This Toronto gym teacher is cycling around his school’s neighbourhood dressed as the school mascot to encourage kids to dance and stay fit

As the Road Runner approaches by bike, his purple cape flowing in the wind, children spill out of their homes on to front porches and lawns, clanking pots and pans, merrily jumping and dancing on the spot.

It's a scene that's been playing out this week in a pocket of the city's west end, as gym teacher Patrick Murtaugh, dressed as the Regal Road Junior Public School mascot, cycles around the neighbourhood with a Bluetooth speaker attached to his bike. The goal is to have students join him for a short dance party, at a distance, and remind them of the importance of physical activity.

"It's been pretty special seeing their smiles, and the parents are over the moon," said Murtaugh, who went out for rides on Monday and Wednesday. "A lot of them have been cooped up."

His comments come in light of the province's move to shutter schools March 13 - and pleas by public health officials for people to practise social distancing - in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Schools will remain closed until at least May 4.

The idea to take the Road Runner out on the road surfaced last week after Murtaugh saw a post on a Facebook group run by parents whose children attend the school, located near the hilly intersection of Dufferin Street and Davenport Road.

Alison Norman, whose daughters are in grades 2 and 4, had heard about teachers in Port Elgin driving around town waving at students and posted, "Gosh, I'd love it if RR teachers could do this!! (Or rather, my kids would)."

To her surprise, Murtaugh replied, "OK Parents, if you want a Road Runner appearance on Monday when school 'starts' up again, I am going to need your help promoting this! How do we pull this off?"

Parents told him what streets they lived on and Murtaugh created a map for the families outlining a cycling route, with the times he'd be cycling past their homes.

Last weekend, Murtaugh's family joined him for a practice run - he dressed as the school mascot, wife Cayleigh as a ballerina, six-year-old son Grayson in a cape and three-year old daughter Neave as a dragon.

On Monday - when schools across the province launched at-home learning - Murtaugh put on the costume, hopped on his bike and blasted upbeat dance music. As he cycled along the two-and-a-half-hour route, delighted parents posted live updates on social media.

"Just saw him on Earlscourt Avenue!!" wrote one parent, while another posted, "Thank you Mr. Murtaugh! I think we all liked having something to look forward to today!"

"It was so much fun," said Murtaugh, adding the reactions of passersby were hilarious, with some looking on in disbelief and others hooting and hollering, honking their horns. "I hadn't been out of the house (in recent weeks), other than a couple of times shopping, so this was really great for myself, just to interact and get some exercise myself."

He went out again Wednesday, paying particular attention to the homes of families he missed during his first ride. The plan is to do a ride every couple of weeks, but like all teachers he's also teaching remotely, helping to keep students fit with challenges posted on Google classroom.

Norman - the parent who kick-started everything with her Facebook posting - told the Star she was in awe at the amount of time and care Murtaugh put into figuring out where families lived and creating a cycling route, noting, "It's so generous of him ... above and beyond what I expected to happen."

"It brought so much joy to the kids," said Norman, whose daughters Eleanor and Amelia made "Go Regal Road" signs - and accompanying mini-signs for their dolls - to greet the Road Runner. "It reminded them of the school community they belong to."

"I think we've all been feeling disconnected, but him cycling around in his spirit wear connected all of us."

Isabel Teotonio is a Toronto-based reporter covering education. Follow her on Twitter: @Izzy74