A helmet that fits properly and a bicycle that’s well tuned are essential for a great biking experience – and can be life-saving. An expert mechanic shares his tips on how it’s cool to be safe on wheels.

 

by Joan M. Thomas

There are plenty of reasons to ride a bicycle. Cycling is terrific exercise for fitness and much easier on the body than jogging. Powered by human energy, a bike is environmentally friendly. As a relatively simple device, a bike is infinitely cheaper to maintain than other means of transportation. Besides—biking is just plain fun!

But before your child takes off on her wheels, consider the essentials of bike safety for kids. Matt James, mechanic for Big Shark Bicycle Company in St. Louis, Missouri, offers expert counsel.

Start with the right equipment

For starters, James says that wearing a helmet is an absolute must. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that only about 15 percent of all kids nationwide wear bike helmets. James attributes that low percentage to kids’ perception that helmets are “uncool.” But he’s far from uncool himself, and he makes a great personal case for helmets. Now in his twenties, he has already had two cycling accidents in which wearing a helmet prevented him from sustaining a serious head injury. In one, the helmet actually cracked—better the helmet, he says, than his skull.

When you are buying a helmet for your child, parenting help can be found from bike shop personnel who know how to determine the proper fit. The helmet should be worn level to cover the forehead, and the straps should always be fastened. To inspire your kid, you might tell him to notice that the professionals, like seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, wear helmets. Nothing uncool about him!

When you are purchasing a bicycle, James stresses that it is paramount for a child to “get the best fit possible.” He encourages buying at a bike shop rather than a department store. Bike shops have a wider selection of bicycles, and the salespeople are bike specialists. Furthermore, there’s support throughout the life of the bike. Shops like Big Shark offer lifetime free tune-ups after the sale.

Between tune-ups, it’s advisable for you and your child to regularly check the brakes and tires and to oil the chain. James says that bike tires should be firm. If the air is too low, the tires can roll and cause an accident when turning.

To lubricate the chain to keep the gears working, James adamantly states you should never use vegetable or motor oil, or anything like WD-40. He highly recommends a Teflon lubricant like TriFlow, which is made for bikes and roller blades.

For riding in traffic, a rear view mirror affixed to the handlebars is helpful. The National Safety Counsel reports that former Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner, who bikes for recreation, recommends getting a mirror that attaches to the helmet.

Another important bike safety device that Matt James strongly advocates is lights. He says if you are traveling anywhere on a bike, you need both front and rear flashers.

As far as clothing goes, all you have to do is observe police officers and couriers who bicycle for transportation. They wear riding gloves to get a better grip on handlebars, to prevent blisters, and to protect their hands should they fall. Their clothes are lightweight for functional comfort, and brightly colored for visibility. And they always wear shoes like sneakers—never sandals or shoes with heels.

Know the rules

Whether kids are traveling two blocks or two miles, on a sidewalk or on a street, they need to know the rules of the road. Your state’s official driver guide will lay out all those rules and may even contain special safety tips for cyclists. You can obtain a copy from your local Motor Vehicle office, and you can probably also access the guide online via the website for your state’s department of motor vehicles.

Your town or city, too, may have specific rules for cyclists. For instance, Chicago’s Department of Transportation has an entire website devoted to information for cyclists, including rules of the road, maps, parking information, lists of bike shops, and even a detailed booklet called Kids on Bikes in Chicago.

Another useful internet site that lists a number of web addresses for almost anything you want to know about biking is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bikeability Checklist.  

The long haul

Once a kid masters the basics of biking, she may want to travel longer distances.

Many cities have enthusiastic bicycling clubs that encourage kids and families to bike. The San Francisco Biking Coalition, for instance, hosts an annual Family Day in Golden Gate Park that includes a “Bike Road-eo” course.

Also, when you’re considering summer camps for your child, look for bicycle programs that will build long-distance strength and endurance as well as teach cycling skills.

Though bicycling is great exercise, that’s not a great selling point for kids. But most likely, being cool is—like Lance Armstrong, Bruce Jenner, the biking cop, or Big Shark’s Matt James.

A kid can be hip without sustaining one of the 500,000 bike-related injuries that the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission reports are annually treated in hospital emergency rooms—or becoming one of each year’s 1,000 bike-related deaths.

