More often than not, if you are like me, many places that I go everyday are not accessible or safe to walk to with small children. The bus routes aren't direct. The school is too far away. The library and post office are spaced far apart. The way we've designed our cities often makes it too danergous to venture out on foot with small children. So we are in our cars. In my case, the mini-van.
But that doesn't mean we can't start talking to our children about walkability, liveability and the built enviornment concepts. One game I play with my children is "I spy with my little eyes..." We look for people walking, biking or using public transportation. Also, we look for sidewalks, bus stops, signs and crosswalks. It's a great way to bring about awareness of other modes of transportation, the way our urban landscape is working (or not) and how it is designed. I'll often ask the kids, does that look safe? Why or why not? Where do you think the people are going getting on the bus?
Can you see the crosswalk or do you think it needs to be repainted? Is the street wide or narrow? Are the cars going fast or slow? Is the sidewalk close to the street or is there a tree line? Are there people walking around here? Why or why not?
Bringing about awareness to these issues is an important step and a great way for children (and parents) to start thinking about walkability concepts.
