Volunteer Training

Physical Education Classroom Volunteers

Thank you for volunteering to support Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education in Seattle Public Schools! The “Let’s Go” PE unit can be a rewarding learning opportunity for youth and volunteers. Our goals are to help students share in the JOY of bike riding, encourage biking and walking for transportation and recreation, and to teach basic traffic safety and roadway rules. Volunteers play a big role in working toward these goals for each student in our district.

Classroom volunteers often support with helmet fitting, assisting small groups of new riders, working with an individual rider, adjusting bikes, and course set-up/take-down. Please work with your PE teacher to learn what they need help with, and determine which activities you feel comfortable supporting.

Volunteers may help students fit their helmets properly to ensure a timely start to the on-bike portion of the lesson.

Step 1: Sizing

Some students or teachers already know which size helmet to choose. If a student does not know, ask them to try on a helmet and ask if they would like help adjusting the fit with the spinning dial on the back. The helmet should fit snugly and stay in place when the student shakes their head “yes” and “no”.

Step 2: Fit Check

PE teachers use the 2-2-2 helmet fit technique to make sure students know how to safely wear a helmet. Learn how to use and teach the 2-2-2 technique with the classes you support in the video below.

Volunteer assistance is frequently needed to support new riders so that PE Specialists can move through the skills and safety curriculum during the 3 week unit. New riders often practice skills in the center of the gym bike track or in another area separate from experienced riders. Please help remind experienced riders to respect the new rider space and ride slowly and safely near their peers who are learning. Experienced riders may also help teach their peers and friends who are learning to ride with teacher permission.

The following video series can help you teach the basics of bike balancing, braking, and pedaling.

Students comfortable balancing for about 5 seconds (or ~15 feet) may be ready to try pedals.

Note that the bikes that K-5 students use in class will have a coaster brake (brake by pedaling backwards) instead of hand brakes. Students may use their feet to stop when learning with coaster brake bikes, but the best (and safest) stopping practice for bikes with hand brakes will be to fully stop before putting feet down.

Use the power pedal diagram (below) to help riders line up their pedals in the 1 o’clock position.

Three "Let's Go" fleet bikes in school gym.

Most of the bikes used for the Let’s Go unit (pictured above) have 20″ wheels, coaster brakes, no gears, and are adjustable by seat height. Volunteers may help line up the bikes, adjust seat height using a hex wrench or Allen key, and add or remove pedals to bikes.

graphic of cones, signs, and bike riders assembled in a rectangle.

Volunteers may also assist with course set-up and take down. A sample course is pictured above, but follow instructions from the PE Teacher for specific course set up in the classroom.

Additional Information

Find more detailed information for volunteering in the Cascade Bicycle Club In-Class Volunteer Presentation.
Learn more about the Let’s Go Program, teacher resources, and curriculum on the Let’s Go website.
Contact AJ Benaltabe (Cascade Bicycle Club Let’s Go Program Manager) for additional training support and resources.

Walk and Bike Group Volunteers

Coming soon!