Winter Walk+Roll to School Day is Wednesday, February 4!
Put on your snow or rain boots and walk or roll to school while enjoying winter time in Oregon. Winter Walk+Roll to School Day is a great way to get active in the winter and share information about traveling safely in snow, ice, and the dark. Schools across Oregon will celebrate. Last year 40 schools in Portland participated.
Visit the Oregon Safe Routes to School website to get event planning resources including posters, social media templates, graphics, and flyers.
Order incentives
Order ahead of time to make sure you have incentives ready for Winter Walk+Roll to School Day! Incentives include stickers, reflective items, comics, and more. Order incentives by Wednesday, January 28.
Portland Public Schools and Centennial School District
Please email your school district's Safe Routes to School Coordinator to let them know your school is participating in Winter Walk+Roll to School Day:
- Maddy Cirineo, Portland Public Schools Safe Routes to School Coordinator
- Ian Rees, Centennial School District Safe Routes to School Coordinator
Recommended activities
Check out these recommended activities to make the most of your Winter Walk + Roll to School Day:
- Before your event, host a clothing swap or coat drive. Some students may not have appropriate cold weather gear, or may need newer gear. Encourage community members to donate gently used or new cold weather clothing such as rain and snow jackets, gloves, boots or hats for students to use.
- Ask students to take pictures of what they see on their winter walk to school. What looks different from what they see in other seasons? What do they find the most interesting? Use this bingo card.
- Have students bring in objects they found (e.g., a pinecone, a leaf) on their walk to school to share with their class. Ask them to return the object on their walk back home.
- Host a winter clothing fashion show. Ask students to dress in appropriate winter walking outfits, and inappropriate winter walking outfits (e.g. shorts, t-shirts) and have them show them off to fellow students.
- Set up a walking school bus, bike bus, or park-and-walk for students to travel together. Share information with families so they can plan to either walk, bike, or drive to the meetup location. If you have students who can only ride the bus, celebrate with them too at school!
- Share winter safety tips with your community! A few examples are:
- Dress in layers to stay dry and help regulate your body's temperature.
- Keep your toes warm by wearing winter boots and warm socks - consider bringing some pocket hand and feet warmers along.
- Take your time, and enjoy a leisurely pace - going too fast in the snow and rain can cause slips and falls! Try using the penguin shuffle.
- Wear hats and mittens to keep your head and hands warm. If it's raining, wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella to stay dry.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water before and after your walk to school.
- Get inspired from communities across North America:
- Read these winter get home safely tips and share them with your community.