Learn about Bicycle Safety and Care for Kids

May is Bicycle Safety Month, and as the weather gets warmer in the north of the world, more kids are riding bikes so it’s a great time for some reminders or learning bike safety for the first time.

If you’re starting from zero or just need a refresher, these basic tips from East Coast Mommy are a great place to start.

The guide from Toronto New Mom goes a little deeper into the benefits of biking for kids and what you should always do before getting started on a bike ride. It also has good tips for biking with your kids and knowing when they’re ready to start cycling on their own. There are even safety tips by age and talking points to use with kids to make sure they are safe.

Cool Mom Picks has some good safety tips that include making sure bike and helmet are in good shape (more on that in a minute).

And because we love some play-based learning, check out the tips and activities from Must Have Mom that includes a printable “driver’s license” for kids to print out and decorate once they’ve learned the rules of the road. She recommends the helmets and pads from Wipeout brand, which allow kids to draw on them with dry erase markers. That might make wearing all the safety gear more fun for some kids.

Knowing how to take care of your bike is an important part of riding a bike, and it’s good practice to get kids to give their bikes a once over every time they’re going to ride. Tales of a Mountain Mama has a great guide to bike maintenance for families, including basic questions about your bike that kids (and adults!) should know the answers to.

She’s also got tips on what to include in a family bike repair kit and skills that the family should have so you can take care of your own bikes at home or on the trail and a pre-ride safety check that should ensure smooth riding.

Michaelmas is one of those holidays that is religious in nature but also has a more secular meaning, especially in England.

Michaelmas is variously known as the Feast Day of saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael or the Feast of the Archangels, and it is generally celebrated on September 29 (or November 8 in Eastern Christian calendars). In England it also marks the end of a quarter both financially and academically (if you’ve ever read a book that talks about Michaelmas term, this is what it’s talking about) and historically the end of the farming year, when accounts would be settled.

In a religious context it celebrates Michael’s defeat of Satan, which also involves slaying, or a least controlling, a dragon, but it’s also a day to mark the progression of the year into fall because it falls near the equinox.

Waldorf educational communities celebrate Michaelmas because Rudolf Steiner believed it was the second most important festival of the year after Easter. They may have a play or a field day celebrating feats of strength and overcoming fears. Season to Gather has a guide available for purchase that includes the story of St. Michael and the dragon, crafts and activities, recipes and more with a Waldorf approach.

I also found this publication from a Waldorf school that has lots of ideas for celebrating Michaelmas with groups of kids, doing things like obstacle courses, rope tugs and races. The booklet also includes songs and recipes to try.

Because they both have to do with saints and dragons, you can pull out your St. George’s Day activities for Michealmas, too, but here are a few more ideas specific to Michaelmas. I’d love to hear about your traditions if this is a holiday you celebrate.

Faith and Fabric has a cute St. Micheal softie project kids or adults can make.

Catholic Icing has a printable pack for purchase that includes stand up figures of the angels in color and black and white as well as coloring pages and the St. Michael prayer printable. She also has a printable party pack with a banner and angels you can use as cupcake toppers.

There are a lot of traditional foods that are involved in a Michaelmas celebration including bannock (a Scottish harvest bread), blackberries and goose (though many people sub chicken or Cornish game hens these days). You can also throw in angel food cake, or devil’s food cake, deviled eggs or spicy foods to celebrate overcoming the devil.

Another traditional activity at Michaelmas is hitting a pinata that is shaped either like Satan or a dragon. You can see this in action and get more details about how one family celebrates Michaelmas at Catholic All Year.

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