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....
In a recent article for The Conversation, Professor Patrick Lewis and Master's student Whitney Blaisdell from the University of Regina, describe preliminary findings from their survey on play (or the lack thereof) during the pandemic, and provide recommendations on how to support play at home as we move forward into the new year. The authors make...
Over the winter holiday season, Milner Gardens & Woodland is encouraging families to get outdoors for play by creating a '12 days of Outdoor Play' challenge. The challenge encourages families to get outdoors every day for at least 30 minutes per day, 12 days in a row from Monday December 21, 2020 to Friday January...
December can be a cold, busy month - but making time to move your body is KEY to combating stress and being at your best. ParticipACTION invites you to take their annual 12 Days of Fitmas Challenge - where every day from December 1 to 12 there is an activity that contributes to your overall...
On Friday, November 13th at 9pm EST, CBC will be airing Kids vs Screens, a documentary from The Nature of Things that explores the impact of excess screen time on children and youth's mental health, development, and learning. Guest host Dan Riskin, a biologist, science journalist, and author explores the latest research on children and...
En 2019-2020, près de 72 000 jeunes en milieu scolaire ou en groupes organisés ont été accueillis dans les parcs nationaux grâce aux activités offertes annuellement aux groupes scolaires et aux efforts conjoints avec nos partenaires. Pour une troisième année consécutive, la Sépaq a poursuivi sa collaboration à titre de partenaire à la mesure « À l’école,...
Pursuing its mission to connect as many people as possible with nature, Sépaq aims to be actively involved in promoting healthy habits and raising awareness about physical activity and spending time in nature among young people. Therefore, for a third consecutive year in 2019-2020, Sépaq continued its collaboration with the Education Ministry as a partner...
This October, ParticipACTION is challenging Canadians to get active, get exploring, and get winning with the Great Big Move! From Oct 1st – 31st, team up with 2-7 friends, colleagues or family members on the ParticipACTION app, virtually explore Canadian active destinations, log move minutes, and unlock milestones to increase your chances of winning up...
In their latest 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 the negative effects COVID-19 related restrictions have had on children's cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness, the authors explain, is...
Since 2009, the Equinox Holistic Alternative School, within the Toronto District School Board, has led the way for holistic academic excellence with a focus on nature-based learning. They have attracted national and international attention with their full-day outdoor kindergarten program, and now in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has shifted to full outdoor...
