BikeMN staff held the first Walk! Bike! Fun! Educator Training of the season.
Last Friday, BikeMN Staff, CJ, Angela, and Helena held the first Educator Training of the season right at BikeMN’s headquarters in Minneapolis. The team trained six Minneapolis Public Schools teachers to use the Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum, made for teachers who want to get their students moving. The curriculum is designed to meet Minnesota’s Physical Education Standards and Benchmarks, and is an integral part of the Minnesota Safe Routes to School Program and sponsored by MnDOT. Walk! Bike! Fun! students learn how to safely ride and share the streets and trails with other drivers and pedestrians as they learn traffic rules and regulations, potential hazards to traveling on foot or on bike, and physical skills needed to bike and walk safely and confidently through their community.
Last week’s training was held on a chilly but sunny day, but the team felt lucky because it was sleeting a few days before. The training built confidence with hands-on and on-bike learning through bike drills in the parking lot of BikeMN’s headquarters and a short group ride on the streets nearby. The first ride of the season was also Angela and Helena’s first training, so CJ conducted most of the training while Angela and Helena observed and provided support.
Educators who take part in the Walk! Bike! Fun! training gain an adaptable curriculum they can tailor to their needs and constraints, use of BikeMN’s bike fleet upon request, and a network of hundreds of peers who use Walk! Bike! Fun! and have tips from their own experiences. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Training for teachers, educators, parents, and volunteers with the Walk! Bike! Fun! education team is available through various opportunities, including WBF Curriculum training, WBF Ambassadors, and WBF basic bicycle maintenance. The Walk! Bike! Fun! training is offered for free, and includes classroom and on-bike instruction, 7 Continuing Education Credits upon completion, and a $150 stipend to each school per participant to offset the cost of substitute teachers on training days.