Winter Walk Day
It's winter! Don't hibernate – walk to school and celebrate!
Wednesday, February 9th is Ontario's Winter Walk Day for schools.
Walk to school or at school for daily physical activity, a healthier environment, safer streets, making friends and ... having fun!
Register your school now.
Can't walk to school?
Hold a Winter Walk Day during school. Walk to the local skating rink for a skate or hold a Winter carnival in the school yard at lunch.
It's simple to be active in winter.
Here are some fun ideas to get your feet moving:
- Get the whole school involved by posting student-made posters around the school
- Allow students who travel to school by bus to walk the school perimeter or arrange for an alternate drop-off with adult supervision to allow the students to walk to school
- Make a We WALK in Winter banner and display it prominently
- Post announcements in the school newsletter or on the bulletin board
- Air announcements on the school's PA system
- Encourage students to write about their winter walk experiences in articles or poems or even raps
- Invite local dignitaries to join you on your winter walk day: mayor, councilor, school trustee, police constable, and public health nurse
- Alert your local media and get the community involved
- Hand out our 'winter walk tags' and stickers to participating students
- Hand out hot chocolate to walkers as they arrive at school
Make walking fun – even in winter:
- Have a friendly challenge between classes or even another school
- Reward classes with the 'golden snow boot' award – an old boot spray painted gold
- Have the students challenge the teachers to walk in winter and track progress on the school bulletin board
- Wear funky hats or decorate snow boots
Tips for dressing for winter walking:
- Keep hands and head covered to prevent heat loss
- On really cold days wear a scarf over your face and mouth
- Wear warm, waterproof boots
- Wear a warm coat that deflects the wind
- Woolen clothing helps to retain the heat
- Wear clothing or carry knapsacks with reflective material – it's important to be seen
- If possible, change wet clothes at school – tuck an extra pair of socks and mitts into knapsacks
- Below -25oC is considered too cold for walking so move your walk in-doors or select another day for outdoor activities or walking to school
Winter Walk Day Resources:
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Adobe PDF
(PDF - 3.7 MB)
