Dress for the Weather
Purpose:
To encourage kids and families to walk and wheel in all seasons.
Description:
An education and awareness initiative focused on teaching students how to dress to be comfortable walking or cycling in different weather conditions and help them obtain the clothing and equipment they need.
Canada’s climate includes a wide range of weather conditions — ice, snow, rain, sun — and often a large range in temperatures from freezing cold to sweltering hot. With the right clothing and equipment, walking and wheeling can be safe and enjoyable in all seasons. To remind students of this, and to celebrate wear-round active transportation, you can run a Dress for the Weather campaign. Potential components of a campaign include:
– Announcements
– Posters
– Classroom discussions
– Assembly with a fashion show, perhaps depicting “do’s” and “don’ts”
– Contest, e.g., prize for the class with the highest percentage of walkers and wheelers on a rainy day
Late Fall or early Winter can be a good time for a campaign to help prepare for the colder and wetter weather ahead and can be combined with a community clothes drive or winter clothing library to help families access important items like gloves, boots and coats. A Dress for the Weather campaign can also be a fun part of a Walking and Wheeling Day event, such as Winter Walk Day.
What you will need:
Examples of clothing and equipment that should be used for different seasons, materials for making posters or other campaign elements, donations of wet weather and winter gear to offer to students and families.
Help:
Students, teachers, school staff, public health nurses, school council.
Resources:
Tips for Winter Walking and Winter Walk Day Activity Ideas by Green Communities Canada
School Clothing Library by EcoSchools Canada
Be Sun Safe by the Canadian Cancer Society