Staying healthy and undamaged is more than cool. It keeps kids biking on.

 

The author of three books, freelance writer and historian Joan M. Thomas also enjoys writing feature stories and essays on current topics. Born in Carroll, Iowa, she now lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Bob, and canine pal, Sasha.

© Photo by Yobro10 | Dreamstime.com

Inspire Your Kids to Cook

 

by Christina DiMartino

 

Your kids—boys and girls alike—express a desire to cook from a very early age, likely without your even realizing it. They make mud pies in the sandbox, play with child-sized cooking sets, and organize kitchens in doll houses or play areas, and they probably inquire about what you’re cooking from the time they begin to communicate.

 

Kids Cooking Activities offers up reasons why you should encourage cooking activities with your kids. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com)

 

* Cooking with your children helps them to learn about nutrition and healthy eating. 

* Cooking in the kitchen will give children a boost of self confidence. They are accomplishing a task, learning something important, and contributing to the family.

* Taking time to cook with your kids will give them lasting memories. They will pass the traditions on when they are grown and have their own families.

* In the enthusiasm of creating something themselves, your children will be more likely to eat what they had a hand in making.

* Kids learn real lessons in science, language, math, and creativity in the kitchen. Cooking will help reinforce all these subjects.

* Cooking is a great way to learn life skills. This is especially helpful when children are older and more independent. They won't have to rely on fast food and junk food to sustain them.

* Working together in the kitchen teaches your child teamwork.

* Cooking teaches children planning and making choices skills.

* Kids practice creativity and imagination in the kitchen. Cooking activities are a great way for kids to express themselves and enjoy their creations.  

 

It may take longer to get the meal or snack done, but the moments with your children will be priceless. Remember to have patience. Don't worry about flour on the floor or spilled milk.

 

A role model for cooking with kids

 

Cooking With Kids, a series of 90-second videos, is hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef John Sarich. Development of the program was inspired by the reality of childhood obesity, anorexia and other eating disorders, Type II Diabetes, and low bone density, which have all become national issues. Cooking With Kids encourages parents and children to spend time in the kitchen together preparing healthy meals in ways that improve communication and help children develop healthy nutritional habits. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.cookingwithkids.org/fact.html)

 

The program shows how easy it is for kids to prepare snacks and meals that taste good and that are good for them. It uses the five food groups as a platform for nutrition messages. You can watch the videos with your children through the website, then print out the recipe and go try it yourselves.

 

The recipes that Sarich prepares with kids on the segments teach them which categories on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid are included in the recipe. He explains how vegetable burritos, for example, include foods that have protein, fiber and dairy, and that the burritos are low in fat.

 

Good cooking habits

 

Spatulatta provides 350 step-by-step videos that teach kids good cooking habits, and offers advice for moms, dads and kids on numerous issues related to cooking with kids. It emphasizes topics like teaching kids to wash their hands properly before handling food.  (Set up link at underlining to http://www.spatulatta.com)

 

When it comes to working in the kitchen, you know your children. You know what abilities they have and how fine their motor skills are. Some children are ready to handle a certain kitchen utensil or work at the stove earlier than others. It’s up to you to make that determination.

 

You set the rules in your kitchen, such as you will always light the burners and oven for your children.

 

Go over the workings of every electrical appliance with your child. Explain that the beaters, for example, should be inserted into a hand mixer before the mixer is plugged in.

 

Safety and courtesy are behaviors that need to be re-enforced and modeled.

 

Once you've explained how to handle an item safely, try asking your child to tell you how to do it the next time the task is required when making a recipe. We all learn best when we try to teach.

 

 

CREDIT:

Christina DiMartino has been a freelance and assignment writer since 1985. She is a researcher, interviewer, writer, editor, and manuscript collaborator with a repertoire of clients from around the world.

 

 

PHOTO / ILLUSTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS:

Go to http://www.cookingwithkids.org

 

 

TEASER: 

Cooking with your kids does much more than produce tasty treats! It teaches teamwork, safety, courtesy, math, science, and more, and encourages creativity and imagination. And there are some terrific online videos that will help you get started.