OCTOBER 06, 2021 Across Canada during the pandemic, children and youth have spent less time playing outdoors — and simply being outside — adding onto our country’s already failing grade for active play. Today’s release of Outdoor Play in Canada: 2021 State of the Sector Report puts forward nine priorities for the outdoor play sector to...
Thank you to Louise Zimanyi, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Humber College, for providing this post. As we mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021, we honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. In reflection, Professor Shirantha Beddage spoke to Louise Zimanyi and Lynn Short about Humber's...
Thank you to Roula Zougheibe, PhD Candidate at Curtin University, Australia, for providing this post. Active children and neighbourhood safety Children build up their recommended daily physical activity through organised sport, playing, walking, cycling and/or scootering to local destinations in their community. Our study “Is there a correlation between children’s outdoor active mobility behaviour and neighbourhood safety?...
Thank you to Beverlie Dietze, Play Outdoors Magazine, for providing this post. In partnership with some of Canada’s outdoor play educators, Play Outdoors magazine is offering a multitude of workshop topics to educate, inspire, and bring new ideas to educator's early learning and childcare practice. The 2021 Fall workshops include: Exploring the Benefits of Taking Learning Outdoors Presenter: Dr....
The Breath of Fresh Air Outdoor Play Summit is a two-day Outdoor Play Canada-led Summit where thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers can connect and share best practices. This innovative national forum on outdoor play historically took place in an open air environment. This year the Summit will be held virtually and will be streamed from the Ottawa Forest...
Thank you to Dr. Renee Umstattd Meyer (Baylor University) and Dr. J. Aaron Hipp (North Carolina State University) for providing this post. This article was originally published in The Conversation. Outdoor play is critical for child development – it decreases stress, increases communication and social skills, attention and physical activity, and enhances physical development. During COVID-19, opportunities for children...
Thank you to Carrie Millar, Dr. Jennifer Leo and Dr. Kelly Arbour Nicitopoulos for providing this post. Launched in 2019, Promoting Inclusive Play in Alberta (PiPA) is a collaborative initiative between The Steadward Centre for Personal & Physical Achievement at the University of Alberta and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. The aim of the initiative is to...
Thank you to Chloe Dragon Smith and Robert Grandjambe for providing this post. This article was originally published in briarpatch Magazine. Standing on the shores of Pine Lake, the wind ruffles my hair, rippling the surface of the water with the same gentle tendrils that envelop my body. We are one, the lake and I. We always...
July 29, 2021 A new report from the Lawson Foundation and Outdoor Play Canada, 'Funding for Outdoor Play in Canada' - released today - identifies funding trends as well as current and potential funders of outdoor play. Based on an environmental scan, a grant seeker survey, and interviews with funders, this report outlines the drivers of...
Congratulations to OPC Leadership Group member, Dr. Mariana Brussoni, on her new appointment as Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia! Dr. Brussoni's appointment follows the recent leadership of Dr. Marin Guhn and Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl, as well as the leadership of Dr. Clyde Hertzman, the founding director of...
