Author: David Harter
Picture your school-age self. Remember what having two months of summer was like? I know. It was amazing. Now imagine school-age-you getting your friends together to ride bikes. You take your bikes to construction sites and architects show you the guts of the buildings. Next you take your bikes camping, build fires and paddle kayaks. Then you go to events together, invade parks with books and build stuff with interesting people all summer. Sound like fun?
The folks at Practical Play recognize that this school-free season is full of potential for intrepid explorers of all ages. Their new “Big Thinkers” bike ride series is a two month long collection of rides designed to engage adventurous learners with their beautiful city. All of the rides are led by a Bicycle Safety Instructor certified through the League of American Bicyclists. Some rides are accompanied by certified teachers (CTE and Science). Sponsored by Practical Play, GOBike Buffalo and The League of American Bicyclists, most of the rides are FREE.
There are a bunch of rides listed at www.practicalplay.org, but we’ve heard that there are surprises yet to come. Sign up for the e-mail list here, to get all the updates throughout the summer. Even if your bikes aren’t in perfect shape, one of the repeating events is the “Knowledge Fire” Pop-Up Shop. You can fix your bikes with help from mechanics in the Normal Park on the West Side. All they ask is you share what you learn!
Register yourself or your Big Thinking kids at www.practicalplay.org.