The Outdoor Play Canada 2023 Awards will be presented at this year’s Breath of Fresh Air Outdoor Play Summit! If you know of an individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional commitment and leadership in the promotion of outdoor play, nominate them for an OPC award! Award categories include: 2023 OPC Honour Award Dr. Mariana Brussoni...
Thank you to the Nova Scotia Outdoor Play Network for providing this post. The Nova Scotia Outdoor Play Network was formed during the development of the Outdoor Play in Canada: 2021 State of the Sector Report, led by Outdoor Play Canada (OPC), which brought together outdoor play stakeholders from across Canada to identify the wealth of...
Organizations that provide physical activity programs for individuals with disabilities are often required to do evaluations to secure funding, show impact to board members and stakeholders, and understand their ability to grow. However, programs are difficult to evaluate due to their complexity and competing organizational priorities. There are also very few resources to support evaluation...
Thank you to Dr. Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet and Dr. Felix Berrigan for providing this post. This article was originally published in The Conversation. There is a growing interest across Canada in outdoor education that is formally integrated into school. This trend has increased since COVID-19, particularly because open-air environments significantly reduced the risks of disease transmission. Outdoor education is an...
The Play Outside UBC Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute is looking to understand children’s outdoor play at Early Learning and Child Care (ELCCs) centres across Canada. They are seeking to understand outdoor play provision in Canada to support future action related to outdoor play policies,...
The 2015 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play served as a galvanizing force for the outdoor play sector in Canada and inspiration for stakeholders globally. It brought together previously disconnected groups from education, community, health, environment, wildlife, ecology, law, and Indigenous rights that collectively shared a passion for outdoor play. The Position Statement provided direction...
In collaboration with the Canadian Disability Participation Project, The Steadward Centre for Personal and Physical Achievement, and the Adapt Lab, a team of researchers and practitioners with expertise in childhood disability, inclusive play, and community programming have produced a Quality Participation on Playgrounds Blueprint resource. It is adapted from the Canadian Disability Participation Project’s Blueprint...
Sask Outdoors hosts a regular podcast on all things environmental enjoyment and education. Episode 9 featured Outdoor Play Canada's Dr. Louise de Lannoy as she chatted with the hosts about outdoor play in Canada, the PLaTO-Net global terminology project, the new Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play, and one thing she would change about the world. Listen...
Dr. Brianne Bruijns and Dr. Trish Tucker are launching a new research study to gather Canadian parents' perspectives regarding their educational background and needs pertaining to healthy movement behaviours, as well as their knowledge and confidence in this area. This will act as a needs assessment study for an extension of their TEACH e-Learning course,...
We at Outdoor Play Canada, in collaboration with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, Andrew Fleck Children's Services, and Algonquin College, are launching the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP), a centre of excellence and demonstration site in outdoor play. The CCOP will have a licensed nature-based early childhood...
