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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 pad corporate profits. Recognizing the harmful effects of excessive materialism on both individuals and the planet, OPC invites you...

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...

Outdoor Play Canada and Children & Nature Denmark are presenting a special webinar on supporting outdoor play and learning for children disabilities. This session will highlight the ongoing work of two national outdoor play organizations and research findings on inclusive and accessible outdoor play and learning from both Canada and Denmark. Participants will engage in...

The Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP) is thrilled to invite you to a special webinar on the newly launched Outdoor ECE Framework, formally known as, Educators Teaching Educators: Canada’s Outdoor Early Childhood Education Continuous Professional Learning Framework. Developed by the CCOP, this innovative framework was brought to fruition using valuable insights from early learning professionals...

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...

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, an opportunity for the public to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools, the intergenerational harm they caused to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those affected by this injustice. This federal holiday is an effort on behalf of the Government of Canada...

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...

This article was originally published on the University of Lethbridge website.   Parents today likely won’t be surprised to know their children have far less freedom to travel in their neighbourhoods than they did. But what they might not know is how that could affect their children’s mental health. Dr. Richard Larouche, a Faculty of Health Sciences professor...

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...

Over the next 4 years, our colleagues at the University of British Columbia will be collaborating with Green Communities Canada, alongside Université de Montréal, Queen's University, Toronto Metropolitan University, 880 Cities and Centre d’écologie urbaine to evaluate School Streets in communities across Canada. The team will work together to build a greater understanding of the impacts...