Walking to school benefits our health, safety, communities, and the environment!
Whether you are a parent, guardian, teacher, or engaged community member, the children in your life will thank you for walking with them.
Discover our top three tips on making the most of walking this spring!
1. Celebrate Spring Walk to School Day!
Spring into Spring is celebrated in April and May. It’s a perfect time for families and educators to lace up your sneakers and leave your car behind (or park it a few blocks away from school and walking the rest of the way). For ideas, check out these resources:
Schools & Teachers:
- If you are looking for ideas to plan an engaging Spring Walk Day event, check out the Walk to School Day Event Planning Toolkit.
- Did you know you can also apply for a Pitter Patter Grant to help offset the cost of a school event?
- Encourage participation at your school by downloading and printing participation certificates and posting them in high-traffic areas at your school.
- If your school has a large number of students who travel by school bus, consider a school-wide outdoor event during the school day.
Families:
- Learn about pedestrian safety tips and have fun by colouring in this Colouring Book.
- Do a scavenger hunt in your neighbourhood by completing this I Spy Bingo Game.
- Practice your math and colouring skills by filling out this Count My Steps Activity.
- Create your own Wordle game with spring walking words.
- Use the hashtags #GetYourWalkOn, #JourneyOutside, and #SringintoSpring, on social media to share your journey.
- We realize many families are not able to walk all the way to school, so for families who drive, we encourage you to avoid the congestion and Walk-a-Block! Find your Walk-a-Block map here!
2. Use the Hop! App to track your walks
Track your active trips and earn treasures with the free, kid-friendly Hop! App. Don’t miss the chance of participating in one of our Spring Walk Challenges in April and May!
Schools & Teachers:
- Ottawa teachers are invited to join the Hop! Spring Walk Classroom Challenge!
- Use the Hop! app to set up a team with your class and encourage them to log their walks to school or in the community.
- The team that walks the farthest will win a $100 cash prize for their classroom!
- To set up your team, email lisa.gander@envirocentre.ca.
Families:
- Join the Hop! Spring Walk Challenge!
- Use the Hop! app to log your walks to school or in the community in April and May.
- Everyone who participates will be entered in a random prize draw to win a $50 gift card from Indigo/Chapters!
3. Learn about the benefits of active transportation
There are so many great resources that highlight the benefits of walking, cycling, and taking transit. Here are some of our favourites!
Schools & Teachers:
- Watch or share our fun, educational video illustrating the five main benefits of active transportation. The video is available in and !
- Download and print our educational posters to hang in your classroom or school – they are available in multiple languages: English, French, Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Cantonese, Farsi, Vietnamese, Somali, and Russian.
- And don’t forget to check out all the resources on our web page.
- Curious to stay in the loop with School Active Transportation news in and around Ottawa? Sign up for our quarterly update newsletter!
Families:
- Watch our fun, educational video illustrating the five main benefits of active transportation. The video is available in and !
- Curious to stay in the loop with School Active Transportation news in and around Ottawa? Sign up for our quarterly update newsletter!
No matter which activities you end up doing, we hope you have fun celebrating your steps!