BikeWalkKC’s youth education may look like a party on wheels, but we take bike safety seriously. Our BLAST (Bicycle Lessons And Safety Training) classes teach kids how to ride safely and confidently, and how to use a bike for recreation and transportation. Before we bring a BLAST session to a school, the students take a quiz.
Do you know the answers to these questions?
Why should I do the ABC Quick Check?
- To check if the bike is clean
- To check air pressure, brakes, chain, and quick release
- You don't need to do a safety check before you ride
I communicate with pedestrians, other bicyclists, and drivers with:
(This is the most-missed question on the pre-BLAST quiz!)
- My voice
- My bell or horn
- Hand signals
- All of the above
When is it important for me to scan (look around)?
- At an intersection
- Before I signal
- When I need to change a lane
- All of the above
This pre-BLAST quiz helps us measure what the kids already know and adapt our lessons to fit their needs. If a large percentage of kids report that they don’t know how to ride or they don’t have a bike of their own, we can prepare for extra personal attention for those that need more support. After the BLAST session, our students take the same quiz again to measure how much they learned in class.
The numbers are in for our youth bike education classes in the Fall 2022 semester, and we couldn't be prouder of our students!
“Like I have the world in my control”
In the 2022 fall semester, pre-BLAST quiz scores averaged 75%, and post-BLAST quiz scores averaged 85%. Two-hundred six students learned to ride in our programs, with 55 of those at Blackburn Elementary in Independence!
Our favorite question on the quiz is open-ended. The students finish this sentence, “Riding makes me feel…” with silly and profound answers: “like I am letting my problems out;” “like I am zooming at the speed of light;” “LIKE I AM POWERFUL AND STRONG AND CALM.” And sometimes, they just fill our hearts to bursting: “Riding a bike makes me gain confidence for some odd reason. I think it’s because I am in control of where I go.”
We are grateful for the teachers, administrators, and parents who invite us to work with their kids, and we are SO proud of our students for their courage and commitment– they are powerful and strong, indeed.
Bring BikeWalkKC's programs to your school or youth group! We offer bike and/or pedestrian safety classes, DIY bike maintenance classes (with an optional earn-a-bike component), and even teacher training and Safe Routes to School consulting to help promote walking and biking to school. Fill out our Request A Class form or email us at education@bikewalkkc.org to start the conversation.