Scooters

Last summer we purchased two of these scooters from lakeshore. Upon first look, I thought they were cool; upon closer look I thought "how are they ever going to ride these?" Maybe because of my adult view of the world, and how I always picture riding a scooter, I just couldn't picture it. I'm used to pushing with my foot parallel to the other foot. With these, you have to push from behind the body. A little uncomfortable at first.

When we first put out the scooters, I was beginning to think that I was right about these. It took about a week before any child really mastered the skills needed to ride these. After a year, most children are successful their first time on the scooters. Here's my theories:

When first introduced, the children had no experience with them (and may have had experience at home with a 2 wheel scooter). They had no reference to go off of on how to use them. Now, a year later, most of the younger children have watched the older ones be successful on the scooters. They have a frame of reference when they decide to take the challenge. Therefore, a preconceived notion does make it difficult to ride at first.

Now I go out in the yard and all the children are riding these, some racing around quickly. These are pretty well constructed. Considering they were "needs assembly" when we got them, they have stood up very well. Each scooter has since lost, and been replaced, one handle cover each. The wheels, platform, and frame had stood the test of time for the year. The coordination in using them is no longer a problem, and the children really love them. The older children (boys especially) who need more of a challenge have begun trying to do simple tricks on them: riding backwards, making small jumps over toys and curbs, popping the front wheel up, etc...

This has been a great addition to our yard.