This week is "International Walk to School Week."

Question: Did you walk to school as a kid? Is there anyplace that you are currently driving that you could walk, and regain that activity you got as a kid?

If you have kids, do they walk to school? How far? How often?

From WebMd article:

Why Not Walk to School?

quote:

Sept. 30, 2005 --

During the first week of October, millions of kids worldwide will stroll to school during "International Walk to School Week."

Many U.S. kids may miss out. A new CDC survey shows that less than one in five children (17%) walk to or from school at least once a week.

What's the problem? Distance, traffic, weather, and crime, according to a CDC survey of about 1,500 parents with kids aged 5 to 18.

Distance was the most commonly cited reason. Home and school are just too far apart, many parents reported.

(See the link for full article.)

Also of interest...

Kids Who Walk to School More Active All Day - Walking to School May Build Healthy Physical Activity Habits

I had to go over to the high school today to talk to the band director...

Last year, I couldn't get a place in the parking lot. This year, it is half empty.

Looks like more kids are walking with higher gas prices.

I know a couple of kids who drove about 1.5 miles last year, even though it is thru a neighborhood with sidewalks.

PS... the HS is only .5 mile from my house and I walked.

I never walked to school...way too far, but the funny thing is that the bus route I was on is now my dh's bus route....he is the bus driver

This homework got me thinking about my active upbringing though.

We used to ride our bikes to the little country store about 3 miles from our house, plus we'd ride bikes into town (about 4 miles) and I would walk to my grandma's house which was 1 mile away.

I do walk to my parents house sometimes which is the same distance that I walked to my grandparents when I was little...we live just down the road from where they lived

Those roads are much more traveled now and I can't imagine letting kids do that by themselves now.

If I had a bike I might ride around more often, but I can't walk anywhere to run errands...too far. I have parked at the end of town or at a friend's house and then walked to the destination.

This is hysterical, and my kids LOVE the story. My mom was such a worry wart, that she and three other mothers hired a cab for us to ride to school in when we were first graders. We lived about a mile and half from school.

But after first grade, it was bikes and walking for us...everyday, no matter what. Mom never learned to drive, I had a baby bro at home, and my dad worked all day, somedays out of town. There were no buses. The one time we did ride the bus, we took the wrong city bus and wound up three little crying third graders down town, not knowing where to go. In those days it was okay to go with a stranger --- and elderly grandmother took us to her cafe, bought us a burger and shake and then called my dad at work to come and get us.

We have always lived much to far for my kids to walk to school, until they got to HS, then we lived four blocks away. Now we have a new HS across town, at the edge of town, and my last son in HS has to take the car. But he walks everywhere else...gas guts his paycheck too much.

As for me and walking....can't do much of it, that's why I swim. 18 more days, until the doc gives me the same miricale for my knees as he did my shoulder. I am praying for that one.

Cathy

Whenever I would have some friends spend the night with me or I spent the night with someone who lived close enough to our school, we would walk. My grandmother lived pretty close to the school and I would walk over to her house most evenings during Jr. high.

I was fairly active in high school. I was a cheerleader for six years and we would have our practice after school several evenings every week.

LOL, we live too far from any school for DS to walk (when he becomes school age)!! We would have to camp overnight somewhere!!!!!

I LOVE to walk and run on our driveway and pasture roads. It is a great workout. There are hills and also plenty of flat land too. I run on the flat parts and walk up & down the hills. Just walking to my mailbox is an aerobic workout in itself (and I'm not joking either )

I used to walk to school in Cairo every day. At boarding school and in college, we walked. There's a Trader Joe's opening within walking distance which I may start trying to hit this winter, but otherwise its not really feasible to walk to work or stores...not really pedestrian-friendly.

Catherine

I was never able to walk to school. We lived too far, and the roads were not pedestrian friendly.

When DH and I bought our new house, one big appeal was that it was within walking distance of both an elementary school and the high school. I now walk DD to and from school 5 days a week. It looks like she is one of about 10 kids who walk. The district puts any child who doesn't front on a sidewalk onto a bus--even the family two doors down from us busses.

There were were lots of kids walking in and around Madison today.

