Kimilo — a biking enthusiast and sharing specialist

At Kids Co. at John Muir we have Gears Go Round, a huge biking bonanza where the kids get on wheels of all kinds–bikes, scooters, and roller blades–and peddle and push at full throttle. We create our own Olympic-style “wheel” races such as passing the baton, time trials, and following a chalk line (think of the Figure 8 competition in ice skating) to bolster agility and balancing skills. Kimilo is a Gears Go Round specialist and he’s got some kind of game. He uses the Olympic games, and every other “wheel” time, to hone his biking skills on all sorts of bikes, as a matter of fact, on all the bikes!

It’s part of Kids Co. at John Muir’s culture to teach kids how to share. So, all bikes are shared and turns are taken. This helps kids like Kimilo develop strong social engagement skills including self-empowerment, dispute resolution, participatory evaluation, and trust. The outcome of Gears Go Round, as well as our other bike adventures, is obvious–physical fitness–plus something less apparent but just as important: healthy social engagement!

On behalf of Kimilo, and all of the children who get to ride a bike because of your contribution, thank you.