In their newest article for The Conversation, Dr. John J Reilly, Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health Science, University of Strathclyde, and Dr. Mark Tremblay, Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, discuss how children's outdoor play was in decline before the pandemic and now is in danger of becoming...
The Government of Canada launched the Healthy Communities Initiative, a $31 million investment, to support local government, charities, Indigenous communities, and non-profit organizations in transforming public spaces into safe, accessible, and vibrant community hubs. This initiative aims to promote a sense of community as places of belonging, social cohesion, and collective identity, and aims to...
Thank you to Natasha Parent (PhD Student, University of British Columbia) for providing this post. Outdoor play – such as climbing, jumping, running or collecting things in nature – plays a critical role in children’s healthy development. However, over the past few decades, there has been a substantial decline in the amount of time Western children...
ReImagine RREC (Renew, Retool, Engage, Contribute) is a national COVID-19 recovery initiative led by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) and its partners and is supported by Sport Canada and the Government of Canada. ReImagine RREC aims to support administrators, policymakers, practitioners, and volunteers working in recreation, parks, and community sport to return to sustainable...
On February 17th, Strong Minds Strong Kids is hosting a webinar entitled 'How Nature Benefits Kids and Youth', featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Robin Alter. In the webinar Dr. Alter will discuss the evidence on the strong connection between nature and mental health and wellbeing. For more information and to register: How Nature Benefits Kids and Youth...
Thank you to Dr. Mark Tremblay, chair of Outdoor Play Canada, for providing this post. Active outdoor play for children and families is an ideal antidote for COVID-19 transmission and coping mechanism for related restrictions - provided that public health guidance is followed. Outdoor play can help to cope with, contain, and combat COVID-19 – but...
On February 1st, 2021, the Great Trail hosted an expert panel on boosting mental health during the winter as part of their #Blahs2ahhhs campaign. Their four experts shared insights on the importance of getting outdoors in all seasons to boost mental health and provided ideas on how to stay active and healthy - mentally, physically,...
From January 23-24, 2021, the International Association of Children's Active Play and Sport (CAPS) hosted an online workshop entitled 'Designing Effective Non-Contact Active Play & Physical Education Activities for Children’s Classes' to support educators, physical education and sport coaches in delivering non-contact, fun and educational active play and physical education games during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among...
The Healthy Kids Community Challenge was a program funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care from 2015-2018 in Ontario that supported 45 communities in Ontario in improving children’s health through the promotion of healthy behaviours (improving physical activity and healthy eating, reducing screen time). Themes that were part of this program included 'Run....
Lawson Foundation invests $4.95 million in 8 demonstration projects, including Outdoor Play Canada, to build adult capacity to support outdoor play in Early Learning and Child Care The Lawson Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the second phase of its Outdoor Play Strategy and an investment of $4.95 million in 8 demonstration projects,...
