ken zirkel » Outdoors

Sandwich fun

Ken Zirkel — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:30:11 +0000

We met up with friends at the Sandwich boardwalk and had some fun. See some photos.

Setting up the pool

Ken Zirkel — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:09:34 +0000

It’s time to set up the pool again …

Mother Robin brings home a worm

Ken Zirkel — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:22:03 +0000

For the third time, a robin has built a nest right outside our side door. Here, the parent bird brings a giant worm for one of the babies.

Bike path

Ken Zirkel — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:52:29 +0000

We took the dog to the East Bay Bicycle Path today. All five of us went (including the dog).

Ice Cream at the Fruity Cow was a highlight of the trip.

How to teach your kid to ride a bicycle

Ken Zirkel — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:18:53 +0000

This is what worked for my son. He was seven when he learned to ride this Spring, which is a little older than most kids, I think. He learned on a kids’ bicycle with 20-inch wheels.

Find a sizeable parking lot with a slight slope to it. My son wanted to practice in our driveway, and that was OK for about a dozen attempts, but he soon needed more space to practice in.

Start at the highest point of the parking lot. Have the child coast downhill, on his own, without assitance. His feet should be off the ground, but fairly near the ground so that he can stop from falling. The bicycle should not have training wheels. You can even take the pedals off the bicycle for this part, although it is not necessary. The goal here is to have the child learn to balance on the bicycle while it coasts downhill. If the bicycle has a hand brake, he can also practice using the handbrake to stop. It is helpful if there is grass at the end of the parking lot, so that the child can roll into the grass to stop.

After going downhill solo at least a dozen times, I then would meet the child at the bottom of the slope, and assist the child in pedaling back to the start point. This assistance involves holding the child by the shoulders, not holding the bicycle. The child applies power to the pedals to move the bicycle; you are only there to assist with balance, and only on the uphill portion of the practice. As you feel the child balancing on his own, move your arms away from the child so that he’s balancing on his own, but your arms are there to provide reassurance.

Using this method, my son was riding within a day. We bought the bicycle in the morning, and he was riding by 7pm. We did take a few breaks during the practice, to minimize his frustration level. Also, I think that by taking a break from something, it allows the brain to process the thing, so that he got better when he returned to the task.

Son, he rides

Ken Zirkel — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:34:09 +0000

Not only did Son get a new bicycle today, he also learned to ride a two-wheeler for the first time. This was just as the sun was setting, so he didn’t get to ride very long. He still has to work on his stopping, starting, and most of the basics. But he can balance!

Untitled from Kenneth Zirkel on Vimeo.