If there is an activity that screams summer, bike riding is it and I’d love to take the credit for teaching my kids, but it all goes to Pedalheads.
Last year my kids went to their first Pedalheads camp and it was life-changing for them. Carter was too scared to even go on his bike with the training wheels on and Sophie had no interest in bike riding at all. A week at camp fixed that.
A few weeks ago we told you about Pedalheads, a company that offers bike and sport camps in Alberta. We were all excited to test it out for ourselves, and after week 2 of summer vacation a total of 5 Alberta Mama’s kids have gone through the camp. We wanted to share our experiences with you below.
Last year we spent the better part of the summer trying to teach Carter to ride his bike and it left all of us stressed and ended with Carter going on a bike riding strike.
When it came time to pick where to send both of the kids to summer camp, Pedalheads was on the top of the list so that we didn’t go through the same thing with Sophie and have a repeat of the previous summer. Even better they have a new North location this summer here in Edmonton, which is just a few minutes drive from our home.
After the first day both of the kids had their training wheels taken off, and by the end of the week, Carter was riding confidently on his own. The best thing about camp for Carter was that even though he was registered at level 1 his instructor noticed that he was progressing and bumped him up 2 levels so that he could continue to develop bike riding skills and be challenged. Being almost a week since camp has ended, Carter is now a bike riding fiend.
Sophie wasn’t interested in riding her bike until recently and so for her, it was starting at the basics. While she isn’t 100% confident with riding by herself yet, Pedalheads gave her the tools to continue to practice and I am pretty confident that she will be riding alongside Carter by the end of the summer, if not sooner.
We started the week with a little boy who didn’t know how to pedal. At. All. He was so fast on his balance bike from the past 2 years that he refused to even try the new bike we purchased this Easter. I was a little dismayed by the end of day one, to be honest. When I came for pick up Lucas was not pedalling and all the other kids had their training wheels off! Reminding myself that this was only 2.5 hours, I took a breath. The next day, 20 minutes in, everything connected and he was pedalling all over the place at high speed! By the 4th day the instructor removed his training wheels and he’s now getting the hang of pedalling without someone holding the back of the bike!!! His instructor noted that he’s got great balance, so he’s picking it up quickly (something I attribute to the years on the balance bike).
I loved that each afternoon when I came for pick up the instructor gave me an update on Lucas’ progress. She was encouraging and so patient with the kids. It was awesome to only have 5 children in a group, as each biker got lots of help. The other thing that was impressive to me about Pedalheads was the fun that was added each day to keep the kids motivated. They played tag (when you are touched you lie on the ground and pedal in the air), red light green light with the bikes, travelled through obstacles and got to crash through pylons and even tested out going over a ramp! Each child was given a “parking stall” as their special space with their bike when they are waiting their turn and there is always sidewalk chalk for them to use if the instructor is working one on one with someone else. By the end of the day my child is bagged and ready for bed!
I’m not sure about your kid, but mine seems to respond SO much better to learning a new skill from an instructor rather than me. This took the frustration and likely tears out of the equation and now we can focus on developing his newly learned skills at home in a positive light because he knows he can. Overall, it was a super successful week and I’m so happy with our first ever summer day camp experience!
Also, a huge congrats to our contest winners, Cindy and Sarah, who won a week long Pedalheads camp for their kids! Enjoy!
*We’ve partnered with Pedalheads to share their services with our readers. As always, all opinions stated are our own.
This post and giveaway are sponsored by Pedalheads. As always, all opinions stated are our own.
You can’t think about summer without thinking about riding a bike. Kids are riding to the park, while camping, down the block to see their friends, and to the store to get a slush. Riding a bike is a great family activity but what happens when your kids just can’t get the hang of it and are determined to keep those training wheels on? Or do you have older kids that would love to take their bike from the pavement to trails but you’re unsure how to get them confident enough to take that next step? Pedalheads can help with all of that!
A few Alberta Mamas will be signing our own kids up for these week long camps in hopes of solving assorted issues. Some of our kids are learning to be brave without training wheels, others are trying to keep up with siblings, and some just need a refresher course before they hit the trails. That is the great thing about these camps!
There’s multiple levels to choose from, so you can find the perfect fit based on your needs or progress through them all! Kids can start Pedalheads programs while riding a trike or balance bike and move into Level One where they learn to pedal with training wheels, Level Two where they ditch those training wheels and all the way up to Level Eight (Crankheads) where they become proficient with gears, riding in light traffic and trips up to 1.5 hours! If you have a child who is ready to take on the trails there is also Pedalheads Mountain Biking program to develop skills in a supervised environment. Regardless of which level you choose there is a focus on safety and each class promises to be small and engaging.
We have teamed up with Pedalheads to giveaway TWO (one in Edmonton/St. Albert & one in Calgary) half day, week long camps valued from this summer! (Total value $185-$219!)
Over the summer, as our own kids enjoy the camps, we will be documenting and sharing our experiences with you. Keep an eye out for our upcoming review!