The 16th edition of the Report Card, Rallying for Resilience: Keeping Children and Youth Active in a Changing Climate, highlights how the current and impending effects of climate change could be particularly harmful for children and youth’s physical activity. Unfavourable weather and climate conditions like heatwaves, heavy rain and smoke-filled air can lead to recesses...
Thank you to Dr. Debra Harwood, Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Brock University, for providing this post. Researchers from Brock University are inviting Nature educators/individuals to participate in a research project on outdoor nature-based programs, entitled Outdoor and Nature-Based Early Learning in Canada: Revisiting the Scene Post-Pandemic. For this study, an outdoor nature-based program...
Thank you to Dr. Michelle Bauer, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Laura Cunningham, undergraduate student in the department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, for providing this post. A wealth of research demonstrates that there are developmental benefits for children’s participation in competitive...
Earth Day is April 22! Showing your appreciation for this great planet can include any number of activities, such as powering down for an hour, getting outside to play, cleaning-up your neighborhood, meeting your neighbours for a walk, and leaving your car turned off! For more ideas, a number of organizations across Canada & beyond are...
Thank you to Dr. Eun-Young Lee, Assistant Professor at Queen's University and OPC Board Secretary, An-Chi Shih, Physiotherapy Student at McMaster University, and Dr. Mark Tremblay, Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute and OPC Board President, for providing this post. In today's dynamic world, the significance of active play in children's development cannot be overstated....
Thank you to Sarah Forrest, second year journalism student at Carleton University, for providing this post. Outdoor risky play is key for childhood development, says Canadian Paediatric Society, but it’s not quite so simple. In a statement released on Jan. 25, CPS defined risky play as “thrilling and exciting forms of free play that involve uncertainty of...
This post was originally published on After Babel. Thank you to Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, for providing this post. [Preface from Jon Haidt:] In April 2023 I was invited to give a lecture at the University of British Columbia. As long as I was flying out to Vancouver, I wanted...
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...
