National Walk Safely to School Day 2015

National Walk Safely to School Day 2015

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Posted 2015-05-21 by Sandy Wfollow

Fri 22 May 2015


The 22nd of May is National Walk Safely to School Day. It is an initiative from the Australian Government and Local Government to encourage primary school aged children to walk safely to school.

As a busy Mum of four children, three of which are school aged, I know school drop off can be quite a busy and harassing time, at least it is for me, herding four little boys out the door for 8:30 am each day. You can safely add 5 minutes of your time from the moment you grab your keys, to the time everyone is strapped in and ready to go and that is assuming no one has forgotten their hat, drink bottle, lunch or school bag (yes that has happened in this house).

Once you arrive at school you have the usual battle for a parking spot because there is never enough parking available.

Recently I decided I was fed up with this daily routine and my boys and I started to walk to school. We have been doing this for a few weeks now and its been great. Whilst I admit there have been times I have felt too lazy to walk, my boys have been eager to head off on foot, and express disappointment when we take the car. When I pick them up with the pram in tow they get instantly excited because they know we are walking home.

Whilst the Walk Safely to School initiative is aimed at promoting good health, the environment and road safety, I have found it has been great for my young family. Instead of the usual harassing experience, we now get to enjoy each other's company. On the way home from school the boys will tell me more about their day. They get to race along the grass whilst pretending to be motorbikes, wave at passing bus drivers and generally burn off some steam as boys love to do.

For myself there is the added health bonus of a 15 minute walk each way, and I have noticed I'm using less petrol and saving some money. I remind myself of this on the days I really don't want to walk, and nagging children generally make the decision easier. Believe it or not, I have found it takes the same amount of time to walk to school as when I drive. I put this down to not wasting time getting children in and out of the car and not having to find parking. I would encourage all parents, if you live close enough, to give walking to school a chance, not only on the National Walk Safely to School Day but on other days as well. It's been positive for my family and maybe it will be positive for yours.

More information on National Walk Safely to School Day can be found on their website .

#family
#free
#health_fitness
#outdoor
#walks
#may
!date 22/05/2015 -- 22/05/2015
%wnperth
169685 - 2023-06-15 05:35:52

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