When physical education becomes bike education

  Kids around DC are discovering biking indoors this winter thanks to WABA’s Bike Week “takeovers” of Physical Education classes. We recently completed at two Center City Public Charter School campuses—Brightwood and Petworth. WABA coordinated with City Center’s PE teachers to provide a full week of bike-centric education for every 2nd-8th grade PE class. Each class of students had a wide range of abilities, from those who had never sat on a bike to one tremendous 7th grader who could wheelie or track stand for days. Our curriculum is designed to help every student progress and learn, no matter where they start out. We are able to put all students on a bike by removing the pedals to turn some into balance bikes. Balance bikes work to engage students in learning to ride, without excluding them from the class. While participating, they are also starting down the path to being safe and competent riders. For those that already know how to ride, we help them improve their control and teach them specific skills like the quick stop. The curriculum includes basic traffic safety, where the students learn how to respond to traffic signals and other road users in safe, predictable, and legal manner. By the end of the week no one was saying that you had to wait for the stop sign to turn green to go!  Students also get to practice their handling skills on an indoor course that includes traffic signals and crossing bike traffic. Our youth program in DC is supported by DDOT’s Safe Routes to Schools programming, but with your membership and support we can expand to other areas. Join WABA today! If you work for or know of a public charter or private school that might be interested in hosting our program, please email youth@waba.org and let us know. Bike Week at City Center PCS by the numbers:

• Number of schools: 2
• Number of students: 276
• Number of class periods taken over: 35
• Number of student-hours ridden: 604.5
• Number of smiles: Unlimited