Thank you to Dr. Tanya Halsall (University of Ottawa) and Dr. Louise de Lannoy (Outdoor Play Canada) for providing this post. This article was originally published in The Conversation. An important incidental change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has been our collective rediscovery of the outdoors. As we begin building back better, we have an opportunity...
Thank you to Dr. Eva Oberle, Dr. Mariana Brussoni and Megan Zeni (University of British Columbia) for providing this post. This article was originally published in The Conversation. When children step out of their traditional elementary school classroom to learn outdoors, they experience a wide range of benefits. Outdoor learning is fun, active and fosters creativity and problem solving. Outdoor...
Thank you to Louise Zimanyi, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Humber College, for providing this post. As we mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021, we honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. In reflection, Professor Shirantha Beddage spoke to Louise Zimanyi and Lynn Short about Humber's...
Thank you to Roula Zougheibe, PhD Candidate at Curtin University, Australia, for providing this post. Active children and neighbourhood safety Children build up their recommended daily physical activity through organised sport, playing, walking, cycling and/or scootering to local destinations in their community. Our study “Is there a correlation between children’s outdoor active mobility behaviour and neighbourhood safety?...
Thank you to Carrie Millar, Dr. Jennifer Leo and Dr. Kelly Arbour Nicitopoulos for providing this post. Launched in 2019, Promoting Inclusive Play in Alberta (PiPA) is a collaborative initiative between The Steadward Centre for Personal & Physical Achievement at the University of Alberta and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. The aim of the initiative is to...
Thank you to Chloe Dragon Smith and Robert Grandjambe for providing this post. This article was originally published in briarpatch Magazine. Standing on the shores of Pine Lake, the wind ruffles my hair, rippling the surface of the water with the same gentle tendrils that envelop my body. We are one, the lake and I. We always...
On April 13th, 2021, the federal and Nova Scotia provincial governments announced they were allocating $7 million for the creation of new, or enhancement of existing, outdoor learning spaces in ~250 elementary schools in Nova Scotia. A government news release outlined that "Schools will be asked to ensure that the spaces are aligned with curriculum and...
Thank you to Dr. Negin Riazi, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at Brock University, for providing this post. Children’s independent mobility refers to a child’s freedom to travel and play in their neighbourhood without the supervision of adults. However, there has been a steep generational decline in children’s independent mobility which is quite...
Construction of a new, multi-purpose iconic building on National Capital Commission (NCC) property is about to begin. Fences are being put up, a biologist will be onsite Monday, and the removal of trees (as few as possible) will start Tuesday. Trees destined to be cut will be turned into lumber for future use inside the...
La Forêt Éphémère, or The Ephemeral Forest, at Parc Jarry in Montreal, was an initiative led by the community park group Coalition des amis du Parc Jarry (CAP Jarry) and funded by a TD Park People Winter Grant, to give cast-off Christmas trees a second life, promote time outdoors, and foster community. Residents of Montreal were...
