In my mind one of the least “green” things about public school is the massive amount of driving involved… cars, buses, daycare vans, etc. Add to that the fact that MANY parents “idle” while waiting for their kids every day and you have massive amounts of pollution being released in school areas each day with much of it coming from parents. Last year I had no option but to drive my kids to school but this year we decided to house hunt for a place within walking or biking distance to school. We ended up being only a third of a mile from their school… perfect!
So far my son has been riding his bike to school everyday and my daughter and I walk together. We get exercise each morning and afternoon, we get to explore our neighborhood, enjoy the outdoors, we save gas, we avoid the traffic snarl of parents picking up kids, and using our feet is the eco friendlier option. When the winter comes and brings frigid temps and snow I may be singing a different tune but for now I am really enjoying these moments.
I like seeing how other people landscape their yards.. or not. ;) I like admiring my neighbor’s red, white, and blue Adirondack chairs and her beautiful mums. How could I have passed them in my car a hundred times and not seen them before??? When Halloween gets closer (my fave holiday ever!) and Christmas, I will love seeing how people decorate for the season. I like walking past perfect strangers and taking a second to say hello and chat. I like stopping at a yard sale or a toddler’s lemonade stand on the way home. Ditching the car and walking makes your community seem all that more real and valuable.
The best part though is that I get to slow the pace of life for 40-60 minutes each day and concern myself with nothing but breathing in and out and putting one foot in front of the other. I think walking my daughter to school every day is just as good for me in the long run…
You are so right! We’ve been walking to school the past couple of weeks too. It’s great to get the wiggles out of a Kindergarten kiddo too! I think it helps them be ready to sit in class after having a little morning motion. Good for this mom to have a few minutes to be outside in the fresh morning air.
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Great post! There’s a great organization that focuses on getting families to walk to school — National Center for Safe Routes To School. Their site is full of great resources
http://greenhour.org/content/activity/detail/5128#know
Anne K.
We walk to my daughter’s school too. We moved recently and I was so glad to still be within walking distance of her school. I’m keeping an eye out now for friends she could walk with, as she eventually wants to walk on her own.
There are people lining up at her school more than a half hour before it lets out so they can be the first to pick up their kids in the car. I understand it’s rough waiting, but go park in the neighborhood like so many others if you’re at a distance that you have to drive! You’ll get some of the walking benefits and not need to head in so early.
great post.
Good going Tiffany with the move.
We’re lucky enough, because I realise now it is lucky, to go to our neighbourhood school and be able to walk there through the local park. I grew up walking to school. This too was on our list when we moved home a few years ago. Since we’re year round school. I wrote about our walk to school in August.
If you can it’s a great thing to do but I see that lots of parents can’t because they go straight off to work.We’re squeezing in as much as we can because the park has steep paths unwalkable with a stroller and little ones once frost and snow hits so we take advantage now.
This post really helped me with my project and understanding. Thank you so much!