During the month of October, students at Bethel Elementary School were delighted to participate in Local Motion’s Bike Smart program. The Kohl's Kids Bike Smart Trailer was a huge success in Bethel’s after school program, with more than thirty students participating! Kids of all ages enjoyed riding bikes with friends in the afternoon and many improved their riding and safety skills in the week that we were fortunate to have the Bike Trailer...

To compliment after school biking, students from preschool through 6th grade also learned about the importance of wearing a helmet while on wheels. Melanie Kessler from Local Motion shared her love of biking and encouraged kids to think of the many benefits of riding. She also helped students learn how to fit a helmet properly. 

Classes were impressed when Melanie dropped a raw egg into a bucket of styrofoam to simulate the effect on our heads when we’re in a bike accident and we’re wearing a helmet. Many students were surprised that the egg did not break. Of course, students laughed when Melanie dropped a raw egg directly on the floor and it cracked open but they appreciated how seriously a bike accident could damage a rider’s brain if they did not have a helmet.

Through the generosity of Local Motion, we were able to wrap up our bike safety program by distributing free helmets to students who needed them. Children were incredibly excited to receive the helmets and couldn’t wait to fit them using the “two finger technique” they had learned. One especially grateful first grader even wore her helmet all the way home on the bus!

Bethel Elementary would like to thank Local Motion and Kohl's Cares for their support and generosity. Our students benefited so much from the Bike Trailer, safety lesson, and helmet give-away, Bethel students are now safer, smarter, and more enthusiastic bike riders!