International Walk to School Month – also known as IWALK or Walktober – is a global celebration of active school travel. Students are encouraged to walk, bike, or wheel their way to school and participate in school activities that promote active transportation.
To join the movement, schools can register their participation and families can share their photos/videos of the active school journey on social media. All participating schools, classrooms, and families will be entered to win gift cards! See below for further contest and prize details.
Here are our top five ways to get your walk on during IWALK:
1) Walk or Wheel your Way to School
Walking or wheeling to school is the easiest (and arguably – best!) way to celebrate IWALK. Choosing active school travel is a convenient, healthy, and safe way to go, with plenty of benefits for the individual and community. If you can’t walk all the way or you can’t do it every day – start small! Consider choosing a few days a week to walk to school or try the “Drive to 5” method by parking a few blocks away from school and walking the rest.
2) Explore your Neighbourhood with a Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a great way to explore your neighbourhood and make walking trips extra fun. Download and print the I-SPY activity sheet, grab a pencil, and off you go! How many of the objects and creatures can you find in your local streets and parks? Teachers might like to incorporate this activity into geography and math lessons to teach about the built environment and plot graphs of the results.
3) Travel Across Canada with the On Your Feet Challenge
Could your class or school walk across Canada this October? Sign up for the On Your Feet Challenge to be part of the Canadian Cancer Society’s active transportation journey. You can accumulate kilometres by walking, running, cycling, skating, wheeling, or scootering from October 11-29. Check out the many prizes up for grabs!
4) Lead a Group Walk
Taking the class on a group walk outside is a great way to break up the school day with some exercise. To step up your group walk experience, use our list of songs to create a playlist, with favourites like “Walking on Sunshine” and “These Boots are Made for Walkin’!
5) Organize a Walk to School Day
A Walk to School Day involves encouraging as many students as possible to walk (or wheel!) on a chosen date. You can build excitement in advance with posters and announcements, and make it fun by having a theme, offering stickers or snacks, or other small giveaways for students who walked or wheeled to school. If you need extra inspiration to celebrate, check out these activity ideas.
IWALK is all about celebrating active school travel and encouraging kids to journey outside. Check out the resources page for more tips and tools to make the month extra fun. We hope you will join in the global movement by doing one or more of these five things!
School Contest Details
If your classroom or school is participating in IWALK, be sure to register it with us! Each school that registers their efforts to promote active school travel during the month of October will be entered for a chance to win a $200 Scholar’s Choice gift card.
Social Media Contest Details
Share photos/videos of your favourite things about the active school journey on social media! This could be quality family time, getting outside, or connecting with your community. Post your photos/videos and stories on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram during October with the hashtag #IWALK2School to be entered for a chance to win a $50 Indigo Gift Card. The winning posts will be determined by random draw, so the more entries, the more chances to win!