KIDS BUILDING BIKES
BIKE CAMP
EXPLOREINDY
“The biggest thing for me is that riding a bike is something they can do for the rest of their lives. I call them life-long leisure activities. Riding a bike is fun, it has a social aspect to it, and it is something that a lot of my students don’t get really get exposed to or have the opportunity to experience”
Kids Riding Bikes® allows over 50,000 kids each year to experience the power of the bicycle as we bring the program into schools, community centers and parks across central Indiana. Working alongside educators in over two dozen school districts, the program is used as an immersive experiential activity that provides a platform for educational messaging that aligns with Indiana Department of Education standards.
During each riding session, students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade pedal multiple courses of varying lengths and difficulties, all in an environment where the bicycle has not traditionally been found – their PE class. As we serve 150 students a day in each school, we find that 10% of them are experiencing the joy of pedaling a bicycle for the very first time.
“Our mission at Hendricks Regional Health is to improve the health of the region. To help us move the needle, it is critical to educate and inspire our youth to live healthier, more active lives. One of the most effective ways we accomplish this is this through community partnerships like the one we have with Nine13sports and their Kids Riding Bikes program provided to the elementary and middle schools within our service area.”
Our student to staff ratio is 4:1 allowing us to provide individualized attention to each rider. Our courses are challenging enough for kids who ride regularly but short enough to give even first time pedalers an opportunity to struggle, improve, overcome and finish each course – generating smiles and high fives along the way.
While the equipment itself is super engaging for the kids (bicycle video game anyone?), the most impactful part of our programming is the education that is layered into the overall experience by our staff. Kids learn how the bicycle can improve both physical and mental health, be used for transportation, explore their community, along with improving air quality when used instead of a car.
Our student to staff ratio is 4:1 allowing us to provide individualized attention to each rider. Our courses are challenging enough for kids who ride regularly but short enough to give even first time pedalers an opportunity to struggle, improve, overcome and finish each course – generating smiles and high fives along the way.
While the equipment itself is super engaging for the kids (bicycle video game anyone?), the most impactful part of our programming is the education that is layered into the overall experience by our staff. Kids learn how the bicycle can improve both physical and mental health, be used for transportation, explore their community, along with improving air quality when used instead of a car.
Our staff works alongside the PE teachers to create positive character-building moments by not only encouraging students to strive for their personal best and challenge themselves, but also to interact with each other using thoughtful words and actions of encouragement. The end result is an activity where kids are riding towards one goal together while simultaneously putting in the work to achieve personal betterment – a lesson that can serve them well in many other areas of their life.
