Saturday, July 21, 2012

Tour de France

This month started off with talking about a mini unit on bicycle safety. For a little added fun, explore the Tour de France.

The term “bicycle” was not introduced until the 1860s. The French used the word to describe a new kind of two-wheeler with a mechanical drive. The Tour de France is one of the most famous bicycle races in the world. It began in 1903 and is considered to be the biggest test of endurance out of all sports. Lance Armstrong, an American cyclist, is the only rider to have won seven titles (1999–2005) after surviving cancer.

Look up race results from years past and compare times. Use a world map to locate the home country of racers. Where do most come from? How large are the crowds that gather to watch? What type of safety must be used along the race route? These are just some ideas to get you started. Have fun!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Bicycle Safety

Sometimes it is fun to school outdoors. You might even bike to the local park if it is not too far from your home to study and have a picnic. Wait! Before you head out today, have you included bicycle safety in your lessons plans?

When I was a little girl in elementary school, bicycle safety was taught at school. Lots of kids rode their bike to school, so it made sense to make sure everyone knew the rules of staying safe on a bike. Those safety rules are still important today. Every year, about 300,000 kids go to the emergency department because of bike injuries, and at least 10,000 kids have injuries that require a few days in the hospital.

There are tons of great bicycle safety resources on the Internet. Find a few and put together a mini unit on bicycle safety for your kids. Like the old saying goes, “It’s better to be safe than sorry!”