Way To Go! Activities

Click on any of the buttons below to learn more about each activity, or scroll down to read them all

Sign Up Way to Go! Challenge Data Travel Plan

Curriculum Integration Design Your Own Recurring Events Carpool Day

Park and Walk Day Walk to School Day Bike to School Day Winter Walk to School Day

Bike Safety Program Ride the Bus Day Bicycle Presentation Walk/Bike to a Field Trip

Sign Up

Sign up for Way to Go! (10 points)

• Become your school's Champion, or Primary Contact
• A School Champion is responsible for:
  • Logging a school’s events/activities on our points tracking page
  • Ensuring that participation data is entered into our spreadsheet
  • Receiving and ensuring distribution of incentives or promotional materials that engage participation at the school
• Earn 20 points for signing up before September 1, 2018.  After September 1, 2018, your school will earn 10 points.

The Way to Go! Challenge

Way to Go! Challenge Event (50 points)

• This is our flagship challenge. We’ll be running this Challenge in the Spring of 2019 (dates TBD).
• Just pick day(s) during the Challenge to encourage your students, coworkers and parents to walk, bike, bus, roll, carpool, to school!

Data Collection

Data Collection (50 points)

• Capture data on all the different ways your school community gets to and/or from school in the Fall, and again in the Spring, to help identify any transportation behavior changes in your school.
• Data collection needs to be performed during a regular (non-event) week at school. Count how students and staff travel to (or from) school for 3-4 days in the fall, and again for 3-4 days of similar weather in the spring
• Note: This is a great way to engage volunteers and students!

School Travel Plan

Safe Routes to School Travel Plan (50 points)

• Note: Schools that already have a functional School Travel Plan do not need to do anything additional in order to receive points. You’re all set!
• What is a School Travel Plan?
  • A School Travel Plan is a written document that outlines a school and community’s intentions for enabling students to walk or bike to and from school. It is developed through a team-based approach that involves the school, experts, and often, members of the public. The team works together to identify barriers to walking and biking and develops strategies to address them.
  • Learn more here: http://saferoutes.vermont.gov/resources/miniguides#travelplan
• Utilizing your travel plan to inform your Safe Routes to School or Way to Go! work will also earn you points

Incorporate Transportation into Your Curriculum

Incorporate Transportation in your Curriculum (50 points)

• Contact Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) to get support for adding sustainable transportation to the curriculum, or create your own curriculum sequence on sustainable transportation. You will get points by providing VEEP with a one-page overview of the lesson sequence you used in the classroom.
• VEEP has curriculum resources available on its website and is also available to consult with teachers or students on transportation curriculum, personalized learning, or projects.

Design Your Own

Design Your Own Program (50 points)

• The sky is the limit! If it is sustainable-transportation related, we already love it! Share your ideas, and simply report your activity for points.

Recurring Events

Recurring events (10 points/event)

• These are events that you run regularly at your school
  • ex: Walking Wednesdays
  • A school will get 10 points every time they participate in a Walking Wednesday
• Bring Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) (or another sustainable transportation curriculum) to more than one class at your school
  • 50 points for the first class that integrates sustainable transportation programming into the curriculum and 10 points for each additional class that participates.

Carpool Day

Carpool Day (20 points)

• Run an event at your school where you encourage families and co-workers to carpool to school on a certain day (or days!)
• Note: Great for rural schools!

Park and Walk Day

Park & Walk Day (20 points)

• Everyone parks at a location that is along a safe route to school, and families, co-workers and students all walk together the rest of the way to school
• Note: Great for rural schools!

Walk to School Day

Walk to School Day (20 points)

• Suggested date: National Walk to School Day is Oct 10, 2018
• Schools encourage students and staff to walk to school, aiming for 100% participation

Bike to School Day

Bike to School Day (20 points)

• Suggested date: National Bike to School Day is May 9, 2019
• Schools encourage students and staff to bike to school, aiming for 100% participation
• Note: Schools generally give participants the option to walk and use scooters as well as using bikes

Winter Walk to School Day

Winter Walk to School Day (20 points)

• Suggested date: February 6, 2019
• Promote year-round healthy habits! It’s a great way to get kids to try being outdoors even when it’s cold!
• Note: We’ll also provide special incentives to help motivate your students (like hot chocolate or other goodies!)

Run a Bike Safety Program at Your School

Run a Bike Safety Program at your School (20 points)

• Bring Local Motion’s Bike Smart program to your school
• Local Motion’s Bike Smart program includes a 20’ trailer with everything you need to run a bike skills training program, including bikes and helmets which is accompanied by a games-based bike skills curriculum.
• This program is free for all Vermont schools, aside from a delivery fee, which will be waived for Way to Go participants.
• You can also get credit for running your own 1-2 week-long bike skills program

Ride the Bus Day

Ride the Bus Day (20 points)

• Suggested date: Free Bus Ride Day (TBD)
• Schools encourage all students who are eligible, to take the bus to school. Students who are not eligible for bus pick-up should walk, carpool or bike to school.
• Note: Schools can add an additional challenge for students and staff to take public transportation if it is available in your region.

Bring a Bicycling Presentation to your School

Bring a Bicycling Presentation to your School (20 points)

• Local Motion's Everyday Bicycling Program is a suite of workshops that are inclusive and accessible to be as inviting as possible for anyone who is interested in bicycling more. Local Motion’s workshop leaders are all experienced transportation bicycle riders who work hard to create a welcoming and inspiring atmosphere that recognizes that everyone will engage in bicycling at their own levels.
• We offer workshops for people of all ages (including school groups.)
• There is no limit on the number or content of workshops Local Motion can bring to your school
• You can also get credit for hosting another organization’s bicycling presentation

Walk or Bike to a Field Trip

Walk or Bike to a Field Trip (20 points/event)

• Do you have a great field trip location near your school? Perhaps your school is located near a farm, another local business, a park, etc? Walking or biking with your students to that field trip location is a great way to encourage healthy habits, as well as saving money on transportation costs for the field trip!
• Note: Great for rural schools!