Local first graders learn to ride bikes in PE class, thanks to national program
By AKURA GRAY
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SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — The 1st graders at Bowling Green Charter McCoy Academy are keeping warm in the cold weather by grabbing their helmets and getting their muscles moving.
The elementary school students hopped on two wheels and “rode like the wind,” thanks to the help of the national program, “All Kids Bike.”
“All Kids Bike” is a national movement aimed at providing “Learn-to-ride” programs in elementary schools. Their mission is to teach every kid in America to ride a bike in their kindergarten P.E. class.
“There’s a lot of research I think the company has done that says students who do better in their motor skills and balance… it can often help them in the classroom,” P.E. teacher Charlotte Kistner said.
Kistner says she wanted o make this curriculum possible for her students and bring something new to her classes.
The new fleet of bikes and helmets provides an opportunity these students otherwise may not have. Learning to ride a bike can be a profound moment in a childhood — yet some students told CBS13 they had never stepped foot on a bike until the start of this program at their school.
“Not all people have space to store bikes at home or space for kids to ride them,” Kistner said.
The program costs $6,000 and includes 24 balance-to-pedal conversion bikes, 24 helmets, 1 teacher instruction bike and an online curriculum. To implement the program, individuals, businesses and organizations can contribute for donations or a school can fundraise independently.
Students complete eight lessons; in lessons 1-6, they learn how to walk, balance and stride. In lessons 7-8, the teacher converts the bikes to pedal mode and students are able to learn how to pedal their bikes.
Kistner says the steering, balancing, falling and getting back up are lessons in resilience these students can apply in everyday life.
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