How do your kids get to school?

[The Hidden Life]

We live exactly one mile from both the elementary and middle schools in our town. Because of the genius of modern development the walking routes to both schools are circuitous. The high school and my son's preschool are even closer, so you'd think we have an ideal situation for walking to school, but it always seems so tedious because of the roundabout route we must take to get there. Elementary students on our street most often take the bus because of this.

My 6th grader will walk/bike to school daily. Middle school students more than one mile away from the school are bussed. I don't *think* bus is an option for her, although we might be just a 1/10 of a mile more than one mile away, so it's possible.

I will probably have my 4th & 1st graders bus mostly and possibly walk/bike with me on days with decent weather.

Mostly curious how many allow their children to make their way to school on their own? What age did you start allowing it? What mode of transportation do they use?

I know most people of my generation "walked uphill both ways in the snow over a mile" to school starting at age 5 and their parents thought nothing of it, but obviously cultural expectations have changed. I have seen students less than four blocks from the elementary waiting for the school bus!

[Ceili]

ds is going to a private school in the next town over, so as much as I would love for him to walk/bike, we'll be carpooling instead.

I walked home from school with my brother when I was kindergarten and he was in fifth grade. I think I walked/biked home on my own when I was in second grade, it may have been third grade.

Somewhere around 8 or 9 seems reasonable to me to let a kid get to school on their own, depending on the kid and the area. I grew up in a neighborhood that was designed for people to walk, we do not live in such an area now, I hesitate to let my 5 year old ride his bike where we live because the roads are straight and people come flying around the blind curves way too fast.

[Lollybrat]

DS is starting K in the fall and will be taking the (special ed) bus to/from school. He's very excited about the idea of it, but I'm not sure how he will react to the reality of it.

[Evergreen]

car- i go right past it on the way to work.

nak

[Irishmommy]

In good weather she walks, in lousy weather I drive her. She just turned 9, and has been doing this for a year. It is safe, really.

[cedoreilly]

I did a combination of driving and them taking the bus with my kindergarteners last year (Sometimes we did not get our act together in time to get the bus in the morning so since I was driving their brother to the same school I did). I drove my pre-schooler all year. Their school was 10 miles round trip, though, on the other side of town.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Unfortunately we are more than 20 miles from the kids private school, so we drive them. There is no bus option and students are not allowed to leave without an adult, so most children are driven. A few parents walk their children to/from school, but its definitely rare.

[Alyantavid]

I drive my 7 year old to the bus stop and he rides the rest of the way. We got a public school in another district and this bus stop is where all the parents meet to drop off/pick up our of district kids.

I drop my 3 year old at preschool (or will when he starts this fall) on the way to the bus stop.

[mommy2maya]

We live two blocks from school- a block over, and a block up, with no crossing, since it is a culdesac. Anyway, this past spring my second grader walked to school on her own, I walked my afternoon kindie to school, walked both home.

This year, she will be in third, he will be in first. After the first two weeks of school, maybe less, they will walk to school on their own. Mostly I will pick up, walking, mostly for the social aspect of it, to gab with other parents, and so teh littles can play on the playground.

[annethcz]

I drive my kids to school. We live 10 miles from their school, and there is no bus for them to take because they attend a charter school.

[mata]

We walk-it's just around the corner. I wouldn't let them walk by themselves at any age. Middle school/HS they'll need a ride.

[eepster]

DS goes to school a few towns away, so we can not walk. Since we are the only people in our town that go to his school, we can not carpool. It's a private preschool, so there is no bus. Though last year we could have taken public transpotation, it would have been expensive and difficult, and this year the school moved to a new building to far from the bus stop for DS to walk.

So, we take the car.

[cocoabean8]

By car....I teach at their school

[Linda on the move]

I drive my kids. We live quit a ways from the school. They'll take the bus home once in a blue moon if they want to or if I have something going on where I can't pick them up.

Quite a few kids walk to our school, and some walk on their own. It's a fairly small school tucked into a neighborhood so there are lots of kids and mommies about. There are crossing guards all around. It feels safe. If we lived close I'd be all for the kids walking on their own (they are 11 and 12).

The bus is another issue. Riding it both ways would add over an hour to their school day, and the behavoir of the kids on the bus is not good. It's an option if I have a Dr. appointment or something, and sometimes my younger DD likes to ride it because her friends ride it. But riding it seems to get it out of her system for MONTHS!

[octobermom]

were across town from DD school. DH will drop her off in the morning on his way to work I'll pick her up in the afternoons.

Deanna

[bobandjess99]

It's about 7 miles across town to dd's school, and she's 4, lol, so i drive her. No transportation is provided by the school.

[northwoods1995]

We walk unless the weather is bad.

We live close to the school but must cross a road where logging trucks and most other vehicles drive way above the speed limit so I will be walking with the kids for I don't know how long yet. There are no crossing guards.

[sunnmama]

Bus! I am so grateful for the school bus. And I can see the bus stop from my bedroom window, so I don't even have to get dressed in the morning

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by sunnmama

Bus! I am so grateful for the school bus. And I can see the bus stop from my bedroom window, so I don't even have to get dressed in the morning

This exactly!

[akwifeandmomma]

DH does morning drop off, I pick up in the afternoon. Charter school, approx. 5 miles from us, no bus service.