Email sent March 18, 2014 to [email protected], David Euale <[email protected]>, Jeff Blackwell <[email protected]>,
Robert Eatough <[email protected]>, [email protected], Gord Truffen <[email protected]>, [email protected]
Robert Eatough <[email protected]>, [email protected], Gord Truffen <[email protected]>, [email protected]
Walking is known to improve academic performance. Children arrive brighter and more alert for their first morning class. In a UK Department for Transport survey, nine out of ten teachers said their students are much more ready to learn if they’ve walked to school. Walking reduces stress and increases creativity, both of which will help a child’s performance at school.
Walking gives children good life experience. It’s an opportunity for them to be independent, think responsibly, andmake decisions for themselves. Some children feel less anxiety about being at school when they know how to get home; it’s much harder to learn that route from the perspective of a car. If a child is still young or immature, then walking in groups with friends or siblings is a good option, as is the “walking school bus.” Parents take turns collecting children from houses in the neighbourhood and accompany them to school.
Walking gets children outdoors – and, according to Richard Louv, who wrote Last Child in the Woods, kids certainly aren’t spending enough time outside these days. Those few minutes of walking can provide inspiration. One child, interviewed for a study by the University of Toronto, described his daily commute: “There’s this pathway I go by, and it’s actually in this puny, puny forest. So it has big tall trees around it. Yeah, it’s just spectacular.” Children pay attention to and revel in their surroundings in a way that adults don’t.
Walking provides daily exercise for children. Obesity rates have skyrocketed in North America, so incorporating physical activity into a child’s daily routine is a good place to start fighting it. As physical fitness improves, so does academic performance, according to the California Department of Education.
Architect Christopher Hume says, “Walking is a reflection of how we feel about the environment in which we live.” Children will learn to love their town even more if they get to know it on foot.
Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/culture/4-reasons-why-walking-school-benefits-kids.html
Why walk to school? There are many benefits. Here are just some of them:
Benefits for your children1. Fitness and healthMost of us are very aware that childhood obesity is rising fast – in 2008, 31% of children between the ages of 2 and 15 were overweight or obese. As you’ll read in Walking for Health, children need at least an hour of physical activity per day, and walking to school is a great way to get some of that exercise.
There are also concerns about the level of pollution that children are exposed to sitting inside cars in congested or slow moving traffic. When planning your walking journey to school, it may well be possible to find a route which is quiet or traffic-free, and walking through green spaces such as parks can make you feel calmer and happier.
2. Concentration at schoolEvidence shows that children who are physically active on the way to school burn off some of their excess energy, and are more able to settle down and focus well in lessons.
3. Road safety skillsGood habits learned young are learned well. Teaching your child to walk safely to school will stand them in good stead for the rest of their life.
4. Socialising and independenceIf your child joins a walking bus, or is old enough to walk to school with friends, they will have extra time in the day to build friendships, and feel comfortable around other people. And most teenagers, like all of us, need time to themselves – walking home can be a great time to think, relax, and mull over their day.
Read more at https://walkit.com/walking-to-school/#k9HYyUbLEVU7jj61.99
Children who walk to school are calmer and more focused in lessons - and may be less likely to need drugs for ADHD
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2434771/Children-walk-school-calmer-focused-lessons--likely-need-drugs-ADHD.html#ixzz2w8ir3iuc
Healthy Benefits of Walking and Biking to School by Dr. Jennifer Rupert, MDWhat do walking and biking to school have to do with obesity, mental health, and asthma? A lot! Children who walk and bike to school have higher physical activity levels throughout the day, helping them meet the recommended 60 minutes of activity daily.
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/281464
Creating more dual track schools keeps kids in their neighbourhood and allows them to walk to school. This move would put the needs of kids first.