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Health, Wellbeing & Development

Through our partners at the CHEO Research Institute, we are recruiting a full-time Research Assistant to join the research arm of our Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play research-practice-policy partnership! See the LinkedIn post for more details and/or the job description below: RI-24-055 Research Assistant (HALO)...

From Dec 7-10, OPC held an intensive workshop in Seoul, South Korea on the 10th anniversary update to the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play. This 3-day meeting was led by the executive team for this project: OPC Executive Director, Dr. Louise de Lannoy, OPC President, Dr. Mark Tremblay and OPC Secretary, Dr. Eun-Young Lee...

Active for Life's  monthly newsletter, Active Start, is tailored specifically to a child’s age and filled with activities, games, ideas, informative articles and tips designed to help children develop a love of being active. They have two newsletter categories: one for parents and caregivers of children newborn to 2 years of age, and another for...

Thank you to Dr. Mark Tremblay, OPC President and Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute, for providing this post. Holiday gift ideas are often traditionally centered around material items, most of which being items that are not essential or needed and likely superfluous. Such things fill closets and cupboards, consume resources (natural and financial), and...

This new two-part Lancet series, delivered by the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), explores the "next 1,000 days" of a child's life, covering the critical developmental period from ages two to five. The series highlights the importance of this developmental period, explores care environments, risks, and protective factors shaping development, assesses access to nurturing care, and...

Save the Date! The Breath of Fresh Air Summit 2025 will run from September 25-27, 2025 at the Ottawa Forest and Nature School and Wesley Clover Parks Campground in Ottawa ON! This three-day Outdoor Play Summit will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers from across Canada and internationally to connect and share best outdoor...

Thank you to Søren Præstholm, Head of Children & Nature Denmark for providing this post. In recent decades, national surveys in Denmark have identified a substantial decrease in the time spent outside and in nature among children compared with earlier generations – similar to trends in many other countries. However, a new national survey of more...

Playful Mindset offers programs to children and caregivers (parents) with a fantastic mission to disrupt adverse childhood experiences and support children’s mental health through outdoor play. This Fall they are offering programs in the Ottawa, Ontario region with the hopes to expand in coming years. One program we’re thrilled to hear about is their Outdoor Play...

BREAKING NEWS. Outdoor Play Canada, the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, Algonquin College and the Canadian Disability Participation Project have recently been awarded funding for a 4-year project to address challenges in the built and social environment for outdoor play and learning in natural spaces for young children living...