When I had twins, I knew a couple things were going to be pretty difficult: nursing, feeding, choosing who to catch when the two one day walked and ran in different directions, potty training when both had to go at the same time. So thinking about teaching two kids to two-wheel at the same time was terrifying.
We’ve been practicing forever. Trikes. Balance Bikes. Big Wheels. Big Bikes with training wheels.
I thought it would be good practice to get them to learn to bike in front of me while I jogged. It would get my running practice in and prepare them and me for the day we took the training wheels off.
And then one day a training wheel fell off all on its own while we were biking next to the Fremont Canal and I watched as one of the guys plummeted to the ground. And now I had a new fear that I didn’t know existed. Failing training wheels. The bikes all went into storage and I searched for a solution.
Enter Pedalheads. A summer camp that teaches your kid to ride their bike. It actually exists.
The week after I braved the Seawall in Vancouver with our tandem bikes, I dropped my kids off at Magnusen Park where some confident-looking teachers told me that my guys would learn some great bike riding skills.
I fearfully watched from the parking lot for a couple minutes before I realized this could be terrifying for someone who hates blood and gore and took off to nearby Uvillage for shopping therapy.
When I returned for camp pick-up, my kids were alive. Their bikes had no training wheels. And the teachers and my guys were excited to show me their new skills.
“We can bike!!!!” They squealed as they pedaled alone across the turf with no training wheels.
No kidding. And all it took was one day and I never have to worry about teaching my kids to bike again. Seriously, awesome-est camp ever.
(PS. The next 4 days of Uvillage shopping were even more productive. I love when my kids’ programs are near fun things for me! )
(PPS. there are also some REI learn to bike courses that are one day long that I haven’t taken but look intriguing too.)
(PPPS. Make sure you read about bike fit and supplies you need before camp. I ended up buying a new bike the night before because I realized that one of the bikes were too big.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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