The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department encourages students to walk or bike to school Oct. 7 in celebration of International Walk to School Day. Walking and bicycling to school enables children to incorporate the regular physical activity they need each day while also forming healthy habits that can last a lifetime.
The Health Department, in collaboration with the City of Lawrence, Lawrence Public Schools, the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization and LiveWell Lawrence, is working to encourage families to walk or bike as part “Be Active Safe Routes,” a community initiative with the goal to reverse the growing rate of childhood inactivity.
“Kids are wired for physical activity and outdoor time,” said Marilyn Hull, member of the City of Lawrence Pedestrian-Bicycle Issues Task Force and LiveWell Lawrence. “Their brains and body work best when they are in motion and enjoying nature throughout the day. If we want kids to do well academically, we’ve got to give them every opportunity to move.”
All Lawrence elementary and middle schools are participating in Walk to School Day by encouraging students, families and staff to walk or bike school, leading walking school buses or hosting other special events. Health Department staff will be on hand at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School that morning, and Lawrence school board members, city commissioners, police officers and firefighters have been invited to join in the activities throughout Lawrence.
Benefits of walking or biking include:
• Students who walk or bike to school are healthier.
• Research has shown exercise before school helps children arrive focused and ready to learn.
• Students who walk and bike frequently when they are young are more likely to continue these activities into adulthood.
• When walking or biking, parents and children get an opportunity to bond and appreciate things they don’t notice while driving — listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, seeing friends and
neighbors and feeling connected with their community.
• Fewer cars on the road means less traffic and congestion and cleaner air.