Biking for PE class: Could it help Navarre students to focus better on studies?
Kids will ride bikes in their physical education class this fall at South Bend’s Navarre Middle School, but the physical benefits are more of a secondary point.
The finely-tuned curriculum — with students primarily riding bikes on the school’s grass and a running track — will focus on the students’ cognitive and socio-emotional well-being.
Creators of the Riding For Focus program, now in nearly 300 middle schools across the U.S. and Canada, have worked with neuroscientists to do research and found that students can focus better in school and feel better about themselves after a nice little ride.
Ultimately, it’s born from the CEO of Specialized bikes, Mike Sinyard, and his and his son’s struggles as they both deal with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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The nonprofit South Bend Bike Garage has acquired 40 new mountain bikes and helmets and secured the grant that will provide the program to Navarre for free.
From 3 to 7 p.m. Aug. 20, the public can come to a “Big Build” open house at the South Bend Bike Garage, 1441 N. Michigan St., to learn about it. You’ll watch and learn from the co-op's volunteer mechanics as they assemble the new bikes fresh out of boxes, try a bike safety course for all ages, join a raffle and order from food trucks.
This fall, four mentors (or “champions”) from the community will work alongside Navarre PE teachers, all of them trained in the curriculum, as they take kids out during their 55-minute class sessions.
Apart from the basics of safe riding, the goal is to rev up the kids’ heart rates for at least 20 minutes — the threshold that seems to reduce anxiety and improve academic focus, Bike Garage community liaison Colleen New says. She works a day job as a private educational consultant. She says students will use their fingers to check their heart rates. Before and after each ride, they’ll answer anonymous surveys about changes in their mood and thinking.
This all started in March when her husband, Bike Garage Director Dustin New, went to the League of American Bicyclists’ summit in Washington, D.C., and checked out a presentation on Riding For Focus. He soon found himself riding a stationary bike and wearing a fancy helmet that monitored his brain activity, the kind that researchers had originally used on kids.
As he rode, he says, “The whole crowd got to see my brain light up.”
Outride, a nonprofit that the Specialized CEO cofounded, had tapped into neuroscientists to study whether cycling itself could improve the health and well-being of people with ADHD. They introduced a cycling program into middle schools and started to see benefits. Better mood. Better focus. After all, Sinyard, of Specialized, and his son had both noticed ADHD symptoms lessen after biking.
Outride says researchers are now moving beyond just ADHD.
They are seeking data on something that we all seem to get from biking — a clarity of mind and a settling of the nerves.
So far, Outride reports that 87% of students said they had fun in Riding for Focus, even those who typically don’t like school or PE. Meanwhile, it estimates that an average of 10% to 20% of students don’t know how to ride before starting the program.
Colleen and Dustin will be among the local mentors at Navarre, along with cyclist Ruth Roeber, all of whom went to California to be trained in Riding For Focus, plus Jeff Walker, who's been certified by the League of American Bicyclists as a League Cycling Instructor.
Riding For Focus will meet a total of 15 class sessions, two to three per week. They’ll reach at least 120 students this fall, which isn’t all of Navarre’s students.
It will be at Navarre for three years, then move to another middle school. Meanwhile, South Bend Bike Garage hopes to eventually raise money to add other schools.
An Outride grant paid for 35 of the bikes and helmets and the program, while the Bike Garage purchased five extra bikes to meet the school’s needs. The bikes now belong to the South Bend Bike Garage, and Dustin is looking for a way to make use of them in the spring when Riding For Focus isn’t happening.
“This is a fantastic example of community partnership,” Davion Lewis, chief of the Empowerment Zone in South Bend schools, says.
While kids won’t have access to the bikes once they finish the PE class, Colleen points out, the Bike Garage can help their families to secure good, used bikes that they can afford.
“We hope to stay in touch with these kids,” she says.
