YMCA's National Playing to Learn curriculum was expanded upon by YMCA of Southwestern Ontario to shift the focus of the program towards self-directed and unstructured risky play for children, to support children's curiosities and interests while also building their resilience and confidence. Their curriculum is rooted in research on the association between outdoor play and...
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is among 8 recipients of the Lawson Foundation's Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0 funding pool. Their project, entitled 'Two-Eyed Seeing Approach to Land-based Play and Co-learning in Early Learning and Child Care Ecosystems' aims to shift post-secondary early childhood education, in-service professional development, and early years programming to advance...
On June 9th 2015, ParticipACTION released the 11th Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. In that report the authors identified that 'the biggest risk is keeping kids indoors' and highlighted findings from the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play on the importance of outdoor play and outdoor risky play for children's health...
The Glenora Child Care Society provides child care programming led by a philosophy based on the importance of play. Their website also boasts a number of resources for families and educators, including articles on risky play, winter play, and loose part play, as well as links to other useful sites. Check out their outdoor play resources...
Forest School Canada is the flagship educational project of the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. They provide evidence-based, practical, and inspiring professional learning opportunities for everyone interested in supporting the healthy development of children through play and learning outside. Professional learning opportunities include the Forest and Nature School Practitioners Course as well as a number...
DASH (Dedicated Action for School Health) has created a resource to help support educators in bringing their classrooms outdoors, including an outdoor classroom checklist, tips for working with parents and school administrators, and links to other supporting information. Learn more about the DASH Outdoor Classroom here....
Nature Canada has created Nature HomeSchool, a library of outdoor learning and play resources and tools, to help educators, caregivers, guardians, community leaders, and learners learn and connect to nature. Check out the Nature HomeSchool Library here. ...
The Trottibus is a walking school bus project initiated by the Canadian Cancer Society to help elementary school children walk to school together in the morning, accompanied by parents and volunteers. The program aims to promote physical activity among children, parents, and volunteers, all while reducing car traffic around schools. Just like with a school...
The Child Nature Alliance of Canada is among 8 recipients of the Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0 funding pool. Through Forest School Canada, they have launched a multi-year Community Consultation Project. From 2021 to 2024, they will consult with forest and nature school practitioners across Canada to: Articulate as a community what a quality Forest/Nature...
Play Outdoors Magazine: Exploring Outdoor Experiences in Early Learning is devoted to bringing articles, inspiration and creative ideas to those who play a key role in shaping the first five years of a child's life. Articles are written by educators, practitioners, and researchers and include: how-to incorporate loose parts in the outdoor environment, books and...
