Category Archives: kids

$1000 Available from Safe Routes to School

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Anne | 2 comments

Thought I’d pass along some information about 35 $1000 grants that are available from the National Center for Safe Routes to School. The application deadline is April 7, 2010.

Safe Routes to School $1,000 Mini-grant Call for Applications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (February 26, 2010) — The National Center for Safe Routes to School is now accepting applications for up to 35 $1,000 mini-grants for creative, youth-focused ideas that support safe walking and/or bicycling to school. Eligible activities must occur at an elementary or middle school in Fall 2010 and support the overall goal of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs — to enable and encourage children nationwide to safely walk and bicycle to school…. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School

Tagged bike-to-school, kids, mini-grants, Safe Routes to School, School, SRTS, walk to school

New Car-free School in Milton, Ontario

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Anne | 4 comments

If you think car-free schools aren’t possible in North America. Think again.

P.L. Robertson elementary in Milton, ON (a suburb of Toronto) just opened this month with a car-free drop off policy. And they didn’t just create a policy in their school operation manual, they also designed a car-free process to back it up.

How in the H E double hockey sticks did they do that? Don’t they know it’s the middle of winter? They live in Canada….it’s cold outside? Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, In other Cities, kids, neighborhoods

Tagged Canada, car-free school, everyday fitness, Milton, Ontario, walk to school

Biking to School…Without Parents

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Anne | 9 comments

I spent two fantastic days in Marin, CA this week visiting with old friends and hanging out with their families. Just north of San Francisco, Marin is the epitome of car culture with traffic jams, packed parking lots and streets clogged with luxury cars.

At least they are doing something right with the kids: they get to school on bikes. Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, In other Cities, kids, neighborhoods, School

Tagged bike-to-school, kids, Marin, Safe Routes to School

Third-Annual Xtracycle Tree Haulin’ Adventure

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Tim K | 5 comments

When the already short Seattle days end at 4:18 pm (the earliest of the year!), the window for an after-school tree-gathering-family-bike adventure is small.

We tried to grab the kids right after school, bundle them up in extra (or is it Xtra) layers and hustle our way over to the local summer berry stand/temporary pumpkin patch/Christmas tree oasis while the feeble sun still shone.

Though we did our best to make our selection in the waning light and hightail it home before everyone turned into a Popsicle, it wasn’t meant to be. Not to point fingers, but damn, those kids are picky. I think we liked it better when they didn’t get to vote. Instead, we shivered up a storm while we picked up, fondled, and rated what seemed like every Noble Fir on the block. I finally stepped in with fatherly veto power to break a three-way tie (no surprise to anyone who knows me: The winner was $11 cheaper) and get us on our way with a minimum of bloodshed.

Then it was on the bike for a should-be-quick trip home in the dark. And Did I mention it was cold?

Hell yes. We even resorted to ducking into a Starbucks for cocoa and cider so the kids’ little piggies could thaw out before the final leg home.

Said Fir now sits in a bucket, hydrating in preparation for its month on stage in the lights. And me? I’m already over the voting scandal and looking forward to the fourth anniversary adventure.

More photos here

-Tim

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, kids, shopping, xtracycle

Tagged christmas, Christmas Tree, kids, local, xtracycle

Joy-filled, kid-cam view of an Xtracycle commute

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Tim K | 12 comments

I’m a little behind on my blog / RSS reading (like 6-9 months, oops) so maybe this one has been all over the Inter-Webs. But even if it has, I don’t care. I love it and I’m posting it here anyway.

Nate Byerley, CEO of Xtracycle, spent some time filming his daughter Davis and their commute to school on a PeaPod (child seat) -equipped Xtracycle. The result is the perfect video to share with anyone who wonders why children should be transported by bike.

Watch and then answer me this: Have you ever seen such joy (“I see a kitty! … Scream with me!”) from ANY child strapped into a video screen-equipped mini van or SUV?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bikes are better!

Thanks Nate!

-Tim

12 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, Commute, kids, xtracycle

Tagged car-free, Commute, happy, joy, kids, peapod, xtracycle

Walking or riding or skipping to school

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Anne | 10 comments

Walk&Wheel-brown-crop

October is International Walk to School Month. At our local elementary, we don’t discriminate. Walk, bike, hike, skip or even take the bus. Just don’t drive to school in October!

