New Traffic Garden Creates a Safe Place to Learn, Practice and Enjoy Biking
July 27, 2026
A new traffic garden at Nashwauk-Keewatin School is givingyoung students a fun, hands-on place to learn about bike safety and buildconfidence on two wheels.
Itasca County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership(SHIP) partnered with Nashwauk-Keewatin School to create the permanent trafficgarden on the school parking lot. Anne Campbell, Safe Routes to SchoolCoordinator, helped lead the effort and bring partners together to make theproject a reality. The project was designed to address a simple need: childrenneed safe places to learn and practice the skills that help them becomeconfident, responsible bicyclists.
The traffic garden provides a miniature roadway wherestudents can practice stopping, turning, following signs, watching for others,and safely navigating different situations they may encounter while riding inthe community. Kindergarten and first grade students will use the school’sLearn-to-Bike equipment, progressing from balance bikes to pedal bikes as theirskills grow.
The school’s physical education teacher will incorporatebike safety instruction into the regular school experience, helping ensure thatevery kindergarten and first grade student has the opportunity to participate.This makes bike safety education part of the school’s ongoing routine ratherthan a one-time activity.
But the benefits don’t stop when the school day ends. Thetraffic garden will also be available for community use outside of schoolhours, giving students, families and community members a safe place to practicebiking together.
This project is about more than teaching children how toride a bike. It is about creating a community where being active, learning newskills and getting around safely are accessible to everyone. By investing in apermanent space that can be used year after year, Nashwauk-Keewatin School,Itasca County SHIP and community partners, including Anne Campbell and SafeRoutes to School, are helping make safe biking an easy and enjoyable choice forchildren and families in the community.