Save the Date! The Breath of Fresh Air Summit 2025 will run from September 25-27, 2025 at the Ottawa Forest and Nature School and Wesley Clover Parks Campground in Ottawa ON! This three-day Outdoor Play Summit will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers from across Canada and internationally to connect and share best outdoor...
BREAKING NEWS. Outdoor Play Canada, the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, Algonquin College and the Canadian Disability Participation Project have recently been awarded funding for a 4-year project to address challenges in the built and social environment for outdoor play and learning in natural spaces for young children living...
Congratulations to OPC Board Member, Dr Mariana Brussoni, who was awarded the 2024 Joe L Frost Award for distinguished research at the US Play Coalition Conference in Indiana held April 16-18, 2024! In the mid-2000s, Mariana dared to push back against the accepted attitude that play should be 'as safe as possible' instead of 'as...
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...
POSITION: MSc / PhD Studentship Opportunity (through Carleton University) PERIOD: January 2024 (for 2 years - MSc, 3 years - PhD) SALARY: MSc: $20,000 annually + $1000 Professional Development Allowance – for two years PhD: $25,000 annually + $2500 Professional Development Allowance – for three years REPORTS TO: Dr. Mark Tremblay, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research...
The Play Outside UBC Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute is looking to understand children’s outdoor play at Early Learning and Child Care (ELCCs) centres across Canada. They are seeking to understand outdoor play provision in Canada to support future action related to outdoor play policies,...
Thank you to Families Canada for providing this post! Happy Summer! Summer is a great time to relax, play, and enjoy time with your family, whether at home, or outdoors with others. This summer, Families Canada, encourages all educators, parents, and family support service providers to find new ways to support children’s play as they play alone,...
In collaboration with the Canadian Disability Participation Project, The Steadward Centre for Personal and Physical Achievement, and the Adapt Lab, a team of researchers and practitioners with expertise in childhood disability, inclusive play, and community programming have produced a Quality Participation on Playgrounds Blueprint resource. It is adapted from the Canadian Disability Participation Project’s Blueprint...
