How To Celebrate National Bike Month With Your Kids

Ask just about anyone and they can usually –and vividly — remember when they first learned to ride a bike!

It’s just something you never forget…

No matter how long it’s been since you hopped on a bike, National Bike Month provides the perfect reason to get back out there and ride again!

Here’s how to celebrate that amazing invention, the bicycle, with your kids… and start a new, healthy habit as a family!

Getting started

Begin by setting out the rules for safe biking. Even if your kids aren’t old enough to really remember everything you’re telling them, repeat the rules for safe biking to them every time you go out.

When they see you following the same rules you’re telling them to follow, it will encourage them to do the same.

Teach them the following tips for safe biking:

• Keep your tires well inflated – match the pressure that’s listed on the tire itself.
• Inspect your brakes before setting out to make sure they’re aligned and working properly
• Keep bolts, bearings, and chains greased
• Wear a helmet at all times, making sure it fits you well and isn’t too loose
• If you plan to ride at night, wear bright, reflective colors and use a light
• For trail riding, stay on the right side, pass to the left and use your voice or a horn to alert people and other riders that you’re planning to pass
• Use hand signals and obey traffic signals, always stopping at stop lights and stop signs
• Make eye contact with drivers to be sure they see you
• Ride with the traffic, not against it

Note: Before venturing out, add more reflectors to your bikes – and any clothes you’re wearing. And consider adding flashing reflectors to improve visibility

Set your course

To make National Bike Month a fun time for you and your kids, have a plan. Your activities will be determined, in large part, by the biking skills your kids have.

If, for example, you have young kids with little to no experience riding a bike, you’ll obviously be focused on teaching them how to ride a bike. Give them ample time to practice their new skill.

Older or more confident riders who may be up for a challenge might enjoy:

• setting up jumps in the backyard
• going “off-road” on nearby bike trails
• holding a “bike rodeo” with the neighborhood kids where they can take part in:
  • obstacle courses
  • jumps
  • a “balance beam” made from lines drawn on the ground that riders need to stay within
  • “paper boy” – riders toss rolled up newspapers into targets such as large trash cans, baskets, tubs, etc.
  • slow races – points deducted for each time their foot hits the ground before the finish line (builds up their balance and coordination)

Riding a bike is a childhood rite of passage that you don’t want your kids to miss… so get on out there and ride with them!

The post How To Celebrate National Bike Month With Your Kids appeared first on Voyagers' Community School.

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How to Choose the Best Summer Camp Program in Eatontown

Summertime is right around the corner… where will your kids be spending their time?

Why not give them an experience this summer which will last a lifetime? At summer camp, your kids will have the chance to learn new things, make new friends and gain confidence in their own abilities.

What to look for in a summer camp program

A good summer camp will encourage kids to explore new things, teaching them a lot about themselves. When kids are successful at trying new things, it feeds into their self-confidence and impacts their drive to learn even more.

Questions you can ask to help you find the right summer camp program for your kids include:

• What philosophy does your program follow?
• What is unique about your summer camp program?
• In what ways will my child be challenged?
• How do you motivate the kids to learn something new?
• How will my child’s progress be measured and how will they be rewarded?
• What happens when rules are broken?
• How is conflict handled?

Voyagers’ Community School Summer Camp Program

Summer camp program for kids in Eatontown

We’re not your everyday brand of summer camp.

Kids who attend our summer camp program are provided the technology, guidance and freedom to explore what interests them… which is the secret sauce in motivating kids to learn new things!

Our core philosophy of learning through play is ongoing at our STEAM summer camp.

What is STEAM camp?

Steam summer camp means…

• Science
• Technology
• Electronics and Engineering
• Art
• Machines and Math

One of the most exciting things about STEAM camp? The opportunity it gives kids to explore things they may not have the time to explore during the regular school year.

For example, if your kids love to watch stop motion videos online, they may want to create some of their own. But they probably haven’t had the chance to try their hand at it.

When they go to our STEAM summer camp program they’ll have ample opportunity to explore stop motion videos, animation, building – and testing rockets – and so much more!

Child led learning

Our schedule for summer camp is designed to be fun and flexible. Children between the ages of 5 to 14 can attend from one day, to all nine weeks, or anything in between.

They can move from one creativity lab to another, or explore our outdoor classroom. Our counselors are always available to help and to ensure that everyone is learning and having a great time.

Following are just some of the things kids who attend Voyagers’ Community School Summer Camp will have access to this summer:

Science

Kids at STEAM camp learn, experiment and explore their world through:

• Botany
• Animal science
• Marine biology
• Chemistry

 

Technology

Natural storytellers, kids can explore their creative nature with the aid of technology.

They will:

• Use iPads, iMovie, Animation Stations and Green Screen Technology to:
  • Create storyboards
  • Make stop-motion animation
  • Film live-action movies… all set to original music
• Sing
• Mix electronic music
• Use a drum machine, digital guitars, and keyboards
• Use recording equipment to save and share their creations

Electronics and Engineering

Kids learn to:

• Use discovery to solve problems
• Learn about air pressure, gravity and how materials function

 

They’ll build and test:

• Rockets
• Planes
• Rovers

 

They’ll learn about:

• Flight
• Circuitry
• Soldering
• Arduino
• Optics and light and much, much more…

Art

A wonderful way to explore the depths of your own creativity, art can be expressed in a wide variety of formats.

Kids who attend our STEAM camp have access to a diverse range of materials and tools to express their creativity including:

• Sewing machines
• Hand sewing materials
• Knitting and crochet materials
• Materials to sculpt with clay
• iPad Pro
• Apple Pen

Machines and Math

Kids are given guidance as they explore engineering and physics by using logic and problem solving activities.

The machines and math creativity lab lets kids explore:

• 2D sketching
• 3D modeling and printing
• Game design
• Robotics
• Kinetic energy experiments using devices like:
• Catapults
• Balloon powered cars and
• Roller-coasters

Summer camp is for learning… growing… exploring, and making friends. Make this summer a memorable one for your kids and enroll them today.

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