I sometimes walked as a kid- depended on where we were living-

I drive dd as we are about 14 miles from school. I don't worry about her with exercise, though. We are an active family and she's into gymnastics and biking.
My angst was about envoirnmental stuff- drive, drive and then drive some more. This year, though I am carpooling a few days and like it a lot.

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and I walked to school until 8th grade. When I went to High School it was too far so I took public transportation. We live just 4 blocks away from my boys school, so we walk to and from. My daughter is a Junior in HS and drives herself. I love walking with my kids to and from school. We do a lot of talking at those times.

I walked to school when I was in my small-town Elementary School. It was probably about half to three quarters of a mile one way. I believe that, when I started getting bussed to another town for Jr. High and then yet another town for High School, I still had to walk to the Elementary School to catch the bus.

I have walked to the CVS (drug store) and Giant (grocery store) once before, but don't do it routinely, as I am usually going to the Giant or CVS on my way home from somewhere else (work, the gym, errands, etc.). Plus, while I did wear a backpack the one time I walked to Giant, there's no way I could carry everything I usually buy at Giant in a backpack, even if it's not quite a mile back home.

Now that the cooler weather is here, I will be doing a lot more intentional walking for exercise. I had a great 1 1/2-hour powerwalk/jog this morning, in fact. It was quite chilly when I left and starting to really heat up by the time I got home. I love walking in this cooler weather because I don't get all soppy wet from sweating, but I still definitely get my heart rate up.

I rode the bus K-12, I went to a rural school that was too far to walk.

DS is also a school bus rider. The school is down a 4 lane highway w/out sidewalks, so unfortunately walking isn't an option. Not to mention, school stars so early, he'd have to walk in the dark, especially during winter.

Dawn

I always walked to school, with the exception of kindergarten (5 miles was a tad to far at that age ) In high school it was just over 2 miles each way, I loved it because it was quiet time. Not to mention i was just to shy to hop on a school bus.
Laurie

I never walked to school - way too far and neither does my dd.

Unfortunately, we don't have any sidewalks outside of our development so there is no safe way to get to the market other than by car.

We find other ways to get in our exercise : )

Yes, I walked to school during my Elementary School years. It was probably just over half a mile (I'm not good with distances). I also walked (or rode my bike) there at least once every weekend because it had a good playground with swings and monkey bars. Back in the 50's school playgrounds (at least in my neighborhood) were not fenced in and were used like a community park in the evenings and on weekends. During my high school years I rode the bus but I had to walk a half mile to the bus stop. Up and down hills. In fact those are the same hills I am currently not able to get up and down . The bus did not go down every street and stop at every corner (the way they do now). The bus stops were one mile apart and you had to walk to the one that was closest to your house. Our house was exactly half way between two different stops so I had my choice of two different buses I could ride. It was two different routes and one of them stopped at some apartments that backed up to a shopping center so I usually rode that one and went to the drug store (it had a soda fountain) or the 5 and dime before going home. If I did that I had to walk 2 miles or more to get home. My sister and I sometimes walked to that shopping center during the weekends. The shopping center is still there but the drug store, 5 and dime and grocery store are all gone, replaced by auto parts, a photocopy store and one selling grilling equipment.
I am happy to see that communities are putting in sidwalks and some are encouraging small community grocery and drug stores. I would love to live somewhere where I could walk to the store when I needed just a few things.

My parents weren't available to drive us.

I took the bus in elementary school.

In Jr. High, I took the bus to school but walked home (about 1.5 miles each way).

In HS... I almost always walked both ways (about 1.5 miles each way). If it was REALLY raining, we might take public trans. to school. The last two years I was in HS... I walked it carrying a baritone horn (which is like a baby tuba...) There were not sidewalks about half the way… but the shoulders on the street were pretty wide.

Since Hurricane Katrina - I've started walking to the grocery store, if I only need a couple of things and have enough time. I is 1.5 miles away and a trip to the store takes an hour...

Dh and I usually walk 1.5 miles to the Farmers market and .5 miles to Walgreen’s. We almost never take the car to run errands there... but we used to.

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My kid (8th grader) walks 1.5 miles home from school 4 days a week. I drive him to school and pick him up on Weds. as we have an appointment at 3:30pm every Wed.

There are side walks the whole way.

We are also fortunate that they have PE every day in Jr. High.