Grades 3 to 5 Ages 8 to 11
Bike Shop Grades 3 to 5
Free online bicycle science course · 12 weeks
Forces, friction, tires, gears, brakes, helmets, reflectors, a flat tire and a design challenge.
Free Self-paced online course
A Rocket & Raven series
Bike Shop
A free online bicycle science course: forces, friction, gears, brakes, helmets and a safe pre-ride check.
Bike Shop is a free online course for Grades 3 to 5 about how a bicycle works and how to keep one safe. Rocket, Raven and Nova use the bike to teach real physics: pushes and pulls, friction, air in a tire, gears and the chain, patterns of motion and how light reflects. Kids learn to check a bike before a ride, see how a flat gets fixed, and finish by designing a better bike part. A grown-up handles every tool, and every activity has a no-bike option. Short lessons run Monday to Friday, and Saturday is Bike Shop Day, a family activity with a note for the grown-up. Every fact is checked against sources such as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission bicycle rule, NASA, the Exploratorium and university pages.
What's in every course
- · For Grades 3 to 5
- · Twelve weeks, from naming the parts to designing a better bike
- · Short lessons Monday to Friday, about 15 minutes each
- · Real physics: forces, friction, gears, motion and light
- · A pre-ride quick check kids can do with a grown-up
- · A Saturday Bike Shop Day for the family, with a note for the grown-up
- · Free, start to finish. No card.
Courses in this series
The course is free, start to finish.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost? +
Nothing. Bike Shop is free from start to finish, with no card. A free parent account saves each kid's progress.
Do we need a bike? +
No. Every activity has a no-bike option, such as a toy car, a rolling can, a drawing or the lesson's pictures. If there is a bike at home, kids can look at it with a grown-up.
Is it safe? +
Bike work happens only with the bike standing still. A grown-up holds the bike and handles every tool, the tire pump and chain oil. Hands stay away from the chain, gears and spokes whenever anything turns. A helmet goes on for every ride.
Does it teach riding in traffic? +
No. Bike Shop is about how a bike works and how to check it. Kids ride only where and when a grown-up says.