We're on the Boston Bikes Blog!

Well, it might be old news, but it's new news to us!  We wrote up our experience of our kids learning to roll with Boston Bikes.  They liked the report so much, they reprint the post on their blog.  

 Now even more people know about the great program the city has teaching kids to ride and to ride safety from their first outing.

And even more people know about the PerkinsBlog.  It might have happened in October, but it feels like a holiday present to us.

Mayor Menino's Boston Bikes shared a link.

October 26

Perkins Elementary School featured us on their blog! Check it out to get a quick view of what our Youth Cycling Program is doing in Boston schools!

PerkinsBlog: Making the Wheels Go Round!

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The students at Perkins School are at the heart of a new adventure in more ways than one.South Boston’s Old Colony Housing Project, which surrounds our school, is going green! Its buildings are 70 years old and ready for a...

Making the Wheels Go Round!

If you remember a previous post, Boston Bikes came to our school for several weeks to teach many of our second through fifth graders how to ride a bike and to review bicycle safety for those who already knew how to pedal.  After much rain, too much rain, the kids finally had a chance to get out there.

Getting enough bikes for a whole class into the schoolyard was a team effort.  Graham and Corey, our bicycle mentors brought them out of a nearby garage.

 Then the kids rolled them into the schoolyard.

The first part of any ride is NOT hopping on the seat and speeding off.  The kids learned out to stretch as we should all do before any type of exercise.  Next, get those helmets on and adjust them to fit correctly.

Then Corey and Graham matched the kids with a perfectly sized bike, one whose seat came up to their hips.  Then it was time to do the ABCs of getting ready to ride that they had learned in the classroom: check the Air in the tires, the Brakes' condition, and the Chain to see if it was strung correctly.

And they're off!  The kids who already knew how to ride could start by making big circles in the schoolyard.

Beginning riders had a different routine in another part of the schoolyard.  No one used training wheels. Graham and Corey knew a better way to learn.  Chanting "Scoot, scoot, glide!" the kids made exactly those motions as they made their way across the yard.  Then back again, all the while improving their sense of balance.  At a certain point, the kids would automatically place their feet on the pedals and go, go, go!

By the end of Boston Bikes' visit, everybody who tried learned to ride a bike.

Hooray!

Getting Ready to Roll

 "What do you know or like about bikes?" Corey and Graham from Boston Bikes asked Ms. Mansfield's 4th grade class. 

The kids' answers came fast and furious:  "I like going downhill."  "I like the idea of doing tricks." "I know how to do wheelies."  "I like BMX bikes." "I know that you need to follow the rules to be safe."

"I like to ride with my friends," added Corey.  

"And, I love the freedom of using my bike," said Graham, "I can ride all around the city without paying for the T."

Corey and Graham are at the Perkins to help the kids learn to ride bicycles and do it safely.  So before our kids "mount up," they get some important lessons.

First: This is not the way you wear a helmet!  

The helmet should lie flat on your head, not tilted back.  You should be able to see it, if you look straight up.  If you can't, your helmet is too loose.

The straps should make a triangle around your ears.

Once you fasten it, you should be able to open your mouth wide.  If you can't, the helmet is too tight!

Why are helmets important?

The kids know this answer.  "So you don't bust your head," one calls out.

What is a big difference between these two bikes?  That's the next question--and, the answer has nothing to do with color or fenders.  It's their brakes!  The yellow bike has brakes on the pedals and you can stop it by pushing the pedal backwards.  The blue bike's brakes are on its handle bars, one lever for the front tire and one for the back one.  

Is a good idea to stop your bike by just pushing on the brake for the front tire?  NO!  Just think about what might happen.

One of the last lessons the kids learned was they must always know their ABCs--for bikes, that is.  Before you start riding, do the ABC check: 

A = Air.  Your tires should feel hard like a basketball.  Give them a squeeze to make sure.

B = Brakes.  Are they working?  

C = Chain.  Is it strung correctly?
 
If so, you're ready to go!


By the end of the hour, this fourth grade class was ready to roll.  Corey and Graham went on to the next class.  

Meanwhile, all the bikes and helmets were just waiting to be used.....