Have you ever pulled into your kids’ turn-around ducking and dodging as families franticly drop off their kids? An easy way to combat that morning rush-out-the-door is by walking to school as a family. It’s an opportunity for kids and their parents to bond and get in some physical activity to boot. If enough families did it, it would surely make school zones safer and the air cleaner. 

A good place to start is Walk Bike to School, where they have tons of event ideas, classroom activities, and things to do if you live too far to walk or bike.  Another great tool to use is the Active School Neighborhood Checklist, created by the Arizona Department of Transportation and our team.  This handy tool is a springboard for conversation. It brings together teams (which might include public works, parents, teachers and health professionals) to assess routes to school and decide what major challenges exist for the students who wish to walk or bike.