October is Walk to School Month

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

01 Oct 2006 06:00 PM

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.-Winston Churchill

October 4th is International Walk to School Day. This year, however, communities can choose to celebrate Walk to School for a day, a week or a month. This decision was made by the International Walk to School Committee that has several countries participating and working together to inspire interest in this event.

Many U.S. communities and school districts are encouraging kids to walk to school on October 4th. The idea is to promote walking and bicycling in order to change communities and the community environment at grass roots level. Parents and children who walk to school are increasing their physical activity and increased physical activity is good for parents and children alike.

Why Should You Participate & Walk to School?

The fact is that there are a lot of good reasons to walk to school. The more physically active we are, the less chronically ill we will become. We will also help decrease our chances of being obese. The more kids and parents that walk to school, the fewer cars there will be congesting the traffic around schools. This can reduce air pollution and create a safer atmosphere for the walkers. For parents and kids who live within a mile of the school, walking to school reduces their consumption of gas - and with the cost of a gallon of gasoline these days - conserving should be the motto of every family.

If you live in an area where walking to school is not safe, then become active in your community to help the area become more safe - you can do this by:

• Improving or adding walkways to areas that are set apart from the roadway
• Work with city planners to increase street signs, speed limit warnings and provide crossing guards and education for children on how to cross the road safely
• Add a bike path that is not on the sidewalk or on the street, to afford cyclists a safe place to ride that doesn't inhibit walkers

Young children should never walk to school alone and parents benefit from the walk to school idea as much as their children do. For more information, check out the International Walk to School site. Are you going to walk to school on October 4th?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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