WHEELS
UP!
CHARLESTON COUNTY ENGAGES YOUTH COMMUNITY IN LEARNING TO RIDE BIKES & BOARDS By Ande Oliver, Outdoor Recreation Coordinator, Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission Youth development is as important as ever! If you have young kids, your brain is occupied with trying to find ways to keep them engaged, entertained, safe and better prepared for the next challenge. Here at Charleston County Parks, we are proud of our programming initiative to better serve our 2-5-year-old constituents – a.k.a., our future group of employees, tax payers, and/or voters who will support the organization’s longrange plans! For a bit of background, Charleston County Parks has had great experiences and successes facilitating outdoor adventure activities with kids in our camps, clubs and family programs.
Interestingly, we have kids come to our Explorers’ Summer Camp, which is for ages 6 – 9, who do not seem interested in or know how to ride a bike, and it is a core activity at our camps. Additionally, my parenting experiences with two kids (3 years and 5 years), along with observations of parenting peer groups, has broadened my perspective on how best to encourage children to participate more in outdoor activities. With an experiential education approach, our program has taken proactive steps to engage kids on two wheels and a board at an earlier age. We travel to community daycares or child care centers and facilitate skill building and confidence using balance
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bikes for kids 2-3-years old and longboards for 4-5-year-olds in a five-session series. This strengthens a foundational development for balance and puts the emphasis on kids’ desire to explore and take ownership of their success. Our goal is to better prepare our community’s kids to value safety, time outside, and support skills needed for an active lifestyle. Finally, while it’s really amazing to see how proud kids are of their ability to ride bikes and longboards at such a young age, it also cultivates an environment for kids to get what they really want and need positive reinforcement from the most important people in their world… proud parents. Take the “Wheels Up” challenge and imagine new ways that your organization can continue to impact the community’s little adventurers.
