HOW TO FIT A HELMET:

There is a correct way to wear a helmet so make sure you review this with your family. A helmet should not move more than 3 cm when you push on the front of it and the straps should fit snug under your chin with no gaps. The V-Shape of the strap should be just below your ears. The top of your helmet should sit in a horizontal position on your head, covering your forehead, and it should be level with your eyebrows. Always wear a helmet that is right for your age and size and NEVER wear one that has been in an accident or that is damaged (buy a new one).

A big thank you to James, the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 325 and patrol leader, Chris, whose kids chose cycling as their 2019 fitness goal! They recommended this link with a guide to bike maintenance:

https://centralparkbikerental.nyc/rentals/beginners-guide-to-bicycle-maintenance-

Egg Drop Experiment:

Materials: two raw eggs, sharpie marker, two cotton balls, paper egg carton

Step 1: Get your kids to draw faces on the eggs. These eggs will represent a person’s head!
Step 2: Cut out two parts of an egg carton so that they are still attached together but can fold to form a basket of sorts. The helmet we will be making has a top and bottom (like two helmets) since an egg is only a head without a body. Your child may want to decorate the carton helmet with markers like my youngest did.
Step 3: put a piece of cotton in each part of the carton and then fit the egg snug within.
Step 5: Close the helmet up and then tape shut..
Step 6: Go outside, preferably near a sidewalk gutter where the egg remnants can be washed away. We worked together with my Eldest holding one egg without the helmet and my Youngest the other in the helmet. We counted to three and they were to drop them at the same time. As you can tell by the photo my Youngest forgot to drop the egg at the same time...but he did drop it soon afterwards.
Step 7: Now examine the eggs. The one without the helmet was completely smashed...now image that was your head. Yikes! The one in the helmet had a slight crack in it, which shows us that it would still hurt but our heads would still be okay.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

CHECK YOUR BIKE TOGETHER:

Print out my ABC Check Bike Worksheet to review with your child how to check out his/her bike to make sure it is safe to ride.

Here’s what you and your child need to know:

A is for Air –Check the tires and wheels

            B is for Brakes – Check to make sure the brakes work

              C is for Chain – Check to see if the chain is tight and oily looking.

            Check is for –Final Check. Pick the bike up a few centimeters off    the ground and then drop it. Listen for any unusual sounds and look          to see if anything is loose.

Bicycle Safety

ARM SIGNALS

CHART:

Print out my Hand Signals Worksheet and as a family help your child draw in the proper signal (this can vary depending on which country you are from...we have drawn in the correct signals for Canada).

HINT: You can give you child a bracelet or elastic to wear to help your child know which arm to use for the hand signals.

PLAY A GAME: We marched in one place pretending to ride a bike. When I said “pedal, pedal, pedal” we continued to march. When I said “turn right” we’d make the right hand signal and when I said “left” we’d make the left hand signal. I’d often say “Stop” as well so we’d have to signal to stop.

WEBSITES:

For lots of bike info check here: http://bikesafety.caa.ca/cyclists/index.php

For bicycle more safety tips try this site: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bike-safety.html
For more bike safety check this site: http://www.safekids.org/bike

For more safety worksheets try here: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BSKitBoth/3152BSKit/pages/Section1/Section1TOC.html

Look here for a simple helmet fitting checklist: https://helmets.org/checklist.htm

TRAFFIC SIGNS MATCHING:

Print out my Matching: Road Signs When Riding Your Bike Worksheet and as a family. Work together to match the sign with the meaning.

Here is the KEY to the Bike Traffic Signs Worksheet.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HELMETS:

When I first made this Theme Day there had recently been a serious bike accident in our community with a sixteen year old who ran through a red light on her bike and was not wearing a helmet. It was a sad reminder of how important it is to review Bicycle Safety with your kids.

To stress the importance of wearing one’s helmet (parents, too!! Don’t forget to wear yours!) try the experiment below out. It really shows how a helmet can protect your precious head and shows that even if you fall and are injured the damage will be much less if wearing a helmet!

We love getting emails and Facebook Messages and Tweets from great people all over the world who have recommend many super sites to fit our Theme Days!

Please wear a helmet!

SAFETY BRAINSTORM:

Print out my Bike Safety Brainstorm Worksheet and have a family Brainstorming session to write down how to be safe on your bike! Be sure to include things like obey traffic signs, ride single file, wear a helmet, yield to pedestrians, use a bell, ride in the daylight, use reflectors if you are going to ride at night, do not wear headphones , walk your bike across intersections, one person per bike, check your tires, check your brakes, etc.. It might help if you have a few books from the library about bicycle safety for your kids to flip through as well when you are doing this.