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...
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...
Thank you to Professor Helen Dodd (University of Reading) for providing this post. When children play in an adventurous way, climbing trees, riding their bikes fast downhill, jumping from rocks, they experience feelings of fear and excitement, thrill and adrenaline. In our recently published conceptual paper, Dr Kathryn Lester and I argue that these experiences, as...
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,...
The Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Annual Conference, hosted by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, aims to exchange ideas and engage in activities focused on sustainable city-landscape interactions. Topics covered in the virtual 2020 conference included: children, youth, and the environment, Indigenous knowledge and wisdom, sustainable urban design, urban-rural linkages, and vulnerable resilient and climate justice...
The Government of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Parks Council and Mount Royal University’s Institute for Environmental Sustainability, recently announced the launch of the Pan-Canadian Parks and Protected Areas Research Network. The Network is made up of scientists, researchers, Indigenous knowledge holders, students, and parks and protected areas specialists and managers, who collectively will...
As part of the process of reviewing the Child Care and Early Years Act, the Ministry of Education in Ontario put out a call for submissions to discuss several components of the Act, including the potential to license Forest and Outdoor Programs. In response, Andrew Fleck Children's Services (AFCS), together with Child Nature Alliance of Canada...
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, public health authorities across the country have recommended that Canadians keep their distance, wash their hands, and stay home. To enforce these measures early in the pandemic, restrictions on outdoor behaviour were implemented, limiting access to parks, playgrounds, conservation areas and recreational outdoor spaces. Counterbalancing efforts to create more...
The Children and Nature Network hosts the annual Inside-Out International Conference and Leadership Summit; the largest gathering of nature connection advocates in the world. Conference themes focus on ensuring that children have access to the many benefits of nature and inspire new generations of environmental stewards. In 2020, their conference was held online and focused on...
