The Brain Wheels are Spinning at Kids Building Bikes Camp

They say it’s not the destination, it’s the journey getting there. This proved true through the Genesis: Pathways to Success Summer of STREAM Kids Building Bikes Camp!

7th grader Elijah Smart said, “My favorite part about bike camp has been all of the hands on activities that we get to do and learning how to fix all of the bikes.”

Each day of camp had students’ wheels turning as they dove into further detail on the process of building their own bicycle. From bicycle engineering to rider safety skills and bike history, nothing fell short in this 4 day or 12 hour crash course. The first day began with students being educated on the history of the bicycle and the basics of bike mechanics. Students came back the next day to learn more about how to identify technical bike terminology regarding tools and their uses, as well as rider’s safety. By the end of the third day, students were knowledgable on the detailed bike maintenance and manufacturing process through the use of geometry and other math related skills that they were able to build and assemble their very own bicycle.

“It’s been awesome to develop the curriculum and put in employability skills like perseverance, self esteem building, showing up on time, and getting tools in kids hands,” said Nine13sports Kids Building Bikes Director, Matty Bennett.

Through this hands-on, in depth learning experience, Ripley County has gained 8 more adept and safe bike riders in the community. The math and science skills that were built into each lesson will have students leaving with knowledge that will follow them throughout the rest of their lives.

Bennett said, “I always say: they [students] know how to tap and swipe, but I like to teach them to push down and turn.”

All of the hard work came to fruition on the final day of camp, where the youth students completed the final steps on their hand-built bikes and partook in a group bike ride through Milan. During their ride, students stopped at the Milan ‘54 Museum where they were given a personalized tour to learn about the history of the museum. Another stop occurred at the local Dairy Queen for a refreshing ice cream treat, which was the icing on the cake after a long week of hard work.

Thanks to the generous donation of lunches from The Reservation and the Dairy Queen, the camp was made an even further success. A second Kids Building Bikes Camp for the summer of 2022 will be held in the month of July.