed by three and four-year-olds that were included for the first time. These highly-conditioned toddlers raised the overall score for everybody.
Toddling must be good exercise.
But apparently, once Canadian kids hit the advanced age of five their athletic careers are over. They soon grow fat and lethargic.
All they can hope for is their own set of car keys once they turn 16.
Within the span of one generation the number of kids who walk or ride their bikes to school has dropped from 50 per cent in 1969 to 13 per cent in 2009. It’s our national shame.
Toronto urban planner Jennifer Keesmaat says walking is “a simple, hopeful, powerful act”. Walking to school is a rite of passage for independent, adventurous children.
The kids on the walking bus to Algonquin School are children like this. Every day, their trip to school and back is safe, active, fun and educational.
They benefit physically, psychologically, academically and socially.
And there’s a good chance they will maintain their active lifestyle as they walk confidently toward a healthy future.