Our elementary school received a Seattle Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School grant last year. We’re using some of the funds from the grant to host a Walktober celebration this month. Kids keep track of their “active” trips to school and earn prizes if they make a minimum number of trips by foot, bike or scooter (any way other than a personal automobile).

Basically we’re bribing them.

We should really give prizes to the parents. What do you think would work? massages? coffee? gift certificates to the pub?

Cause it’s really up to the parents to make it happen.

– Anne

10 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School

Tagged bike, ride, Safe Routes to School, School, walk

An Every Day Adventure to the Bicycle Music Festival

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Tim K | 11 comments

An Every Day Adventure at the Bicycle Music Festival

We just returned from a day of family Xtracycling. If you’d asked where we were going when we left the house, we probably would have mentioned something about the Bicycle Music Festival. Sure that’s where we were headed, but in reality we were out for a dose of every day cycling adventure.

In the course of an hour or so on the bikes we picked up the youngest from a play date, helped a friend install a basketball hoop, took some photos, stopped at the library, saw a ton of boats and houseboats, took some more photos, and picked up some excellent free stuff on the road near said houseboats (some BRAND NEW Ikea LED lights plus some high-quality nickel-plated light fixtures with sconces that will go nicely in our bathroom. SCORE!)!

And that was just on the way to the music festival. Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, kids, summer, xtracycle

Tagged adventure, bicycle music festival, bikes, kids, seattle, xtracycle

Xtracycle Bike Camping (with Kids)

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Anne | 7 comments

For those of you who were wondering, no, the heat wave hasn’t lasted three weeks. We’ve just been lazy bloggers of late!

We recently returned from a fantastic short bike camping trip with our kids. Tim and I haven’t been bike touring in 15 years. Not sure why, I guess we just haven’t made it a priority. Our kids are now old enough to carry some of their own weight (both on and off the bike) so we decided to give it a whirl.

Huge success.

Our destination: Lopez island in the San Juan Islands, a classic Northwest bike tour. The San Juan Islands are touring gems, and for good reason. Scenery is beautiful, the ferries make it fun and convenient to shuttle between the islands, people are friendly, and if you choose the right islands and the right route, the hills aren’t too bad. Best of all, once you’ve unloaded from the ferry and lets the high-speed hordes roar past, you’re free to roam on relatively traffic-free roads. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in bike touring, bikes, kids, summer, xtracycle

Tagged bike camping, bike touring, family bike touring, Family Cycling, kids, San Juan Islands, summer, xtracycle

I like Riding Because….And I Thank My Dad For It.

Posted on June 21, 2009 by cfdgirl | 13 comments

This post was written by our 8 year old (and typed by her mom. Hunting and pecking 400 words would have taken a really long time!) It was her idea, and these are all of her own words. Happy Father’s Day, Tim! We love you.

My Dad is the one who taught me to ride my bike without training wheels.

In the summer, we used to go down to our spot at Magnuson, it was a steep grassy hill by the tennis courts. Dadddy drove me down there with my bike, it was usually only me and daddy. I would coast down the hill, try and steer and while I was steering, I tried to see if I could use my brakes while doing it. We would stay there all day. The only time I got hurt was when I was going down the part of the hill that I usually didn’t go down, I tried to steer, except my bike fell over. The back of my knee was out so I scraped the back of my knee.

I didn’t want to ride my bike again. But my dad convinced me to keep riding, and now I’m a good rider. I think it is because I did not give up. And If I gave up, I may never feel the joys of riding. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, kids

Tagged bikes, Dad, Daddy, Father's Day, kids, Learning to Ride a Bike

Anne Dreams of a Family Triplet

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Anne | 7 comments

Anne's latest dream bike

School gets out today. This time of year is bittersweet. We are all ready for a break from our normal routine and are looking forward to some carefree summer times. I’m sure the kids will be happy not to hear the words: get dressed, eat your breakfast, put your book down, brush your teeth and we’re going to be late for a few months. Continue reading →