It was Pedalheads Bike Camp Week. And what a week it was!
Let’s rewind a little bit here.
This was life before Pedalheads Bike Camp…
Hours upon hours, days upon days – George did his best to teach his firstborn all about life without training wheels. Doesn’t look or sound too bad, right? Well… I’m going to get real with you.
It. Was. Bad.
There was a lot of whining, complaining, and giving up. And I’m not even talking about the kiddo. Both George and I were super frustrated, not with the fact that Smallie wasn’t successfully riding without training wheels. We were more frustrated with her giving up so easily and deciding that riding a two wheeler was just not her thing. Even more frustrating was that she was so close, but her lack of confidence made her stop mid-pedal and just fall sideways. It almost always ended with tears. And yes, I am still talking about George and I.
Kidding.
Not really.
So I suggested a Pedalheads bike camp for the summer. Was my suggestion greeted with open arms? Of course… not.
First, I had to deal with pride. Little Mama? Nope. Her father. He spent the first few days professing, and I quote, “It’s my job to teach her how to ride a two wheeler. I’m her dad.” He was pretty adamant that it was his job and only his job, to teach his little girl how to ride her bike. But after 3 days of intense lower back pain, frustration, and a 7 year old paralyzed by her own fear of falling, George decided it was time to call in the troops.
The Pedalheads Bike Camp troops, that is.
George and I made the decision on a Thursday, and camp began on a Monday as there were only a few weeks left of summer. Now that we were on learn-to-ride-a-two-wheel-bike mode, we wanted to jump on the first opportunity to teach her.
DAY ONE:
Little Mama donned her hashtag pants and training wheels, ready to tackle the Pedalheads bike camp like a pro. Truth be told, she had no idea what she was getting into. We briefly mentioned she was going to ride bikes with a bunch of kids all morning for a week. With or without training wheels. Emphasis on without. Little did she know our goal essentially, was to save her dad from pulling his own hair out in frustration. [Side note: we ended up borrowing a buddy’s smaller bike as our friends at Pedalheads recommended we start with a bike that she can touch the ground with her two flat feet. This will help build her confidence].
You’d never know that confidence was indeed a problem for my little two-wheel-rider-to-be. She was more than ready and willing to do get this party started.
What I loved about the Pedalheads bike camp was that the staff gave parents the freedom to stay and watch while encouraging parents to let the kids have some parent-free camp fun. Of course, out of a big group of parents, there’s always at least one helicopter roaming around…
Sorry, not sorry.
And that resistant dad I mentioned earlier? Well – he was all about Pedalheads bike camp intervention by day one. Apparently, he was a little too ready to throw in the proverbial dad-knows-best-when-it-comes-to-bike-riding towel.
DAY TWO:
Training wheels were ready to come off, according to Little Mama‘s instructor. [Side note: The Pedalheads bike camp team have all the tools to remove or replace training wheels so we kept it on at the beginning of camp]. Again – she had no idea this is the case. My fingers, toes, and eyes were crossed this very moment. All I could think in my head was “You GOT this Smallie. You got this.”
DAY THREE:
See what’s missing here? You guessed it – no training wheels!
Not surprisingly – the once frustrated parents had tears in their eyes seeing this little one working through her balance and confidence. It was a tiring day for her, but she got through it proudly. We were all beaming with pride. She did it!!
DAY 4 (Note, she’s wearing the same outfit – apparently, it gave her good luck):
By Thursday, it was serious business. Little Mama was so confident, she rode around the set up multiple times over and was more than ready to strengthen the skills she already had. Friends… it was Day 4! Who IS this confident child??
I’m not going to lie, a week ago this very day, Little Mama had said on repeat “I don’t like my bike. I don’t want to learn how to ride it.” We weren’t feeling very hopeful.
And now this.
Apparently after less than an hour on Day 2, Little Miss “I’m done with my bike” was off the training wheels and on to bigger and better things. Thanks to Pedalheads bike camp – this was quite literally, the milestone of Summer 2018 for us. Right up there with meeting her baby brother (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit – but it’s still pretty huge!)… who by the way, enjoyed every second of his big sister’s successes.
