You must enable JavaScript to view this website.

Professional Development

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...

Congratulations to Heather Wilson recently appointed as the new Child and Nature Alliance of Canada (CNAC) Executive Director! Heather spent two decades working with national non-profit and charitable organizations before joining CNAC in 2018 as the Director of Operations and Finance. While her most pressing priority is to support parents, practitioners, and educators to #thriveoutside during...

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...

What is Outdoor Classroom day? Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to inspire outdoor learning and play. On this day last year, hundreds of schools and over 3.5 million children joined together to bring awareness to the importance and benefits of bringing the classroom and playtime outside. These benefits include improving children’s overall health and...

On September 30th, 2020, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Hon Steven Guilbeault hosted a Sport Community Town Hall to discuss how the federal government will assist in the sport community’s recovery from the impact of COVID-19. Ahead of the Town Hall, members of the community were invited to submit proposals on how Canada may address the...

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...

Outdoor Play Canada, before its formal organization, was responsible for the development and release of the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play in 2015. This Statement had a significant impact on uniting the Outdoor Play sector, providing direction and a common purpose – promoting children’s healthy growth and development through outdoor play. To build on and...