Mimi Rothschild asked:


Outdoor activities are great fun and an important addition to any homeschool curriculum. Kids should be encouraged to spend time outside whenever possible to promote physical, emotional, and social health. One of the most popular outdoor activities is bike riding which is fun, exciting, and a pleasurable form of exercise. It is important, however, to properly instruct your homeschooling child on bicycle safety.

First and foremost, the proper equipment should be used. If your child is not an experienced biker, then training wheels are a wonderful resource for teaching balance and promoting confidence on the bike. Helmets, knee and elbow pads, and other protective layers are essential to any safe bike ride. In some places, wearing a helmet is actually the law, so do some research about the laws in the state that you live in.

It is also very important for your homeschooling child to understand that when biking, he or she must be aware that there are other vehicles that use the road. This may seem like on obvious fact, but understanding how to share the road properly will ensure a fun safe bike ride. There are many tips that can help with this practice. Always bike with the traffic, meaning the direction the cars are going. This rule applies whether biking on the road, shoulder, or sidewalk. Try and avoid the busy streets or times of day when the roads are most congested, such as rush hour. When the streets are packed with cars, it limits the vision of the drivers and bikers can be easily overlooked. Drivers expect bikers to obey all traffic signals, signs, and stoplights, just as they are expected to do in their cars. For example, bikers are expected to stop at stop signs and red lights and use appropriate hand gestures as turn signals.

There are also many general rules to follow in order to promote safe bicycle habits. Riding at night is not a good idea because even with headlights, the vision of drivers at this time in limited. Bright clothing and light reflectors should be worn anytime of day while biking as an added measure of safety. While biking, both hands should be kept on the handlebars of the bike. Although it is fun to test your balance or try fun tricks, control can be lost and accidents may happen.

One final word of advice: make bicycling a family affair! The best way to teach your kids about bike safety is by example, helping kids see the importance and reason for the rules that you teach them. They are more than just words from a concerned parent. Biking can be a lot of fun and great exercise, so teach your kids how to best enjoy the experience.



Kansieo.com

Mike Rosania asked:


I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to cut down on partying. I don’t want to officially hang up my “cutting loose” habits, but I can only take so many yawn-filled mornings of bloodshot eyes and crooked smiles. I am ready to put those nights of loud clubs and expensive bar tabs behind me. Why the sudden lifestyle change you might ask? The answer—mountain biking. I think taking up this sport will jump start my active, healthy lifestyle.

Growing up, I have always been into bikes. It all started when I was six. My parents tried teaching me to ride a bike in a big field near our house—not the best idea. Have you ever tried riding through a field, let alone on a child’s bike with small wheels? It’s nearly impossible. Every bump, rock, and stick bounced me off the bike and landed my **** on the ground. My parents’ rationale was that falling in a field would be better than hitting the unforgiving pavement, which makes sense. But it is also nearly impossible to ride on this terrain, especially when first learning.

So one afternoon, I took off my training wheels and brought my bike into the driveway. I sat down on the seat, put my one foot on a pedal, pushed off and started riding. And as they say, the rest is history. I got older and picked up BMX; bunny hopping curbs and cruising around on pegs. When I hit college, I was over my dirt jumping phase, and got a road bike—pedaling for miles at a time. So it’s no surprise that mountain biking caught my eye– which is a sort of hybrid amalgamation of extreme maneuvers from BMX and long rides of road biking.

Back to my life story, I graduated college, picked up and moved to California. This state is absolutely beautiful. Last weekend, my girlfriend and I drove out of the city and spent a few hours exploring and admiring the west coast’s landscape. We hiked through a state park, which was awesome—but I’m not much of a hiker. I need something to get my heart pumping. We did discover a ton of mountain bike trails that the state park offered. And that’s when it hit me. Mountain biking looks like a blast! These guys flew past us on these gnarly mountain bikes, equipped with full suspension and rugged tires. The east coast didn’t offer trails like the west coast, which is probably why I never got into the sport. Now that I have all this terrain, I want to take full advantage.

So I started looking into bikes and am dieing to get one, but I ran into two problems. The bikes are very expensive and I drive a small Subaru whose seats don’t fold down. Plus, I wouldn’t want dirty, muddy tires all over my interior. I talked with a coworker who mountain bikes and he offered to lend me his old bike until I get my own. Great! But I need to get to the trails. My car doesn’t have a roof rack, so I looked for bike racks that mount to your trunk on the internet. If I can find a rack that mounts easily, I’m sure I will have no problem getting to the trails a few days a week and getting some exercise.



Caffeinated Content