When the trails aren’t rideable but you do have a parking lot/field you can move around in, even if not on bikes.
Set Up
- Instead of batons, tie a ~10” ribbon (four different colors) onto a rubberband/hairband to denote color, make it something wearable while riding, force them to do a hand-off instead of just a high-five, and ensure only one kid was active at once.
- A colored/painted clothespin would work great too!
- You should have a lot of these materials on-hand in the program bins (+ tea candles from home).
- This is made for four groups of 8 that were mixed between all participants - it was nice to mix up the ages/abilities and have them cheer for each other! Group however is best for your program in terms of mix and number of teams.
- Spread mentors out and encourage cheering! By the end you will have a swarm of kiddos cheering on the last riders!
- A mentor at each station is nice, but not necessary. Some stations need one more than others.
- Take some of these ideas and then add your own! Mix and match for the right number of participants.
- The Bellas will ALL want to do water guns - if that is the case, consider adding on a relay that is just ride/run down, shoot out the candle, ride/run back to your next teammate afterwards!
- You can also just have each kiddo pick a number 1-8 and they don’t know what leg they get!
- If you have the time/engagement, you can run the relay multiple times and mix up the legs each time
- You may end up running between some stations you had originally intended to bike between - modify for what is best for your group/space/day. Or just go with the flow! Larger field spaces may facilitate biking better than others.
Relay Station Descriptions
Leg 1: Ball toss
- Directions: Bella tosses the ball into the bucket from behind the cones line. Repeat until you make it! Then ride or run to the next teammate and pass off the baton.
- Materials needed: 4 balls or whatever objects you have that are throwable, 4 buckets (filling bottom with sand or water to weigh down/keep upright is helpful), line (cones, water bottles, just a mentor’s arms)
- Mentor role: Help retrieve balls, keep kids behind line (if your kids are competitive/care about that - not all do :)!)
Leg 2: Water guns
- Directions: Bella shoots candle out from behind a line and then rides/runs to their next teammate and passes off the baton.
- Materials needed: 4 water guns/blasters, 4 tea candles (cups work too → shoot them off the back of a table/off something stationary), table/bench, lighters, buckets of water, line of some sort
- Mentor role: Help refill water guns
Leg 3: Puzzle (non-riding)
- Directions: Bella completes the puzzle and then passes off the baton.
- Materials needed: Puzzle, small quarter sheet pans help with organization but are not necessary
- Puzzle: Draw a picture on foam or another thick material. If you draw a bike and label ~12 parts of the bike and cut it out so each piece was a part of the bike. Bonus: this puzzle then doubles as a separate activity!
- ~12 piece puzzles from the Goodwill would work
- Mentor role: Supervise, disassemble and ensure all puzzle pieces make it back into each bag
Leg 4: Balloon
- Directions: Bella rides or runs between stations 3 and 5 keeping a balloon in the air. If it hits the ground you must go back to the puzzle station! On windy days you might want to adjust this one or leave it out.
- Materials needed: 4 balloons
- Mentor role: Supervise
Leg 5: Bracelet
- Directions: Rider uses ONE hand to make a pipe cleaner bracelet with 5 Cheerios on it, puts it on (one handed), rides to next station and passes off baton.
- Materials needed: 4 pipe cleaners, a large handful of Cheerios, a tray/pan for organization
- Mentor role: Decide when the kiddo has struggled enough putting it on one-handed and help them out 🙂
Leg 6: Rubber band vs. can (non-riding)
- Directions: Rider shoots rubber bands until they knock the can down and then runs over and passes baton to slalom rider.
- Materials needed: Rubber bands, 4 cans/cups/anything that can be knocked down, table/bench (re-use water gun station area!)
- Mentor role: Fetch rubber bands
Leg 7: Ride through slalom cones
- Directions: Rider rides through cones and passes baton to next rider
- Materials needed: Cones
- Mentor role: Supervise
Leg 8: Big lap!
- Directions: Rider rides one lap around the perimeter and through the finish line!
- Materials needed: Cones to delineate lap (if your field does not have a clear perimeter)
Mentor role: Supervise
