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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

SaskOutdoors was recently interviewed by CBC on why it is important to get outdoors in the winter, how to do so safely, and where to go for resources to support outdoor play in all seasons. In their chat, Justine Wheeler, Outdoor Play Coordinator for SaskOutdoors, gave a shout-out to Outdoor Play Canada and the Outdoor...

Momentum is building at an international scale around taking a more playful approach to learning in schools. To document this movement, Edutopia put together a Making Learning More Playful video series, documenting how six schools in four countries adopted a playful learning mindset. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School (PETES) was among the four filmed, where principal...

Get Outside & Play is co-hosting their second annual Outdoor Play in the Early Years Conference! See details below. Dates: April 12 (evening) & April 13 (all day) Location: Calgary, Woodcliff United Church, and Edworthy Park Cost: $210 + GST Children need to be outdoors. This conference will inspire educators to be outside with children in a way that...

This article was originally published by the Canadian Pediatric Society. Safety measures that aim to protect children can become harmful when they are too restrictive, says Dr. Émilie Beaulieu, paediatrician in Quebec City and lead author of a new position statement on the importance of risky play. “Children should be kept as safe as necessary during play,...

Thank you to Dr. Tanya Halsall, the Royal Ottawa, and Laurel Donison, Brock University, for providing this post. Outdoor and nature-based activities promote better health and academic outcomes for children, where the school context represents a critical opportunity to support increased outdoor time. However, outdoor learning is not implemented consistently across school contexts, and as such,...

Thank you to Dr. Tanya Halsall, The Royal Ottawa, for providing this post. Researchers at Carleton University are looking for volunteers for an outdoor learning study. The project aims to examine the experiences of educators and students who are teaching and learning outdoors and decision-makers shaping outdoor learning policies to explore the factors that influence success and...

Thank you to Christina Han, Research Coordinator with the PlayOutside Lab, for providing this post. Dr. Mariana Brussoni and her research team at the University of British Columbia are excited to share https://teacher.outsideplay.org, a free online tool designed to help teachers support outdoor play and learning in elementary schools. The Outdoor Play and Learning tool was...

POSITION: MSc / PhD Studentship Opportunity (through Carleton University)  PERIOD: January 2024 (for 2 years - MSc, 3 years - PhD)   SALARY: MSc: $20,000 annually + $1000 Professional Development Allowance – for two years  PhD: $25,000 annually + $2500 Professional Development Allowance – for three years  REPORTS TO: Dr. Mark Tremblay, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research...

Thank you to Megan Gilbertson from PHE Canada for providing this post. Save the date! The first annual National Healthy Schools Week is October 2-6, 2023! National Healthy Schools Week is a kickoff event for schools to prioritize, plan, and engage in Healthy School conversations early in the school year. This week-long initiative is unique to each...

Take Me Outside Day is back for its 13th year, helping raise awareness and advocating for outdoor learning by helping educators and learners feel inspired to head outside and learn beyond the four walls of a classroom!  From Oct 16th - 20th, thousands of educators and learners will come together to participate in a week of...