The Walking School Bus: Song for Encouraging Students to Walk to School

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The Walking School Bus
Encouraging Students to Walk to School
Charlotte Diamond

This song is available on Charlotte Diamond's The Walking School Bus.

See below for Charlotte Diamond's history of "The Walking School Bus" movement.

Introduction:
Vroom, Vroom … Beep, Beep, Beep!
Riding the Walking School Bus
Riding the Walking School Bus

Chorus:
When I go to my school,
I like to walk and I’m no fool,
With my friends, I’m just fine,
Riding the Walking School Bus.

One of our parents comes along,
We whistle and talk or sing a song,
Who needs a car when it’s not too far?
Riding the Walking School Bus.

Bridge:
Two by two we cross the street,
Look left and right, then pick up our feet,
We don’t run, we stay together,
Walking to school in all kinds of weather.

Rain? Sure! Snow? Of course!
Windy? Fine! How about sunshine?
Walking in sunshine!

I like walking in fresh air,
With my friends, I haven’t a care.
Looking for birds, bugs and bears!
Riding the Walking School Bus.

On the way back home, we’ve stories to tell,
What’s new in school, which words we can spell?
One by one we say, “Good bye”,
Riding the Walking School Bus.

BRIDGE

Chorus

Vroom, Vroom … Beep, Beep, Beep!
Who needs a car when it’s not too far?
Vroom, Vroom … Beep, Beep, Beep!
Riding the Walking School Bus.
Riding the Walking … School Bus!

Charlotte Diamond outlines the history of this song:
This song was inspired after I visited an Elementary School in Mississauga, Ontario. So many children arrived at school in a car when they only lived a few blocks away. The traffic congestion was horrendous! Walking to school not only provides great exercise, but also builds a child’s connection to the community. Friendships are formed, stories are told, and there is so much to observe and learn as we walk in groups. Children learn the safety rules through practise. Walking together also provides the parent volunteers with a connection to the neighbourhood children and the school. In my own community of Richmond, B.C., I had heard of the Walking School Bus and Walk to School Week in October. I wanted to create a song that would support those programs.

The Walking School Bus originated in Brisbane, Australia in the early nineties as one way to reduce school traffic problems. Since then, it has been used in many communities around the world. There are many variations, for example, in Great Britain; the Walking School Bus is called the ‘Crocodile’. You can add ‘riding the crocodile’ to my song and it sounds great! There is a growing interest internationally and there are other ‘safe routes to school’ organizations in Asia and Europe.

The concept is simple. Parents act as bus drivers, each taking a shift or two per week. They wear a brightly coloured vest or hat for visibility. As bus drivers, they walk a prescribed route, at a prescribed time, to or from the school, picking up children along the way. There are many variations, such as children walking in groups or walking with a buddy. Many schools have constructed an actual bus with a covered wagon that can carry the children’s packs as they walk. There are several organizations that can help schools get started in developing safe routes to school such as the Walking School Bus.

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