Search earth and sky
∎ Fall foraging: Join a free online workshop to learn about some of Indiana’s edible autumn plants at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Jules Erwin, a Hoosier who has worked and taught in outdoor recreation for several years, will share her enthusiasm for wildflowers and plants. This program is hosted by the Indiana chapter of the advocacy group Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Register to get a Zoom link to the event in a link in this column online.
∎ Live music, then star gazing: Come hear a trio of traditional Celtic musicians, Selkie, in an outdoor concert at 8 p.m. Aug. 18 at Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park in Vandalia, then stick around to gaze at the stars in this officially designated International Dark Sky Park. The park will remain open until midnight. This is the park’s annual Connecting Chords Music Festival. Selkie features Jim Spalink, Michele Venegas and Cara Lieurance on flute, fiddle, bouzouki, banjo, guitar and accordion, along with vocal harmonies. Cost is $5 cash per car. Donations will be accepted to the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music. In case of rain, the makeup date is Aug. 19.
∎ Learning about stars: Learn about constellations and, if the skies are clear, look through a 10-inch Dobsonian reflector telescope with help from a naturalist from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Briar Patch Shelter in Bonneyville Mill County Park near Bristol. Snacks provided. This will happen “rain or moonshine.” Cost is $3 per person. Register at elkhartcountyparks.org. Briar Patch is 2.5 miles east of Bristol on County Road 8 and just east of County Road 31.
∎ Wildlife day at Potato Creek: The Friends of Potato Creek State Park group will host a series of events Aug. 19 to encounter wild animals at the park’s nature center in North Liberty. Kids can join a short, naturalist-led hike at 10 a.m. to learn what animals seek in a home. From 2 to 2:45 p.m., the Potawatomi Zoo will bring three forest animals. At 7 p.m., you can meet a rehabilitated opossum named George and learn about the North American marsupial’s amazing abilities.
∎ Honeysuckle at The Res: Help The Mishawaka Res to get rid of pervasive and invasive honeysuckle bushes from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 19. I recently wrote about AmeriCorps members who were helping this public, nonprofit nature reserve with trails to rid itself of invasive species. Now it’s your turn to help. Register to volunteer in a link in this column online. It’s at 13950 Scout Lane, Mishawaka. Heading east on Lincoln Way from Capital Avenue, follow the small signs south to The Res.
∎ Goldenrod hike: The Harbor Country Hikers will learn about the differences and traits of goldenrod and ragweed in a two-mile, easy/moderate hike at 10 a.m. Aug. 19 at Chikaming Township Park and Preserve in Three Oaks. Goldenrod is often blamed for our allergic reactions when the real culprit is ragweed; both bloom around the same, late-summer time. The park is north of U.S. 12 on Warren Woods Road, just east of Interstate 94 and 1.4 miles east of Red Arrow Highway.
∎ Aviation pioneer in the dunes: If you’re at the Indiana Dunes on Aug. 19, you can stop by the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center in Porter to learn about Octave Chanute and his pioneering glider flights over these sands that led to the first airplanes. The event, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. CDT, will start with a short talk by Chanute biographer Simine Short, and Paul Nelson will show his documentary film on Chanute and how he eventually influenced the Wright brothers. The Visitor Center is at 1215 N. Indiana 49, one mile north of Interstate 94.
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∎ Beginner kayaking trip: Learn the basics of kayaking on a guided trip from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 30 at Ferrettie-Baugo Creek County Park in Osceola. Learn such thing as getting into a kayak, proper strokes, safety and other topics. Cost is $20, which includes lifejacket, kayak and paddle. This is limited to 15 participants. Register by Aug. 25 at 574-654-3155.
∎ Cardboard Boat Regatta: Can you build a boat that floats, using only cardboard and duct tape? You can give it a try and compete in this race Aug. 26 at Winona Lake with divisions for ages 10 and younger, 11-17 and adults, along with corporate teams. As part of the town’s Canal Days, it’s a Fellowship Missions fundraiser to help the community’s needy. Register in a link in this column online.
Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Biking PE class at Navarre Middle School to help with focus and ADHD
