Walking school bus gets kids moving
Keira McGuire | 09.09.13
The walking school bus gets kids moving, and gets them to school safely.
Today, two out of three kids are considered inactive. That’s why schools like Eisenhower Elementary in Camp Hill are trying to get kids up and moving through what they call a “walking school bus.”
Accompanied by a “driver,” the bus begins its journey about a mile away from school. And, like a real bus, it makes multiple stops along the way to pick up more students. Together, they walk safely to and from school each day. When they reach the school, about forty kids are on board. And, this is just one of the two busses that the school has.
Vicki Werner, the school nurse, highlights an important recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “The CDC recommends sixty minutes of physical activity for children daily. And, if they’re able to walk twenty minutes to and from school, there’s forty minutes of the daily recommendation.”
School Principal Sandra Fauser adds that it benefits the kids in other ways as well: “Academically, they do better.”
Watch the video to see the Eisenhower kids on their walking school bus:
Does your child take a walking school bus to school? What has your experience been with a program like this one? We invite you to share your thoughts in a comment below.