Walk and Bike Education in Schools

In-school walk and bike education helps students build skills to travel safely and independently, whether they are heading to school or getting around their neighborhoods. Learn more about how SPPS supports walk and bike education in our schools.

A fleet of children's bikes on rainbow colored pavement

Elementary school students riding bikes in a gym

Students wearing safety vests and riding bikes in a street. Students are stopped and listening to their instructor.

SPPS Mobile Bike Fleets

Did you know that SPPS has four mobile bicycle fleets available to schools at no cost? Our mobile fleets include:

Two standard bike fleets with ~40 standard bikes, a trike, and two big balance bikes, sized for 4th to 8th grade. Bikes come in a trailer with helmets and instructional supplies. SPPS staff: click the "RESERVE A BIKE FLEET" tab below to make a reservation!
A Unified PE fleet with ~25 standard bikes and 9 adaptive bikes (trikes, tandems, and a hand cycle), sized for high school students, designed so students of all abilities can bike together. Comes in a trailer with helmets and instructional supplies. SPPS staff: click the "RESERVE A BIKE FLEET" tab below to make a reservation!
A fleet of 24 Strider balance bikes and helmets for kindergarteners, delivered to your school on moveable racks. SPPS staff: contact Amy Wardell to reserve this fleet (amy.wardell@spps.org).

Our bike fleets are a great way to build safe biking skills with students, and they have so much fun riding them. Check out the video below to see a bike fleet in action at Battle Creek Elementary School.

Reserve a Bike Fleet
Bike Fleet Resources

Reserve a Bike Fleet

Are you an SPPS educator that would like to reserve a fleet? Follow the steps below to make a reservation for up to two weeks per year! NOTE: these instructions are for the two standard bike fleets and the high school Unified PE fleet. To reserve the kindergarten Strider fleet, contact Amy Wardell (amy.wardell@spps.org).

Step 1: Complete bike safety training (or make a plan to complete it)

Staff who reserve a fleet must have some bike safety training. Most staff complete BikeMN's Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum training, which SPPS usually hosts annually. Other training may qualify - check with Sarah Stewart about this (sarah.stewart@spps.org). If you haven't yet completed training, you can still make a reservation as long as you have a plan to take a training.

Step 2: Check the bike fleet calendar for availability

Check this google calendar and look for weeks that say "fleet available" (calendar available to staff only - please sign into your google account to view it). Pick up to two timeframes for your reservation request. Winter reservations are allowed!

Note: In the calendar, the standard fleets are labeled as the Red and Blue fleets and are color coded as such. The high school Unified PE fleet is green and labeled as Unified PE. Lighter colors mean fleets are reserved.

Step 3: Complete fleet reservation request form

Fill out a reservation request in google forms:

Reservation request form for the standard bike fleets (geared to 4th to 8th grade)
Reservation request for for Unified PE fleet (high schools only)

Reservations are first-come, first served. Reservations are confirmed after you submit a request, and actual reservation dates will depend on your preference, fleet availability, and staff availability to move fleet trailers.

What if an SPPS bike fleet is not available when you'd like to use it? You may be able to borrow a bike fleet from the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota - make a reservation request here: https://www.walkbikefun.org/teachers-school-administrators-and-community-education/reserve-a-bike-fleet/.

Bike Fleet Resources

SPPS Mobile Bike Fleet Guide: Coming soon! The SPPS Mobile Bike Fleet guide has information on what’s included with the fleet, tips for using it, and a timeline for helping you plan a bike unit in your classroom. [Available to SPPS staff only. To request access, email sarah.stewart@spps.org]
Walking & Biking Field Trip Guide (Minneapolis Public Schools): Use this to help plan an off-campus ride!
Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum: Minnesota’s FREE bike/walk safety curriculum with lessons for K-8 students (also adaptable for older students).
For educators who have completed Walk! Bike! Fun! training, BikeMN offers FREE support and resources:
- Borrow a bike fleet from BikeMN if the SPPS fleet is booked. They also have an adaptive bike library and will lend out bikes for students with mobility limitations.
- Request technical assistance, including phone coaching, co-teaching, and access to more trainings.

Required K-8 Walk and Bike Education

On My Way! curriculum logo Minnesota requires that school districts provide walk and bike safety education in elementary and middle school. All students in grades K-8 must receive pedestrian safety education, and all students in grades 4-8 must receive bicycle safety education.

SPPS meets this requirement in classrooms using the On My Way! curriculum, which was developed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to meet these requirements. Elementary classroom teachers will teach these lessons as part of the Health curriculum, and middle school teachers will teach lessons in Foundations classes.

SPPS staff can access lessons in an SPPS On My Way! Google Drive folder (available to SPPS staff only). For elementary teachers, lessons are added into the Health scope and sequence. For middle schools, lessons will be incorporated into Foundations. All lesson plans, slideshows, and videos are available on MnDOT's On My Way website.

On My Way! videos are also included below so caregivers and students can watch them from home.

Kindergarten - 2 grade On My Way! pedestrian safety videos

3-5 Grade On My Way! bike and pedestrian safety videos

6-8 Grade On My Way! Bike and Pedestrian Safety Videos

More walk and bike resources for families

Safe Biking

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has helpful tips for parents and caregivers about biking in English and Spanish:
- Helping Your Child be a Safe Bicyclist
- Ayudando a su hijo a ser un ciclista seguro
Seattle Children’s Hospital has tips on bike helmet fit in English and Spanish:
- Bike and Multi-Sport Helmets: Quick Fit Check
- Cascos para andar en bicicleta y para múltiples deportes: verificación rápida para el ajuste
Be sure to do an ABC Quick Check to make sure your bike is safe and ready for riding. See this BikeMN description and/or this video from the Telegraph.
The Federal Highway Administration's Bicycle Safer Journey has short educational videos in English and Spanish for children ages five to 18.
The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota's Bike! Fun! At Home has activities to teach safe biking in English, Somali, Hmong, and Spanish.

Safe Walking

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has helpful tips for parents and caregivers about walking: Teaching Children to Walk Safely as They Grow and Develop.
The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota's Walk! Fun! At Home has activities families can use to teach safe walking to children in kindergarten through third grade. All activities are available in English, Somali, Hmong, and Spanish.
Let's Go Walking! Crossing Intersections Safely is a short video that explains the steps for walking across intersections safely.
The City of St. Paul made a fun video for kids about crossing streets at stoplights featuring Nordy and Mudonna (mascots for the Minnesota Wild and the Saint Paul Saints).

Walking School Bus

A walking school bus is a group of students hwop walk to school together, often with adults. Walking school buses can be a great way to help students get to school safety, while helping to build connections among families.

တၢ်တိစၢၤမၤစၢၤတဖၣ် :

Step by Step: How to Start a Walking School Bus at Your School from the Safe Routes Partnership
Walking School Bus Guide from the SRTS Guide
SPPS-specific resources for staff-led walking school buses (for SPPS staff only - must be logged into your staff google account to access these; includes procedures, permission slips, training materials, and templates).

Bike Bus

A bike bus (also known is a bike train) is a group of students and adults who bike together to school. Just like a walking school bus, this is a fun way to help students get to school safely while helping build connections between families and students.

တၢ်တိစၢၤမၤစၢၤတဖၣ် :

The Wheels on the Bike Go Round and Round: How to Get a Bike Train Started at Your School from the Safe Routes Partnership
How to Start a Bike Bus from Bike Bus World