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State of the Sector Report

  • All
  • COVID-19
  • Cross-Sectoral Connections
  • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
  • Health, Wellbeing & Development
  • Indigenous Peoples and Place-Based Outdoor Play
  • Outdoor Play Environments
  • Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play
  • Professional Development
  • Research & Data Collection
  • Safety & Outdoor Play

Thank you to Iryna Demchenko for providing this post.   This post summarizes a service spotlight article titled “Celebrating a decade of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance and its Global Matrix initiative,” recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Regular physical activity is important for children's growth and development. However, in the last decades,...

The Children, Youth, & Environments Network of the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA CYE) is thrilled to present an online webinar led by Louise Chawla, a Professor Emeritus in the Environmental Design Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. This webinar will explore the numerous benefits of connecting with nature while also addressing the challenges of...

Thank you to Taylor Bradbury, CHEO HALO Research Group Placement Student, Carleton University BHSc, for providing this post. It is widely accepted that time spent participating in outdoor physical activity (OPA) can have a positive impact on adolescent well-being, including mental health1. But how much OPA should youth be getting, and to what extent does it...

Get Outside and Play and Nature Play are hosting the Outdoor Play in the Early Years Conference again this year, May 2-4, 2025, in Calgary. There will be something for everyone. Whether you stay within the fenced yard or venture out to local natural spaces, the 28 sessions will inspire and offer new ideas. The conference starts...

  Thank you to Rachel Ramsden, PhD student at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, for providing this post. When it comes to children’s experiences at early learning and child care (ELCC) centres, how much outdoor play are children actually participating in – and can it be improved? New research from the...

Thank you to Mads Bølling, Peter Elsborg, Lærke Mygind, Charlotte Demant Klinker, Glen Nielsen and Peter Bentsen for providing this post. Physical activity in schools is not just about keeping children active – it can also play a crucial role in supporting their learning and overall well-being. Many schools, especially in Western countries, have embraced outdoor...

The Outdoor Learning School and Store is offering a free virtual workshop titled Outdoor Learning in the Early Years. This expert-led session features an incredible panel of educators, researchers, authors, and practitioners who will share practical tools, resources, and ideas to enhance your outdoor learning practices, specifically tailored for the early years. Among the esteemed...

Outdoor Play Canada is looking to hire a full-time Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP) Fellow for one year to build capacity and thought-leadership for outdoor play stakeholders. As the CCOP Fellow, your role will be to lead advocacy and thought-leadership initiatives for the promotion of outdoor play in the early years, in collaboration with...

Are you worried about the winter blues? Celebrating its 10th year in the UK and 2nd here in Canada, RED (Rise Every Day) January is a nationwide community that's open to individuals and teams of all ages and abilities. RED's philosophy is to empower all of us to move and boost our mood in the...