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Elementary students got to build the bicycles they earned through improved literacy goals last Friday, May 15, at the Houston Zoo. Second- and third-graders worked hard all semester to achieve goals set by their teachers to improve their literacy skills. The “Getting Young Minds in Gear” event was led by Elves & More, a program that uses bicycles as an incentive to encourage literacy in elementary school students.

A thousand youngsters from Eliot, Whittier, Osborne, and Shadydale elementary schools gathered to build their bikes with the help of Elves & More volunteers. These students signed contracts at the beginning of the semester that if they achieved their set goals (monitored through iStation, an e-learning program used by more than four million students around the world), they would be invited to attend the field day excursion.

Bicycles allow students to expand their horizons and explore the world around them. Helmets were included with the bikes.

After building their bikes, students explored the Houston Zoo.

Elves & More works with students in grades K-3 exclusively. For more information on how your school can be a part of this initiative, contact: Rebecca@ElvesandMore.org.