Rhythm and Blues Makes Beautiful Bkes for Kids in San Jose

Rhythm and Moves, a San Jose-based music and physical education programming company, hosts an annual staff team building event as part of its “welcome back” week. Because these educators are so invested in the dozens of Bay Area schools they serve, they were looking for a way to help area kids while they helped each other prepare for a new school year. Magnovo’s Bike-A-Thon™ program was just the thing!

Rhythm and MovesA Bike-A-Thon™, San Jose-Style

We met with about 75 educators in the gymnasium of a local school. Silicon Valley traffic being what it is, we did have a few latecomers, but we started with some simple ice breakers, for just that reason. It was easy to accommodate new folks into the activities. Many of the participants already knew each other, but because they often work in different schools and classrooms, they don’t often have a chance to get together, so the ice breakers were a nice way to ease into the day. After a few rounds of get-to-know-you games, people felt pretty comfortable. Once we had our full group in attendance, we hit the ground running.

Rhythm and Moves Gets Into the Game

In a Magnovo Bike-A-Thon™, participants utilize communication, strategy, and teamwork skills to play games and earn all of the parts necessary for building a bicycle. Everyone divided themselves into teams of roughly equal size. This was a high-energy group, and they responded enthusiastically to every game and challenge we gave them. As teams competed for the parts needed to assemble the bikes, their competitive spirits were in full view. But it all remained in good fun. Teams cheered encouragingly for each other, and each group worked well together, completing 12 bikes in record time. Working in a school gymnasium was really ideal for the group. There was plenty of room to spread out and work comfortably. We were able to line up a dozen bicycles, too, which made for some great team photos!

Educators Move Beyond the Classroom to Help Local Kids

The highlight of the day was watching each team “deliver” its bicycle to a local child through a pre-planned presentation. The looks on these children’s faces was utter joy. And there were definitely a few happy tears shed by a couple of the educators. The educators of Rhythm and Moves are clearly dedicated to their work and the students they teach; the Bike-A-Thon™ was a great way to have fun, reconnect in preparation for a new year, and also help their kids through physical activity: a way that’s very much in line with their mission.