The other day there was some a rain drop, maybe 3-4 raindrops. Cue a full-scale mutiny about cycling to school and demands to do the 2 miles in the car.
My attempts to explain cycling is good for them and using the car is polluting the air they breathe was dismissed!

Does anyone know of any child friendly films, cartoons or similar to explain issues of air pollution, health, climate change etc. that could help?
I’m looking for something to inspire them to want to make a difference, rather than scare them senseless!

Could you not simply have told them ‘don’t be silly – get on your bikes’? I don’t see how a film on saving the environment is going to change their behaviour if they don’t listen to their parents when being told to ride to school.

Captain Planet

Could you not simply have told them ‘don’t be silly – get on your bikes’?

This

Its a benevolent dictatorship, not a committee.

Obviously engaging them and getting them to understand why is very important, but sometimes shut up and get on with it is equally valid.

This

Its a benevolent dictatorship, not a committee.

Obviously engaging them and getting them to understand why is very important, but sometimes shut up and get on with it is equally valid.

Fraid it’s this.

Learnt the hard way at times

The dictatorship doesn’t usually work as I too have to live under the control of their mother! As soon as they start crying (which they are suspiciously good at), she caves and drives them to school!

There must be something with Greta in or similar?

Then let her drive them to school. If you are taking them then they get the bikes out.

A Sunday in Hell?

My youngest has organised a group of her friends to walk to school (or they were up until the holidays). It started with two of them then more and more wanted to join. It’s just over a mile but I was impressed that they stuck at it with no encouragement. Two factors seem to be:
– Independence
– Peer motivation

Bmx bandits should do it

ET, alien in a basket and flying.

Not aimed at kids but…

https://whywecycle.eu

https://lifesizedcity.com

The dictatorship doesn’t usually work as I too have to live under the control of their mother! As soon as they start crying (which they are suspiciously good at), she caves and drives them to school!

ie If both parents are on different pages re kid’s independence/self-discipline/responsibility vs entitlement/shirking/emotional manipulation, then it becomes an inter-family game as to who gets to ‘win’.

This one seems to do the trick with some of the kids I know, they seem engaged and have chats about it.

Bill ’em.

If they are riding to school age, are they pocket money age?
how much is the trip in a taxi
how much does it cost in the car (fuel, insurance, VED, wear and tear etc etc, per mile, + your time)

“Sure, ill happily take you my soft little loves. It’ll be 3 quid each though, and you wont have your bikes so you’ll be walking home.”

Another vote for wall E

We need to sort the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Not our children.

As soon as they start crying (which they are suspiciously good at), she caves and drives them to school!

That is the problem that needs addressing.

^Agreed. But it will take both?

I make most of my local trips by bicycle and always have, wear a jumper instead of CH, eat v little meat, no dairy, source organic where I can etc – but I know it makes sod-all difference without a culture-shift* and gov measures, infra and emissions-targets. I suppose as a species we’re about 80 years deep into consumer-culture (absolutely balls-deep in the UK, US, Europe etc, with all of Asia adopting the same culture and SE Asia quadrupling their GDP in the last decade)?

* (Very rarely do I see anyone else shopping on a bicycle)

With sustainable consumption and production as one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the UN, greater awareness of the negative effect consumerism has on the environment will go a long way in changing consumption patterns – especially with the next generation of consumers. Children need to be taught the value of their consumption decisions and how these decisions will affect their communities, countries, the region and the world.

“We instil the consumption habits of tomorrow in how we behave around our children today, and it is important that we begin by talking with our children – who are naturally curious and open to learning – about how our choices connect to the world around us,” said Muller.
https://theaseanpost.com/article/consumerism-southeast-asia

I read that we’ll soon be reaching a global population of >9bn which at the current rate of consumption will require three planets to provide for them.

No films but both my kids cycled to primary school almost every day, only driving when it was too icy or absolutely chucking it down, fully understanding the environment impact of short and unnecessary car journeys.
Now at High School by bus every day they complain about missing riding their bikes!
The only thing I would say is that many of the parents used to look at me in disgust when I’d “forced” them to cycle to school in a little drizzle!!

Luckily we are a unified front (benevolent dictators), there is no real chance we will drive the couple of miles to school, the weather would have to be truly apocalyptic. Not that there has been an option, but we’ve always presented it more in health terms with environmental benefits, and to be fair our daughter doesn’t hesitate anymore, even if it’s absolutely chucking it down. Helped with all areas of life (and vice versa) as she’s always happy to spend time outdoors whatever the weather as we are.:)