KidsTravel2 - The school run - how do you do it?

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Thursday, 01 April 2010

The school run - how do you do it?

We all know that getting the kids to school in the morning can be a logistical nightmare. Even if you live close enough to walk to school, good intentions can easily crumble in the face of a few raindrops or a couple of minutes delay to change a siblings nappy. I am not trying to be evangelical about it but I do try and walk my son to school as often as possible. If you live close enough to do this and yet still need convincing, here are some of the benefits of walking to school:

Walking to school is ....

- kinder to the planet - fewer C02 emissions
- kinder to your child - brisk walking, scooting, or cycling will not only give your child more exercise but leave them feeling alert and ready to start the day at school
- kinder on your pocket - lower fuel bills
- kinder to you - feel good factor at having done some good (including for your waistline!)
- an opportunity to talk - we often have really good chats on the way to and from school - I am not rushing around doing 'jobs' and we get the chance to talk things through, chat about things we see on the way, or just have a laugh
- less hassle - whenever I do drive, I often struggle to find a parking space and end up with a fair walk anyway, my daughter is then not in her pushchair and we end up more pressed for time as I try and cajole her along the path or end up carrying her, if it is raining we still get wet, and I feel guilty because I'm missing out on all the good reasons for walking above! Infact I used to think 'well, I'll drive because then I can go straight out with my daughter'. Instead I now walk to and from school and then take the car out for the longer journeys

Did you know 17-21 May is walk to school week? If you don't usually walk, why not give it a go? If you can't manage every day, why not commit to 1 or 2 days a week?

http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/
http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/

Support Kids Cross Safely - a campaign to make it safer for children to travel to & from school
http://www.kidscrosssafely.org.uk

Tell us your views - should we try and walk to school with our children, or does it really not matter?

POSTED BY: Julia Odgers AT 05:03 pm | Permalink | 4 Comments | E-mail this

Comments:

We always walk to school regardless of the weather. Apart from the good exercise I feel it is the best start to the day for the kids. Even if it is raining, by the time I get everyone into the car and walk the distance from where we are parked to the school we are still wet. Also find it is good socially as we meet other children on our way down to school.

Posted by Elaine Campbell on 17/04/2010 - 04:20 PM

I second that! Good point about the opportunity to socialise more too, which you don't get if you go by car.

Posted by julia@kidstravel on 21/04/2010 - 08:11 AM

I do walk to school with my kids, I do it because I can, because I think it gives them a sense of the environment they live in, because I know if it is raining they are going to be stuck indoors all day and it will help them to concentrate. I think its a great thing to do that most people think will be much more difficult than it actually is.

Posted by Laura on 17/05/2010 - 11:41 AM

Thanks for the input and I agree - it really does perk them up more than a trip in the car. And, often you think travelling by car is the easy option but entails a whole load of buckling up and parking hassle that makes it the more stressful option!

Posted by julia@kidstravel on 17/05/2010 - 12:36 PM

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