Okay – so if he wasn’t busy napping, he was charming other Pedalheads bike camp sibling attendees – but proud nonetheless.
DAY 5:
It was Pedalheads Bike Camp parade day! This is where the kids get the chance to go through a course with little to no assistance, depending on the child’s readiness. Smallie was still working on her leg strength so a course on the grass perhaps wasn’t as smooth of a ride, but she had no problem getting a little help from her friends. I love how the instructors assisted the kids with ease, encouraging them to ride with confidence and independence, while literally and figuratively pushing them through the course. Five days ago, I would have never imagined my hesitant little girl riding a two wheeler, let alone, navigating her way up and down obstacles and through pylons. The best part was how the camp encouraged the parents to cheer and clap as the kids completed their run, followed by receiving their report cards. It was like the Olympics for these kids!
Check out our insta-stories to see how Smallie did!
Hint as to how well she did? Check out this proud tiny cyclist!
Here’s a little info on the program:
Who is Pedalheads:
Atlantis Programs and Pedalheads provides innovative and effective programs that are safe, fun and challenging. Their delivery of camps and lessons that promote kids’ health and development has earned a reputation of excellence in the communities that they serve.
During the last 30 years they have taught over 200,000 children to bike, swim and develop physical skills, using their own teaching methods, combined with small classes and exceptional instructors. Their comprehensive programs open up a world of opportunities for a lifetime of cycling, swimming and physical activities.
About Pedalheads:
Traffic and densely populated urban areas make it difficult for parent’s to teach their kids to ride bikes. Kids need the confidence to ride safely on the road, in parks and around the neighbourhood. The Pedalheads® bike camp experience provides children with the right environment, trained instructors and small groups preparing them for the road – some as young as three can learn to ride without training wheels upon completion of camp. For more information about the program, go to pedalheads.com.
Pedalheads® is a 10 level instructional bike safety and skills program for kids aged 3-12. From training wheels to trails, each level includes 5 learning categories: safety knowledge, safety skills, trail riding, street riding, and bike maintenance. Level 1 is ideal to remove training wheels and progress on skills in levels 2 & 3 that prepare children for the road before they do level 4 and beyond.
Parent and Tot:
- Riding Rookies
*Ages 2-3
1 hr Camp (cannot yet ride a pedal bike):
- Trikes N Trainers
- Balance Bikers
*Ages 3-4
Half Day or All Day Camps
- Levels 1-8 (register here)
- AM, PM Half Days (2.5 hrs)
- All Days(7 hrs)
* Ages 4+
Programs offered:
Bike – Pedalheads – Ages 2-12
Swim – Atlantis – Ages 4 months+
Multisport – Heroheads – Ages 4-8
Trail Riding and Mountain Biking – PHMB – Ages 4-15
DAY 6:
Day six doesn’t actually exist at the Pedalheads bike camp, but it certainly does for our family camp. And guess whose idea it was to set up our own course? That’s right…The little Pedalheads bike camp newbee graduate herself!
Let’s revisit dad’s viewpoint on learning to ride a bike. Do you think he was still upset about not being able to teach his firstborn how to ride her bike?
Take a look for yourself…
All in all, it was the best decision for us and our family. My only regret was not jumping on this opportunity at the beginning of summer.
But friends, summer isn’t over until it’s over. Check out the locations near you, and find out if Pedalheads bike camps are still running here. I was excited to post this review as soon as possible, so parents in our shoes would get those training wheels off before the school year starts. There are only two weeks left in our area, including tomorrow, Monday – so stop what you’re doing and get your kiddo registered! Especially, if what you’re doing is causing you unnecessary stress and frustration like it did for us.
And now, it’s time to get our family bikes dusted off and ready to tackle some fun family rides. Thanks to Pedalheads bike camp, we’re well on our way! If you don’t believe me, ask this happy camper!
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