BOWDEN — As part of the Randolph County Outdoor Education program, close to 300 fourth-grade students took part in an array of biking activities this past week at the Stuart Recreation Area. It was the fourth consecutive year that Randolph County Outdoors, which is in collaboration with the Randolph County Board of Education, provided summertime activities for Randolph County students. Throughout the school year, the program takes students on day-long trips to the outdoors, and fall dates have already been scheduled for third-grade students in Randolph County to learn about archery at the Mountaineer Chapter of Izaak Walton in October.
The biking days took place over a span of three days and provided students with an opportunity to improve their biking skills or learn new ones. Local volunteers and a host of organizations from within Randolph County assisted with the activities, including Wonder & Grow, a nonprofit that coordinates the Randolph County Outdoor Education programs. “This week was great.
We had terrific weather and being at Stuart’s Park is always a wonderful experience, because it’s always a beautiful place to be,” said Wonder & Grow co-founder Kate Reed. “We had almost 300 kids this week from all of the elementary schools in the county except for Pickens. We had around 70 volunteers helping with activities, and the organizations we had involved were just amazing.
” Other than taking part in biking activities, students attending were also treated to educational sessions, games and stations that included learning about invasive species of wildlife and plants, the science behind riding a bike and outdoor cooking. The WVU Randolph County Extension Office and the Elkins High School Lifetime Physical Education Class taught bike skills during the three-day session. Biking Science was led by the WVU Science Adventure School, while the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area and the Beverly Heritage Center taught food growing and preparation techniques for the outdoors.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Mon National Forest held a scavenger hunt for the children and provided them with tips on how to be safe and responsible in the outdoors.
Reed said all of the children attending had a great time taking part in the activities but noted one part of the program this week that stood out to her. “The most amazing thing over the course of the three days was that about 30% of the fourth-graders had never been on a bike,” she said. “So, out of that 30%, we had about 40 kids learn how to ride a bike and were peddling on their own when they left.
Just to see that growth is amazing.” Reed also applauded a group of Elkins High School students who volunteered to help with biking days. “Some Elkins High School students with a couple of the health classes came and worked with the elementary students who were learning to ride a bike,” Reed said.
“Their support was appreciated and it was a cool dynamic to see the interaction between the older students and younger students. The younger kids really look up to the high school students and the encouragement from them was awesome to watch.” All of the bikes used during the outing were purchased by the Randolph County Outdoor Education program last year.
“With the support of the Randolph County Board of Education, we purchased 30 bikes last year,” said Reed. “Those bikes belong to Randolph County Schools, and Randolph County Outdoors is maintaining those bikes. We pay for maintenance and upkeep on the bikes.
” Randolph County Outdoors is currently seeking financial support for upcoming spring programs for second-grade and fifth-grade students. The programs are crucial for providing comprehensive outdoor education and ensuring that all students have the opportunity to engage with nature..
