If you’re only interested in technology, skip this post.

I thought I would fill you all in on an interest of mine – encouraging kids to walk and bike to school.  I would like to see more kids in our neighborhood walk and bike to school instead of parents driving them to school.  I feel kids gain a sense of independence, empowerment, and community involvement when they can use their own two feet to get themselves to school.  And, they meet other kids and develop social skills, and are healthier for it.  After all, when I was growing up, we all walked to school (yes, uphill both ways!).

At my two kids’ schools, I manned a table at “back to school night” where I encouraged kids and parents to consider walking and biking to school.  Those that signed up received a list of others that signed up so they could form “walking groups” to encourage safety in numbers.  This has started to turn into a “big deal”, with free bike helmets, forming clusters of kids walking together, etc.  With a little encouragement, my hope is that we will see a wave of kids walking or biking to and from school each morning and afternoon.

I’m trying to share this program with others so they can develop their own programs.  Check out the URL www.vlamis.com/walkbike for resources to replicate this in your neighborhood (more materials coming later).  There’s an article in the local Liberty Tribune that describes this more.  Another article should run in the Kansas City Star on September 5.

OK, back to work.  I just thought some of you might be interested in the “personal side” of things here in the center of the country.