Bike with us!
Share the joy!
It's so much more than a bike ride!
Please fill out this very brief survey to show your interest in becoming a Bike Shark Volunteer.
HOW DID YOU START BIKING WITH STUDENTS?
Our classroom is a community of bikers. One day on a bike ride I thought to myself, "I would really like to share this joy I am experiencing with my students". Little did I know that a group of determined parents had been awarded a grant and were in the process of purchasing a fleet of bikes for the school. What a wonderful coincidence. Thus began our tradition of our weekly bike rides In the Fall and Spring. After much safety practice on school grounds and with the help of many volunteers we hit the bike trails and lanes to explore our wonderful city.
WHERE DO YOU GO?
Some of our typical rides are along West River Parkway to Minnehaha Falls, on the Greenway to Bde Maka Ska. We've ridden downtown Minneapolis to Gold Medal Park and across the Stone Arch Bridge. One year we biked to several field trips including the Minnesota Center for Bookarts, to the theater, and our longest trip to Historic Fort Snelling.
In our classroom we prefer to bike to field trips as much as possible. Field trip busses are very expensive so we are saving a lot of money by biking. Biking brings so much joy and opens up access to your city on its numerous bike trails and bike lanes.
WHAT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS DO YOU USE?
All E2 students learn bike safety and "Rules of the Road" through the Walk, Bike, Fun Curriculum. Some students may learn basic bike maintenance.
Biking with 30+ students is no easy task. I bring one adult per 6 students. So that's a minimum of 5 adults. I recruit Volunteers, fill out field trip paperwork, communicate plans with the office, make arrangements for the possibility of a sick or injured student, plan routes and communicated with everyone. I pack first aid kits, bike tools, and snacks. Over the years I've learned how to streamline the process but I still cannot do this without the help of volunteers!
WHAT DO VOLUNTEERS DO?
There are several tasks that volunteers can do. There are pre-ride tasks such as getting the bikes out of storage and helping kids with seat adjustments and air in the tires. There are during rides tasks where you ride along in the line and serve as a coach to a squad of students. They need lots of reminders! Finally there are post ride tasks mostly putting the bikes away and locking up the storage units. You may volunteer to do one task or all three. Typically our rides are about two hours plus the pre and post time.