riding a bike

I don't know how she does it, but one of Sparkle's more unusual features is her ability to fall off a bike, even with training wheels. Years ago, long before I started homeschooling, one of my goals for Sparkle was for her to learn to ride a bike by kindergarten. Well, here she is in first grade and still can't ride a bike.

Tuesday afternoon I took the girls out on their bikes in the cul-de-sac across the street. Sparkle managed to fall down maybe dozen times. She's gotten quite good at leaping off the bike at the first sign of trouble and got trapped under the bike several times.

Wednesday morning I took the girls out on their bikes in the morning before doing any school. Sparkle did a bit better and fell off slightly fewer times. I also tried to convince her that she could just put her feet down.

This morning, after dropping Glitter off at preschool, I took Sparkle to a deserted corner of the parking lot, and had her practice again. The parking lot was larger and flatter than the cul-de-sac, so it was a bit easier. I also was able to run alongside her better, as I didn't have Glitter getting into trouble on her trike and needing me. This time Sparkle did not fall at all! Not once. She almost fell a few times, but I was able to catch her. At the end of the session, I even convinced her to try turning the corner without me holding her or the bike! Yay!