Giraffes Worn Voluntarily (for now) by woodleywonderworks
Do you have what it takes to walk to school and keep walking now that Walk to School Day is past?
Here are 10 things you need to keep you walking to (and from) school.
#10 – Rain Boots
It’s bound to rain sometime and rain boots are so much fun! Who can resist jumping in a puddle or putting their foot in a stream of water and watching what happens? And adults can have fun with rain boots too 
#9 – Curiosity
Which trees are changing color? What birds live between home and school? What kind of flowers are blooming now? Curiosity makes the walk short.
#8 – A Good Alarm Clock
Most people need extra time to walk to school. Unless you’re up with the larks, or your kids are, a good alarm clock will be essential.
#7 – Resolve
There’s no escaping it. Driving to school is the easy option. Getting up and out on time to walk to school needs some resolve. The next item also helps.
#6 – A Plan
To stick to a plan requires having one. Are you going to walk to school every day? Are you going to walk home ever day? What about when it rains? And if you have after school activities or a sick kid who isn’t going to school will you still walk another child? Think it through and you have a plan.
#5 – Weather-proofing for Walkers
You’ll need jackets, hats, gloves and a weather-proof stroller for younger siblings who can’t be relied on to keep up the pace. Fair weather walkers can skip some of this, but you’ll still need to dress for the seasons.
#4 – A Place to Hang Your Hat
Wet jackets need a place to hang at both home and school. Does your school provide what is needed? Do you have the storage space you’ll need for boots, gloves, hats, jackets etc?
#3 – Good Neighbors
A safe neighborhood is one where people know each other and engage. Walkers meet neighbors and get to know their neighborhoods, but they also depend on neighbors. Safe Routes to School depend on communities.
#2 – Safe Backpacks
Backpack and contents should weigh no more than 10-15% of a child’s body weight. For walking in wet weather you need a waterproof pack. For walking on dim or dark days choose a pack with reflective strips.
#1 – Good Friends/Good Fun
Everything goes better with a friend – jumping in leaves along the way, laughing over your day – there is no substitute for a good friend and a sense of fun.
What do you say? Do you get out and walk every day? Did you walk to school when you were a kid? Do kids in your neighborhood walk to school? Do you have any additional tips?
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Another mom told me that she’s usually about a block behind my boys as they are walking to school. She said that she watches them push and shove each other the entire way. I asked if they looked like they were fighting or just a couple of brothers goofing off. She said they were just a couple of brothers goofing off.
I really like that by letting them walk to school alone, I’m able to give them the time to be independent from me yet dependent on each other. I believe that this is one of the things that will help them bond so that when they are older and living their separate lives, they will still know they have each other to rely on.
My prescription for walking is to have two dogs who need to be walked several times a day. If it wasnt’ for them, I’d never go out in the rain, especially when it’s cold. But they are young and need to be walked, so out I go.
Anonymous, you have #3 good neighbors and your boys have #1 good friends in each other. Thanks for sharing
Carole, you are a responsible dog owner. Having watched several dog training programs on TV I know there a lot of dog parents out there who don’t give dogs the exercise they need. Good for you, and good for your dogs for keeping you walking.
Unfortunately I don’t have a prescription for walking to school. The school is about 6 miles away and we have to go on a major highway to get there. In all my life, I’ve only lived close enough to a school to walk one time – but it was when I was in elementary school. My parents went to work early so we were dropped off at Grandma’s house to catch the bus. When my parents were home for vacation, sick day, etc we were able to walk to school and it was so much fun. We also got into quite a bit of mischief on the way, but it was just typically elementary age fun.
Love this article! As we are still in the process of “moving.” One of the things that’s a priority in our next home is it’s proximity to our girl’s school. I would really enjoy being able to walk the girls to school!
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What a concidence because I was trying to find more information on this topic this evening when I discovered your really fascinating post…thanks a lot for sharing. I will surely be keeping an eye on your blog and coming back for more.By the way since when have you been blogging?
Naida, I’ve been writing on these topics for one year now. Thanks for asking.