A walking school bus! Photo: Walk to School Day L.A. Official Facebook

When I was in elementary school, I walked to school every day. I lived four blocks away and it just didn’t make any sense for my parents to drive me. These days, however, many parents prefer to drive their kids to school, despite living within walking distance. Well, October – a.k.a. Walktober – is the perfect chance to have kids to try walking to school, and they won’t have to do it alone.

Wednesday, October 9 is Walk to School Day, both nationally and in the City of Los Angeles, and many schools and communities are organizing events to help get their kids to school on foot. It’s a way for parents, students, school personnel and other community members to directly experience the walk to school, and it generates awareness about the importance of physical activity, the fun of walking, and early identification of safety concerns.

Check with your school to see if they’ll be participating on Oct. 9. A list of participants can also be found here.