Bet you didn't know Wednesday is International Walk to School Day. The Spokane Regional Health District says it is, and it's the district's job to keep track of such things.

It's an effort to get more parents to tell their kids to use their own power to get to school, as opposed to driving them from the front door of the home to the front door of the schoolhouse. It's apparently the 11th such day, although they didn't start out with "international" in the title...perhaps because in many countries, walking is about the only way that kids get to school.

According to the official Walk to School website, it is also OK to have kids bike to school. It may be OK to have them scooter or skateboard to school, or, if school is across a body of water, to swim. Flying on one's own power should be acceptable, although taking a helicopter would not.

In any case, if kids don't walk to school at least sometimes, how are they going to tell their kids about the good old days when they walked two miles to school through three feet of snow. Uphill. Both ways.

So make them walk, for their current health and for their future nagging ability. They'll thank you for it. Someday.

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